《Song of Change (Cancelled)》 Prologue: The Song That Changed The World Prologue: The Song That Changed The World - 10 Years Ago A drizzling rain is a depressing atmosphere, and lets not get on the fact the dead bodies lying around. Surrounding me are the dead corpses of those who died because of me. All because of the song, my family is dead. The song of change¡­ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The year 2066, forty-four years until the 22nd century. Maybe by then people will forget about the song. My name is Rhythm Game. Without any parents the orphanage gave me names that represent who I am. I live in America and I don¡¯t know who my parents are. I don¡¯t really care, but I think I¡¯m a mix between a european and an asian, mostly asian. I am sixteen years old and I go to public school like any other person my age. Why am I saying this? Well thats because I¡¯m currently being bullied by the majority of the school. Everyone ignores me at school. I can understand if I¡¯m ugly or weird, but I¡¯m not. I¡¯m average in looks, with a appearance that the workers at the orphanage would often say I gave off a feeling that calms others. Ever since I joined high school, no one ever talked to me unless absolute necessary. This might be due to the fact of what happened on the first day I transferred¡­ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Class was starting for everyone. I was quite nervous when I transfered, but nothing really happened. It was okay until the end of the day. At 6th period, it was free time. I was just dazing off when I heard the melody. Instantly awake, the first thing I did was tell the guy who turned on the melody, ¡°Turn it off.¡± Confused, the guy replied, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the melody.¡± And thus, no one became close to me. Now to the readers, let me explain something first. In 2055, a video was released to the world. Hitting off on Y*u Tube the video became instantly viral. The video was just a picture of a CD disk and played a song. The song had no lyrics, yet people could tell that it was a person making that unique melody. Now what was strange was that although the video lasted no more than a minute, no one was able to reproduce the same sound. When people tried to sing it, it always changed tone depending on the singer¡¯s emotions, but none were able to recreate the original. Even pro-voice actors were stumped at this mystery. If it was just that, then it wouldn¡¯t be such a big deal, but the song was magic. The song strongly influenced the emotions, and the song was so moving that some small countries made it their anthem. Religion chanted the melody as their prayer. Kids started to sing it in the neighborhood. Even some birds started to sing it. No matter where in the world you went, even to the most remote places, you could almost always hear the song. Eventually this song became known as ¡°The Song of Change.¡± What¡¯s not known to the public is that the song inspired more than good. Religious fanatics were deeply moved by it, and saw it as a message from god. Acts in the name of god became more frequent, but at most it got a paragraph on the local news. This was because of the song of change again. A man was so inspired by the song that he started to work on a virtual world dedicated to the song. Creating the technology for this, 10 years have passed since he worked on the world. As others used his tech, thousands of VRMMORPGs were introduced, but because of this no one paid attentions to the negative effects of the song of change. Fanatics and religions started popping up in many places all over the world. Many religions centered around the song of change or the virtual worlds and saw it as a new age. Back to me, so because of something I don¡¯t like people avoid me. Crazy right! But that¡¯s how it is, conflicts and isolation are always centered around petty reasons. Walking home, I noticed the truck in front of my house. Due to several jobs I used to take, most not so pretty, I made enough money to support myself with a little extra to give to the orphanage that took care of me. It was enough for me to splurge on a small one story house in a peaceful neighborhood. If the police were on to me however, I would quickly have to abandon the state. Seeing the people moving some boxes to my door, I walked up to them. ¡°Excuse me, do you need something.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re looking for a Rhythm Game?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Sign this please.¡± Taking the clipboard, I sign several papers before giving it back to them. That¡¯s strange. It seems that someone sent me a VR Machine. ¡°Okay, now please let us in so we can install the machine, afterwards we¡¯ll be done.¡± Of course, due to my former line of work, I checked if they had any possible items on them that could harm me. After a quick inspection, I opened my door to them. It took a while but they set up the VR Machine. Bidding farewells, I looked at the large egg shaped machine. It looked excessively large compared to the standard helmet like machine I had. Entering inside, I entered the dive state that almost anyone knew how to do. Inside my virtual room, a blank room that is personalized for every machine when nothing is loaded, I noticed that I had a message. Calling forth the message, an envelope materialized right above my hand. That¡¯s weird. Even in the VR Machine it was hard to find people who still send handwritten messages. Opening the mail, I read the contents. To: The Creator of the Song Because of your song, I was inspired to create the new world I dreamt about. In one week it will be announced to the world, but until then you and several hundred people will be able to beta test it for 1 month real time. The official release date is 7/1/2066, a little over a month from now. The master code is needed to input for special character enhancements. Have fun in New World, Daimon Chase. Why would Daimon Chase, the creator of VR himself, send a letter to me. I didn¡¯t sign up for anything like this, not that I¡¯m complaining. Well, I might as well play the game. I opened the application for [New World] which sent me to the loading process. Loading¡­ ¡°The scan on your DNA states that you do not have an account. Do you wish to register?¡± Yes ¡°Select the name of your avatar.¡± Vocal ¡°Please enter the master code to continue.¡± Now what would that be? It has to be something I know, and probably the other beta testers. Aw damn it, now I know why he referred to me as the creator. Resigning myself to this, I started to sing the song of change. The original melody flowed out, creating a beautiful song that shook the soul. Lasting for about a minute, in the endless void my voice carried out forever. Ending, the system replied¡­ ¡°Master code recognized. Generating System Game Master settings. Unlocking all locked options.¡± Eh, wait did it just say that I have System Game Master settings? ¡°Please choose a race. There are 5 choosable ones, but because of your GM account, you can choose from the original 472 races. After that, a long list of options appeared in front of me. From the top were the common races: human, elf, dwarf, orc, and demon. Then it continued into many races like: dragons, beastmen, angels, etc. I can¡¯t decide. System Generate Random Race. ¡°Random Race has been selected. Due to your GM settings, you can choose from a wider range of choices. Are you sure about your choice?¡± Yes ¡°You have selected the Unique Race: Slimen. They were the weak slimes that evolved to become more humanoid to become a sentient race.¡± Eh, a slimen? Is that a form of slime? So wait, my race is a SLIME. Well it can¡¯t be all that bad. If I remember correctly, around the times of 2015 slimes were often depicted as overpowered underdogs in fantasy light novels. Also, that was during the childhood of most adults now, so maybe they designed an overpowered race. ¡°Do you wish to customize your appearance?¡± What came up were two things. First was my original body, which I didn¡¯t bother to change. Next appeared my slime body. Honestly it looked like the membrane of a jellyfish covering a small sphere which I assumed was the core. It looked kinda cute. Skip ¡°Do you wish to enter your race starting town or enter a random town?¡± Well I¡¯m not entering a town full of slimes as a noob slime. I know for sure that the current image of slimes dictate them as cannibals, so no thank you. Random City ¡°Your account has been created. Please enjoy your time during the beta trial period. Please note that when the official game comes out, you will keep your character and all of the stats/skills but you will be unable to level up for one month real time.¡± Eh, well that seems fair. After that, my conscious faded. Chapter 1: First Day Chapter 1: First Day Appearing in the forest, I noticed that I was in my slime form. This would be bad if someone tries to attack me in the forest. Now that I think about it, why am I here? Wasn¡¯t I supposed to spawn in a village or city? Oh well, might as well check how strong I am. I activate several hand gestures to check my character screen. ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 1 Class: None Race: Slimen Gender: Male Health: 10 Health Regen: 1 / Min Mana: 10 Mana Regen: 1 / Min Titles: [Game Master] STR: 1 AGI: 1 VIT: 1 DEX: 1 INT: 1 LUC: 1 Attack: 1-1 Spell Damage: 1 Defense: 1 Elemental Resistance: Fire: 1% Water: 1% Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 0 Skill Points Available: 0 EXP: 0% ---------- ...this is pitiable. How weak am I? I probably can¡¯t even defeat another slime with these stats. Looking at the system help feature, it seems that stats are determined like this: ---------- HP/MP x 10 Per level ATK x 1 Per STR DEF / HP Regen x 1 Per VIT Mana Regen x 1 Per INT CRIT Chance x 0.01 per DEX and x 0.001 per LUK Spell Damage x 1 Per INT ---------- Maybe I have some good skills. I quickly gestured for the skill list. ---------- Skill List: Change Form (Lv: 1) Cell Structure Change Metamorphosis Eternal Stomach ---------- Ohhh, I got some good looking skills. Hopefully they¡¯re as good as the name looks. Let¡¯s see what they do. ---------- Change Form: Lv: 1 (0%) [Active] You can transform into anything you eat, including monsters and items. However, you have to be lucky to find or defeat a strong foe for their body. For every level your skill increase you can save more transformation slots. You will not revert to your original form unless you activate [Change Form]. Mana Cost: 100 Forms Available: (Basic) Slime Human ---------- ---------- Cell Structure Change: [Active] As a slimen, you can manipulate the cells in your body. Because of this, you have the power to reconstruct your body. You can reset your stat points and freely allocate them. Sub-skills: All Out Attack: For 1 second all of your stat points will be temporarily transferred to STR. (Cooldown: 5 Minute) Slime Armour: For 1 second all of your stat points will be temporarily transferred to VIT. (Cooldown: 5 Minute) Burst Dash: For 1 second all of your stat points will be temporarily transferred to AGI. (Cooldown: 5 Minute) Perfect Control: For 1 second all of your stat points will be temporarily transferred to Dex. (Cooldown: 5 Minute) Eidetic Mind: For 1 second all of your stat points will be temporarily transferred to INT. (Cooldown: 5 Minute) Devil¡¯s Luck: For 1 second all of your stat points will be temporarily transferred to LUC. (Cooldown: 5 Minute) ---------- ---------- Metamorphosis: [Passive] As a slimen, you are part human and part monster. Because of this, you have the power of evolution. Upon discovering your evolution conditions, you will be able to evolve. ---------- ---------- Eternal Stomach: [Passive] As a slimen, you have no need for food because you do not consume energy. Instead, you have a stomach that can eat anything regardless of size. You lose the function [Inventory] in exchange for this skill. ---------- Wow, this is a lot better that I thought. In exchange for the command [Inventory] I have an eternal stomach that holds whatever I want. Also it seems like I can evolve and change forms, although I can¡¯t change yet. The best skill is definitely the [Stat Change] skill. Imagine never having to worry about character build, plus the overpowered sub-skills. Use [Devil¡¯s Luck] right when a monster dies for awesome drops, increase attack with [All Out Attack], there¡¯s so many uses. Wait, how does that even work? I understand the first four, but what about INT and LUC? Technically a slime has no brains and luck isn¡¯t a physical factor. Looking at my character, I felt satisfied for my choices. Oh yeah, I noticed the title before but what is it. ---------- Game Master You are not just any admin, you have the power of the game master. The game is to your bidding. Equipped: + 50% Intimacy with all NPCs + Game Master Settings WARNING: IF YOU EQUIP THIS TITLE PLAYERS MIGHT ANNOY YOU, SO DON¡¯T EQUIP IT IN FRONT OF A LOT OF PEOPLE. ---------- Well that wasn¡¯t really helpful. Now where am I. I seem to be in some sort of forest, but where¡¯s the village. Walking, or scooching around (remember, I¡¯m a slime), I started to look for any settlement nearby. I saw many pathways, so maybe civilization is close. It¡¯s so close that I can hear it, but no matter which direction I look, I can¡¯t see anyone. Unless...I look up. The village was stacked on top of the trees. Everyone was far off up into the trees that I didn¡¯t notice them. From what I could see, it¡¯s almost impossible to get up there, but if so then why would this be a spawn point for starting players? Looking around, I noticed a few people walking around. Maybe I can ask for help. Completely forgetting that I¡¯m a slime, it was too late as I jumped right in front of their path. Quickly reacting, they drew their weapons before they realized who I am. Upon seeing me, everyone started laughing. ¡°Oh wow, to think we got scared of a slime.¡± ¡°Aww, he¡¯s so cute. Can we keep him?¡± ¡°What¡¯s a slime doing here though? I thought that they lived further in the center.¡± With their nonchalant conversation, I attempted to speak but realized that I had no organs for that kind of job. Then I realized that the cursors above their head were red and black cursors. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. In multiple VRMMORPGs, cursors tell a lot about a person. Both players and NPC¡¯s have the same system: Blue: Good. White: Neutral. Yellow: Fatally injure someone with a cursor above yellow. Red: Someone who has killed an innocent before. Black: Someone who is considered evil and will be marked black for the rest of their lives. ¡°Hey Uncle, go catch him for me.¡± ¡°Alright, Uncle here will definately get that slime.¡± Oh my god, I gotta get out of here. Turning around, I used [Burst Dash] but nothing happened. Wait, could it be that the skill doesn''t work if all of my stats were at the lowest possible. That means that there¡¯s nothing to transfer. The man who talked earlier picked me up. Throwing me casually towards the girl from earlier, he said, ¡°Remember, you need to befriend the slime first before you tame it. Otherwise it won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Uncle. I¡¯ll bring him with me wherever I go.¡± NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With no possible escape route, I was forced to follow the group that kidnapped me. The girl who wanted me was called Kira, a youthful fifteen year old girl. Her uncle Jack, a young man in his twenties, was out with his group of friends Lena and Ben on a normal hunt. Everyone except Kira had black cursors, so I wondered what kind of lifestyle these NPCs had to get one. How do I know they¡¯re an NPC? Considering the fact that the beta started just today, take a guess. Right now, everyone is climbing a hidden set of ladders that I never would¡¯ve noticed without them. With me on top of Kira¡¯s head, I thought that it was convenient that I didn¡¯t have to climb. ¡°Hey Uncle Ben, what do slimes like to eat?¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t know. We don¡¯t have slimes around these parts. I guess anything edible.¡± ¡°How about this Kira, when we get home we¡¯ll cook some cookies tomorrow and give some to the slime. Maybe that¡¯ll help you tame him faster.¡± ¡°Okay Aunt Lena.¡± Seriously, what kind of people with black cursors act like this? Is it different in this game? ¡°Oh yeah Uncle Jack, tell me about the annoying humans you killed today.¡± ...nope, the system is the same alright. ¡°Well, you know how we Draconians defend our territories. The only couple hundred humans I killed were all invaders from the Central Empire. Other than the occasional raid, it¡¯s not like everyday that you kill someone.¡± Hmm, it seems that they¡¯re a race of dragon people. Also that humans and Draconians don¡¯t get along. As they were talking, we reached the top of the trees. Looking at the village, all I could think was ¡°Pokemon Fortree City.¡± With a whole city made of wood and vines, it was truly a wonderful sight. ¡°Alright, so we¡¯ll split here. See ya later.¡± Both Lena and Ben left to wherever they needed to go while I had to leave with Kira and Jack. Going around the town, I noticed that the town had various stalls and buildings that sold many merchandise. What scared me was that almost everyone I saw had either red or black cursors. While I was observing, we reached what I guessed was the residence of Kira and Jack. Entering inside, Kira went to a couch in the middle of the one story house and jumped on it, with me flying off. Landing on the couch, she caught my body without even looking at me. ¡°Hey Kira, I need to report to the elders about the humans today. I¡¯ll get home in about an hour or two.¡± ¡°Okay, bye Uncle Jack.¡± Leaving, Kira waited until Jack left then turned to me. ¡°Okay, so do you want to become my pet?¡± ---------- Kira has asked to accept you as a pet. Do you wish to accept? Yes/No ---------- Obviously I¡¯m not gonna be restricted to a scary village like this. I refuse. ---------- You have rejected the request. ---------- Shocked, Kira tried again, and again, and again, and again. But every time I refused. ¡°Why won¡¯t you accept?¡± She kept trying again, right until Jack came home. Now I¡¯m no sadist, but this small victory gave me quite a feeling of accomplishment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kira? Why are you crying! Who is it? WHO MADE YOU CRY! I¡¯LL SLAUGHTER THE PERSON THAT MADE MY KIRA CRY!!!¡± Uwawah, Jack has gone all crazy. He¡¯s emitting a huge amount of killing intent right now, with a hint of qi mixed in. With the energy he¡¯s producing, the whole house was shaking like a small earthquake hit. ¡°UNCLE JACK! WAAAAAAH, I CAN¡¯T TAME EVEN A SLIME, HE WON¡¯T BECOME MY PET NO MATTER HOW LONG I ASKED.¡± Calming down, Jack replied, ¡°Oh, is that so. Well that¡¯s easy, just let me talk to him for a moment.¡± Taking me and coming close to my face, I heard him whisper in a menacing voice, ¡°Listen here buddy, I can¡¯t bother with killing an insignificant monster like yourself. However, I will change my mind if you make my little girl cry. Now it¡¯s in your best interest to listen to and obey my little girl now. Are we clear?¡± I was shaking from the killing aura he emitted. Just from that, I can tell from past experiences that he¡¯s at least level 300. I can¡¯t defy such a powerful being. I quickly nod, which momentarily shock Jack, but then he went all smiles. ¡°Good news Kira, I think he wants to become your pet now.¡± ¡°REALLY!?!¡± ¡°Of course, just try to tame him again.¡± Kira walked towards my shaking body, which was still in Jack¡¯s hand. Asking again to become her pet, I momentarily thought that maybe if I die, Jack won¡¯t be able to get me. After all, I¡¯ll just revive somewhere else. As if reacting to my thoughts, Jack started squeezing me until I started to slowly lose health. Quickly I accepted the deal. ---------- You have accepted to become Kira¡¯s pet. You have received the title [Kira¡¯s Pet]. ---------- I resigned myself to this fate. A noob like me can¡¯t hope to escape anymore. I guess a noob will always be a noob. Even if I was a little stronger when we met, fate would¡¯ve somehow put me into their hands. Chapter 2: EXP and Training Chapter 2: EXP and Training Exiting the pod, I meditated to calm my mind. Staying inside the pod would rest my body, but although not as much, the mind still works inside the game. I¡¯ll sleep for about two hours, then enter inside. It seems that the time conversion rate is at a 2:1 state, a scientifically proven healthy time change. Also, it seems that you can play in your sleep as the machine safely sends data without burdening your mind too much. Clearing the rest of my stress, I woke up and took care of my bodily needs. After doing my business, I cooked a light meal. Today is Saturday, and also the first day of summer vacation. I have plenty of time to learn about the game during beta. Going inside the VR Machine, I checked for any mail I had. Seeing mail about detailed information on the beta, I wondered why I didn¡¯t get it with the first letter. Reading the mail, it said about how the game would only fix a few glitches from beta period to official release. So the NPCs will remember even when the official release comes out. Great, now I can¡¯t escape the village of monsters. Well, maybe something good will happen. Entering the game, I appeared where I left off yesterday. Appearing on Kira¡¯s bed, I saw that she was asleep as it was still early morning in-game. A healthy boy would ogle the sight of a pretty girl in her pajamas, but considering my mentality I won¡¯t be affected by something of this level. Plus I¡¯m a slime now, so no human hormones. As if she noticed my presence, Kira woke up and said to me, ¡°Good morning.¡± Taking care of her needs, which I politely turned away, she finished in about a few dozen minutes. Even in a game world, girls take time to put on their cosmetics. Picking me up, she said to me, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go make you stronger. Speaking of which, what¡¯s your name?¡± Checking her skill windows, she read my name. ¡°Hmm, Vocal. What a weird name for a monster. Oh well, let¡¯s make you stronger. For peak sake, how did a level 1 slime survive in the forest.¡± Walking out, Jack greeted us, ¡°Morning Kira, morning¡­¡± ¡°Vocal. His name seems to be Vocal.¡± ¡°Seems to? Is he a named monster.¡± ¡°I guess. When I checked the [Tamer] skill, it said that a Vocal was registered as my pet.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess you¡¯re going out to train your new pet?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Okay, stay near the low leveled areas. Come back for lunch.¡± Taking some stuff, Kira picked me up and ran out the house. Running down the village, we were back at the forest where we met. ¡°Okay Vocal, just stay near me while I hunt some monsters. In no time, you¡¯ll get a lot stronger than you are now.¡± Running around, we quickly encounter a horde of twelve wolves. ---------- Common Grey Wolf Lv: 12 1200/1200 ---------- Quickly destroying the enemies with her bare hands, I watched as my experience skyrocketed. ---------- Congratulations! You leveled up! You leveled up! You leveled up! You leveled up! ---------- Sharing some experience, the rest of the afternoon was spent with me on Kira¡¯s head hunting out many of the wolf population. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coming back in the afternoon, I reviewed my current status. Earlier I took time distributing my stats. Considering my skills, I might as well for a balanced distribution for now. ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 31 Class: None Race: Slimen Gender: Male Health: 310 Health Regen: 52 / Min Mana: 310 Mana Regen: 52 / Min Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet] STR: 52 AGI: 52 VIT: 52 DEX: 52 INT: 52 LUC: 52 Attack: 1-52 Spell Damage: 1-52 Defense: 52 Elemental Resistance: Fire: 1% Water: 1% Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 4 Skill Points Available: 0 EXP: 93% ---------- Seeing my stats, I felt pretty good until I remembered the level 12 wolf had around 600-700 health. Is a slime three times weaker than a wolf? Then how about a player? The more I grow, the more I find myself weaker than others. I can¡¯t even equip japtem considering most japtem are either for Kira or made for humans. While I was in my own world, I didn¡¯t pay attention to Kira and Jack talk. ¡°So how is he.¡± ¡°Well he leveled up to Lv: 31, but he seems depressed that he¡¯s weaker than other monsters.¡± ¡°Oh, how so?¡± ¡°Well you know the weakest monsters in the forest are the White Rabbit right. Well when I had Vocal fight one, it took almost a minute to defeat it.¡± ¡°So? The rabbits all have good reflexes so it¡¯s hard to hit them.¡± ¡°Well, when Vocal caught the rabbit, he kinds wrapped around it so it couldn¡¯t move. Them he started hitting it, but because his hits were so slow and weak it took a while to kill it, and that was when he was level 15.¡± ¡°Hmm, that would disappoint anyone to find out that no matter how much you level up, you won¡¯t get a lot stronger.¡± What they didn¡¯t know was that Soula was trying to learn how to test out his new body in battle, so obviously for his first time he wouldn¡¯t really rush it. But to both of them, a monster always have battle instincts and focus on quick kills, so such thinking was quite abnormal to them. ¡°Maybe we should make him train in higher leveled areas.¡± ¡°But what good will that do. We should just forget about him, you should worry about your training more.¡± ¡°NO! Uncle Jack, he¡¯s just like me. If I was able to get to where I am today, then so can the weakest monster ever.¡± Complicated feelings arose in Jack¡¯s thoughts. He remembered how the cheerful girl in front of him literally couldn¡¯t kill a fly a few years ago. ¡°...okay, take him to the higher leveled areas. But make him fight his own battles. Stats are important, but without proper skills then you can¡¯t unlock the body¡¯s full.¡± ¡°Thanks Uncle Jack.¡± With that, it was decided that Vocal would be a bit more independent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Taking me out again, Kira took me to a new area. Going deeper into the woods, we went to another part of the forest. Here, there were large tall grass making it hard to tell where enemies would come from and what they would be. ¡°Okay Vocal, I want you to survive as best as you can. I¡¯ll come pick you up in 5 days, so come back here on the morning of the fifth day. I don¡¯t know if healing potions work on a slime, but here¡¯s 10 Low-Health Potions. ---------- You received 10 Low-Health Potions. You received a quest. ---------- ---------- Quest: Survive for 5 Days Alone Description: You have been sent to train by yourself to learn independence. You have to survive for 5 days alone while defeating monsters. Requirements: Have a close relationship with Kira. Goal: Survive for 5 in-game days without dying. Get stronger by fighting against monsters. Failure: Die before the 5 days are up. Failure to reach the designated spot by Kira. ---------- ¡°Okay, see you later.¡± Finally, I¡¯m FREE. Or that¡¯s what I would¡¯ve said before I knew the potential of staying with Kira. For peak sake, I leveled up 30 times in less than a day, and I didn¡¯t even have to work for it. Then again, I guess I need some time to work out this body of mine. Going around the tall grass was inconvenient, so I started to eat the grass as I moved around. Maybe I should go to my human form. Using [Change Form], my slime body started turning into a human. My body was formed looking like my real life body. Luckily it seems that I got some clothes, or something that looks like clothes. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I use [Eidetic Mind] to recover my mana by speeding up my mana recovery. With [Eidetic Mind] ending my stats returned to normal, but I noticed that my health was still at 10. Confused, I test the other skills of change form. So it seems that when all of my stats transfer to something other than VIT the health goes down to 10, but doesn''t recover. Luckily [Slime Armour] also seems to fully heal my health. Checking my body, it seems that I kept several traits as a slime. My body wasn''t really flesh and blood, but more like a slime body that changed the exterior only. Also my sight was still like a slime, with my mind focusing on all directions not limited to my eyes. Also I have a limited power to stretch my arms and legs like Mr. Fantastic. This made me just a slime that looked like a human, or so I thought. Looking at my stats changed my mind. ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 31 Class: None Race: Human Gender: Male Health: 3100 Health Regen: 61 / Min Mana: 3100 Mana Regen: 61 / Min Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet] STR: 61 AGI: 61 VIT: 61 DEX: 61 INT: 61 LUC: 61 Attack: 1-61 Spell Damage: 61 Defense: 61 Elemental Resistance: Fire: 1% Water: 1% Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 4 Skill Points Available: 0 EXP: 93% ---------- It seems that my base stats got better, with my health multiplied by 10. With barely any clothing on me, I looked for some monsters to kill. Hopefully they¡¯ll drop some japtem. Walking into the tall grass, I was looking for a rare Pokemon to capture so I could become the best trainer there ever was ¡­yeah right. Then I ran into a couple of deers. Checking them out, I thought that maybe I could take them. ---------- Water Deer Lv: 45 4500/4500 ---------- Trying to single out a single opponent from the others, I quickly pull out one of them into another part of the area. Taking just a few moments, I quickly crushed it¡¯s throat. Thank god for my underworld skills including stealth and open-hand attacks. ---------- Congratulations! You leveled up! ---------- Man, that thrill you get when doing some sort of accomplishment. Now let¡¯s test something out. Pulling out another Water Deer, I repeat the same process as before, but right when it dies, I activate [Devil¡¯s Luck] moving all of my stats to luck. In other games, Luck determines a hidden factor in events as well as increase chance of critical hits and rare item drops. When the deer died, a single ring dropped down near it¡¯s corpse. ---------- Ring of Water [Rare] A ring that''s related to the Water Deers. Restrictions: Lv: 30 Equipped: + 100 HP + 10 AGI + 1% Water Resistance ---------- I knew it! Rings are one of the hardest equipment to find considering you can have up to one ring per finger. To find a rare ring like this so early in the game makes me quite lucky. Equipping it, I start hunting the other deers using the same luck increasing trick. What I ended up with were a cape with decent DEF, three more of the same ring and also a new one. ---------- Deer Mottle Cloak [Common] A cloak with the pattern of the Water Deer on it. Durability: 8/10 Restrictions: Lv: 25 Equipped: + 7 AGI ---------- ---------- Ring of Elder Water Deer [Unique] A ring related to the Water Deers, it belongs only to several of their kin. Restrictions: Lv: 32 Equipped: + 150 HP + 15 AGI + 5% Water Resistance ---------- A unique item! What an incredible find. Usually unique items are so hard to find unless you¡¯ve played the game for quite a while, and I only played for a few days. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the item ranking list goes like this: Common, Rare, Unique, Ancient, Artifact, Legendary, and Divine. In all of the games made so far, the top players always have at least Artifact level gear. Only incredibly fortunate people could find a divine weapon. Equipping the items, I felt the increase in AGI and VIT when fighting against the Water Deers, but they¡¯re too weak. I need to train my combat skills, so I should stop fighting these docile deers before I forget myself. But seriously, although I did get pretty rare items, how come I didn¡¯t find a normal item like a sword or armour. Well, I leveled up a few times. Let''s go somewhere else. Moving around, I noticed that it was near night time. During nighttime, the daytime monsters would sleep and the nocturnal monsters would appear. Only some monsters can be seen at night, so hunting during nighttime is quite normal. Moving in the dark would hide me from others, but the reverse is also true. Jumping at me, I barely hit my attacker with my palm before it bit my hand. -493 Taking that much damage honestly surprised me. It barely grazed me, and not even at a vital spot, and yet it dealt so much damage. Looking to the enemy, I saw that it was a weird mixture between a fox and a racoon. Grabbing it, it slipped out of my grip due to it¡¯s oily fur. ---------- [Elite] Masked Rox Lv: 59 3541/5900 ---------- What kind of monster is that? What are the chances of encountering an elite monster. Judging by its health, it seems that it got injured in a fight before running into me. Could it be running away from something? As if fate was reading my thoughts, another shadow jumped out. This time it was a large tiger-like mass of darkness. With a large body, it towered over me and the Rox near me. ---------- [BOSS] Shadow Lord Servant: Tiger Lv: 70 67981/70000 ---------- Seeing the monster, I instantly ran. I have nothing to do with this, so why risk my life by staying around. OH SHIT, WHY IS THE GIANT TIGER RUNNING AFTER ME!?! Noticing the Nox monster running in my direction, I instantly activated [Eidetic Mind] and while hiding the grass, I quickly eat some of the grass and activate [Change Form]. ---------- You have activated [Change Form] Do you wish to save the transform [Tall Grass] Yes/No ---------- Clicking yes, I turn into the surrounding grass. Thank goodness [Change Form] leveled up to Lv: 3 from using my human form for a long time. Now I have 3 transformation slots, excluding my base body. ---------- Congratulations You have gained the skill [Camouflage] ---------- ---------- Camouflage: Lv: 1 (0%) [Passive] You can meld into your surroundings easier. Increase in level makes you blend into your surrounding easier. ---------- Oh, another skill. It¡¯s also a good one too. With no one noticing me, the Nox ran past me with the giant tiger on his tail. Waiting for both to leave, I started to leave, but then realized that I couldn''t move. It didn''t occur to me that I wouldn''t be able to move for a while. Also [Eidetic Mind] is still on cooldown. Well, I''ll just wait so I can use the skill again. Oh look at that, I never noticed all of these ants before. I guess changing your size also changes your perspective. Hey wait a moment, THEY''RE EATING MY BLADES. -1 -1 -2 -1 SOMEONE SAVE ME!!! Chapter 3: The Song of God Chapter 3: The Song of God ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 37 Class: None Race: Dry Grass Gender: Neutral Health: 37000 Health Regen: 371 / Min Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet] STR: 10 BLADES: 371 DEX: 10 INT: 1 LUC: 1 Defense: 1 Elemental Resistance: Fire: -100% Water: 1% Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 0% Stat Points Available: 0 Skill Points Available: 0 EXP: 93% ---------- Currently, I''m being consumed by a variety of bugs and herbivores. Luckily I have a lot of health, so I can take it for a few minutes, but it''s still uncomfortable being eaten by bugs against your will. Oh look, another Water Deer came by. It seems that Water Deers also stay up at night. Wait a moment... OH MY GOD, IT JUST SHAT ON ME! Well, this just became unpleasant. ---------- Congratulations! You leveled up! ---------- Oh wow, the dung started to quickly dissolve. So plants can level up this way. To think that plants had it easy, but then again it may be good only in the short term. Maybe I can see the info of other plants. If I can see a monster''s health, why not plant''s? Trying to focus my sight to above several patches of grass, a window seemed to materialize like a haze. ---------- Dry Grass Lv: 24 5868/24000 ---------- Wow, so clumps of grass like this won''t survive so easily. I guess rapid growth makes up for that. ---------- Congratulations You have gained the skill [Identify] ---------- ---------- Identify: Lv: 1 (0%) [Active] You can identify certain things, such as items or monsters. Higher levels give better chance of identifying. ---------- Well that was easy. Now what should I do? If I stay as a clump of grass, I won''t be able to train. Maybe I can attack with my grass form. Willing my blades to move, I was able to move them very easily. Seeing a small rabbit around level 1 nearby, I used my blades to extend and wrap around the rabbit. Activating [All Out Attack] I stab all of my blades of grass into the poor bunny quickly killing it. I didn''t forget to activate [Devil''s Luck] though. ---------- Rabbit Foot Trinket [Rare] a memento of a newborn bunny. Restrictions: Lv: 1 Equipped: + 5 AGI ---------- AW YEAH!!! Trinkets are one of the top best items ever. Most species can''t use equipment like four legged animals, but trinkets are one of the few items that can be used by almost any race. Although my grass form can''t equip it, my slime form might be able to. Oh, it seems that [Eidetic Mind] finished its cooldown. Turning into a human, I just realized that I could''ve use [Cell Structure Change] to put all of my points into INT. ...oh well. Equipping all of my items, I checked my status. ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 37 Class: None Race: Human Gender: Male Health: 3700 (4250) Health Regen: 70 / Min Mana: 3700 Mana Regen: 70 / Min Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet] STR: 70 AGI: 70 (132) VIT: 70 DEX: 70 INT: 70 LUC: 70 Attack: 1-70 Spell Damage: 70 Defense: 70 Elemental Resistance: Fire: 1% Water: 1% (10%) Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 0 Skill Points Available: 0 EXP: 93% ---------- Wow, compared to the other testers, I probably have the highest level. However if I consider the fact that I have no equipment or class, I¡¯m probably around the same level as everyone else. With those guys gone, might as well grind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exiting the pod, I felt quite content. Finding several new equipment and leveling up was quite easy now. Going to the kitchen, I heard the phone ring nearby. No one calls me unless it''s the orphanage. The only exceptions are... Picking up the phone, I answered, "I''m retired why would you call me." Hearing a slight chuckle on the other end, a masculine voice replied, "There''s an important job that I need you to do." "Why can''t the others do it?" "We needed a magician. It''s related to New World." Surprised, I wondered how the VRMMORPG is related to the underworld. "What''s the case?" "Well you probably know that some beta testers were picked out right?" "Of course, matter of fact I''m one of them." "Oh! So this makes it easier. Some of our members also became testers. In the game one of our men became a mage, but he realized that the training was exactly like the real deal. Another member also reported the same for Qi cultivation." Well that''s quite worrisome, but the good news is I now know I can use my techniques in the game. "So someone is using real world techniques." "I want you to investigate the game on who did this. If this game goes public, mages and warriors will start popping up all over Earth." "So why do you need me? There are plenty of mages in the organization." "I''m pretty sure my exact words were ¡° we need a magician¡± get my drift?" Oh, so they need me after all. "Got it. What''s the commission?" "Huh? What are you talking about? Did you forget about all the favors you owe me." "I''m putting down the phone..." "W-w-wait, how about $10,000?" "$20,000 and you got yourself a deal." ¡°Fine.¡± Hearing the hang up, I thought, ¡°I wonder what kind of effect this game will have on the world,¡± and, ¡°Cheap bastard, I should¡¯ve asked for $30,000.¡± Now to the readers who may be confused, I¡¯m a mage. Technically I¡¯m a magician, but at this point there¡¯s no difference. When I first met the organization, they introduced to me the concept of the natural energies that most people have forgotten. Learning the organization''s techniques, I became a magician. Right now, Earth¡¯s energy is running out due to pollution, so people who can use energies as powerful as me are rare now. If more people like me entered the world, I wonder how long the world will last. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Entering the game again, the first thing I did was look for a safe spot to hide at. It seems that morning is coming, so during the transaction of night and day, most monsters would disappear. Searching around, I found a small cave where I can hide myself. It had a small bush covering the entrance which was already quite small. Inside, I set myself into the meditation position I used in real life. Calling all of the elemental mana nearby, I received several notifications. ---------- Congratulations You have gained the following skills: [Mana Manipulation] [Fire Magic] [Water Magic] [Earth Magic] [Wind Magic] [Light Magic] [Dark Magic] ---------- ---------- You have gathered the complete set of elemental magic. All elemental magic skills have combined into [Elemental Magic]. ---------- ---------- Mana Manipulation: Lv: 1 (0%) [Passive] You can identify Mana with your senses and somewhat control it. ---------- ---------- Elemental Magic: Lv: 1 (0%) [Passive] As the skill level up, so does access to higher ranked magic. ---------- Well that was easy. Quickly, I recall all of the low level magic I remembered. Practicing a few spells, I noticed how they weren¡¯t registered as skills and that some spells were not available. Looking at the system help feature, spells are ranked as the following: ----------- Mortal Rank Magic - 1~999 mana Core Rank Magic - 1000~9999 mana World Rank Magic - 10000~99,999 mana God Rank Magic - 100,000~500,000 mana Divine Rank Magic - 500,000~1,000,000 mana ---------- (Note: Mage related classes multiply mana by ten. Warrior related classes multiply attack and defense by ten) Right now with my mana it¡¯s possible for me to use core rank magic, but my magic mastery isn¡¯t high enough to use them. Practicing a few more spells, I go outside to train against monsters. As a magician, my obvious preferences for a class are mage related. So I know how to efficiently hunt monsters with magic. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Using a low level spell [Mana Point] I gather most of the mana near me. With this, most monsters will be attracted to the mass amount of mana. As they come, I just realized that most monsters were higher leveled than me before they came all at once. Seeing a range of monsters between 40-70 almost made me have to change pants, but I have magic on my side. All right, let¡¯s get this going! 1 minute later¡­ HELP!!! SOMEONE SAVE ME FROM THE MOB! Chasing me were a large amount of monsters that were in hot pursuit. Even with [Eidetic Mind], I didn¡¯t have enough mana to fight against a whole crowd of monsters. Turning around, I fire another [Fireball] spell at the closest monsters, which were unfortunately Water Deers. Continuing to run, I fired off as many spells as I could while moving around the same area. Picking up all of the loot was quite hard with monsters nearby. ¡°All right, it seems that my magic mastery has leveled up enough for this spell. [Field of Fire].¡± All around me, the surrounding grass catches on fire. All monsters without high enough fire resistance easily die. This was the power of my core rank magic. Seeing all the monsters gone, I quickly pick up all of the japtem and run away. Using the same tactic, I continued to grind like this for the next two days. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 49 Class: None Race: Human Gender: Male Health: 4900 (5450) Health Regen: 81 / Min Mana: 4900 Mana Regen: 91 / Min Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet] STR: 81 (91) AGI: 81 (188) VIT: 81 DEX: 81 INT: 81 (91) LUC: 81 Attack: 1-81 (26-107) Spell Damage: 81 (101) Defense: 81 (181) Elemental Resistance: Fire: 1% (2%) Water: 1% (10%) Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 4 Skill Points Available: 0 EXP: 93% ---------- ---------- Skill List: Change Form (Lv: 4) Cell Structure Change Metamorphosis Eternal Stomach Identify (Lv: 4) Mana Manipulation (Lv: 8) Elemental Magic (Lv: 6) ---------- New Equipment: Spoiler : ---------- Leather Wolf Armour [Common] Made from the furs of slain wolves. Durability: 39/40 Restrictions: Lv: 40 Equipped: + 100 Defense + 30 AGI ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ---------- Horn Dagger of Bull [Common] A natural horn shaped like a dagger. Durability: 29/30 Restrictions: Lv: 42 Equipped: + 25 Attack + 10 STR + 10 AGI ---------- ---------- Grimoire of Fire [Rare] A book explaining more about the laws of fire. Durability: 29/30 Restrictions: Lv: 35 Equipped: + 20 Spell Damage + 10 INT + 5% Damage With Fire Magic + 1% Fire Resistance ---------- Well with the training I did, I started to reach a bottleneck. Monsters in the area are no longer a match for me, and I¡¯m too weak to explore in other areas yet. Now I¡¯m just spending time practicing my skills on monsters with no real goal until the end of the quest. ...or I was planning to until I heard the song. The song that made me play this game in the first place. I sometimes wondered why Daimon Chase chose me to play this game. With his power, he would¡¯ve definitely investigated my background. With no prior plan, I started to move into the direction of where the song was coming from. Honestly, this song captivated me even though I made the song. Time passed, the surroundings blurred as I followed the song. When I came to my senses, I noticed that I was before an altar of sorts. The altar was a simple wooden shrine like building, but for some reason it was bathed in a divine aura. Seeing no one, I wondered where the song came from. On the floor in front of the altar was a complicated magic circle with many runes that I recognized enough to translate into something along the lines of a teleportation circle. Stepping on top, the song gradually started to get louder as the circle started to shine brighter. In sync, the circle and the song grew and grew until nothing else could be seen or heard. Then, I blanked out. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barely a minute passed as I woke up. I was in some sort of white space that stretched for miles without end. A place void of anything but me, or so I thought before I noticed the woman in front of me. The woman herself wasn''t remarkable, rather she had a bland appearance. But power radiated from her very being, an aura that''s like a deity''s. Speaking, the woman I ridicule herself. "I am Nephestine, the goddess of [New World]. Tell me mortal, how are you able to enter my realm?" Confused, I wondered what she meant. If she didn''t bring me here, then what did? "My name is Vocal. I am an otherworlder who came to explore the world.¡± Well might as well play along. ¡°I came here because I heard a song that captivated me. Going to the source, the song led me here.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s strange. No one except Gods can hear the [Song of God]. Tell me, are you an Admin?¡± Shocked that she knew about the admins, I answered, ¡°Not really, I¡¯m actually a higher rank. I¡¯m a GM, a Game Master.¡± An expression of shock appeared on the goddess¡¯ face. ¡°That would explain how you heard the song, but I do not sense the aura of authority your kind has.¡± I guess she means that I¡¯m not really a GM without the title. Manipulating my character¡¯s window, I equip the title allowing me to use GM settings. Suddenly, a similar divine aura to Nephestine started emitting from me. ---------- You have equipped the title [Game Master] You have temporarily unlocked [GM Settings] Lv: 1 ---------- Seeing the control panel appear in front of me, I saw many options that would¡¯ve made me practically a god to [New World]. ¡°I-Incredible, you have such a large amount of Divine Power emitting from you.¡± ¡°Forget about that, can you tell me why I¡¯m here?¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize. Well, I don¡¯t really know why you¡¯re here, but I guess it¡¯s because of the title you just equipped.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that have to do with me being here?¡± ¡°The title grants you power equal to a Level 1 God, and I guess that it can still give you more power. Because you have powers of a god, Divine Power (DP), you were probably attracted to a holy object or alter. With a divine object or building, gods can enter the divine plane." "So that''s how I got here. But technically I didn''t have DP so how did I get here." "Hmm, well the only explanation I have is that you have affinity with the Song of God." Understanding dawned on me. No wonder then, cause I''m the one who created the song. "Anyways, I can''t have a mortal here in the divine plane, even if you have a sufficient amount of DP." "Then I''ll be leaving. Mind helping me out please?" "With your powers, you can leave on your own," and with those last words, she disappeared. Toggling with the system, I saw many options. Most of them were really useful, but all of them costed DP to use. It says that I currently have 1,000,000 DP. Seeing several options, I use 100 DP to purchase a Navi Pixie. A Navi Pixie is a special program where you can implant an A.I. into your system. Basically the notifications will come from a personal fairy only you can sense. In other games, they were given it as rare prizes or came from difficult quests. It seems that it''ll take a while for the pixie to be implanted into my system. Around a few hours. Looking around, I use another 3 DP to get the skills [Enchant], [Rune Mastery], and [Handicraft]. These were hard skills that I usually had to get later on in the game. When the penalty time starts for me (official release limits beta testers) I''ll be crafting to make up for the level imposing. Finishing up, I used one more DP to buy an information book on Slimen. Thinking to myself to leave, I appear instantly at the waiting spot from five days ago. De-equipping my title, I thought how convenient it was to take me here. Otherwise I probably would''ve missed the place as I had no idea how to get here from the alter. Thinking about the song, I realized that the song probably played a major part in [New World]. Maybe I should try to sing it for a skill or something. Usually I wouldn''t otherwise as most people would find out that the song was by me. If the same tune as the original was noticed, then I would''ve been famous. Luckily no one''s around. I wonder if I still sound good? Chapter 4: Meeting Navi and Some Kidnappers Chapter 4: Meeting Navi and Some Kidnappers While I was gone training, at the village my adolescent owner was fretting about my well-being. When the time came, she set out early to see if I was still alive. (If only she knew I could respawn, or does she?) At the meeting spot, I was still in my human form with a hint of a divine aura on me, a residue from the title. So when I started singing, it was at that moment that Kira came. Of course I didn''t notice her at first, so I continues to sing the song known as the [Song of God]. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Kira''s Perspective) Reaching the spot where I''m supposed to meet Vocal, I wondered if he was okay. I can tell that he''s alive because he didn''t appear in the pet slot, but I can''t see his status. If he''s weak still, I probably won''t be able to take him into combat. As I came near the meeting spot, I felt an incredible aura nearby. Remembering a similar aura from the human churches, I knew that a Divine Being was nearby. Sneaking to the meeting spot, I saw a beautiful boy singing. The song was on only a Divine Being could sing, but strangely his song was at a higher level than any other being was capable of. "The Song of God. It is a higher level version of the Divine Melody. If you ever hear the song, then that means that a God is near you. Then either run away as fast as you can or face death if you''re unlucky." I remember my uncle''s words, but I can''t leave. Hearing the Song of God is a once in a lifetime chance. Also I need to pick up Vocal. Staying hidden, I wait nearby to listen to the song and leave immediately once I get Vocal. Hearing the song, I noticed that many monsters came to him, but none of them attacked. All of them were staying to listen to the Divine Being. Lasting for about a minute or so, once the song ended, the Divine Being noticed everyone around him. Saying something, everyone was amazed when he started to disappear. Looking around, I noticed that Vocal was in the crowd of the monster audience. Seeing as the nearby monsters were docile, I went over and picked him. Leaving the area, I wondered why a Divine Being came here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luckily I managed to fool Kira. After finishing the song, I got a notification. ---------- Congratulations! You have revealed the origional song to the world. Because if this, you have been rewarded with the following: Skill [DP Production] Lv: 1 Skill [DP Absorption] Skill [HP Recovery Up] Skill [MP Recovery Up] Skill [Metamorphosis] Level Up You can now evolve to a Divine Beast Title [God''s Voice] You can now get a unique class ---------- ---------- Do you wish to evolve to a [Divine] Slimen? Yes/No ---------- ---------- Do you wish to accept the class [Game Master]? Yes/No ---------- Pressing yes for both, my status screen popped up in front of me. ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 49 Class: Game Master Lv: 1 Race: [Divine] Slimen Gender: Male Health: 4900 HP Regen: 81 / Sec Mana: 4900 MP Regen: 81 / Sec Divine Power: 999,896 DP Production: 1 / Week Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet] [God''s Voice] [Divine Beast] STR: 81 AGI: 81 (86) VIT: 81 DEX: 81 INT: 81 LUC: 81 Attack: 1-81 Spell Damage: 81 Defense: 81 Elemental Resistances: Fire: 1% Water: 1% Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 4 Skill Points Available: 10 EXP: 93% ---------- It seems like my status really changed. My Regen is now per second rather than per minute. Also DP is integrated into my status. Even though I got quite strong, compared to others I''m still quite weak in my slime form. My goal is to be able to defeat others in my main body. Closing the window, I finally notice how I¡¯m surrounded by an audience full of a human and various monsters. Seeing that Kira was among them, I quickly got away by using [Burst Dash]. To others it would look like I suddenly teleported away. Quickly using [Change Form] I hide amongst the monsters just when Kira noticed me. Picking me up, sweat trickled down my supposed forehead as I wondered if she saw me transform. With her high level, her eyes may have been able to catch me me move at a fast speed. Luckily, it seems that she didn''t notice. Taking me back to the village, Kira kept talking to me about how lucky it was to meet a divine being and stuff, but I mostly tuned it out. Going to her home, she knocked down the door and yelled, "Hey Uncle Jack! Vocal''s back!" Inside the house was uncle Jack and his friends Ben and Lena. All of them seemed to be discussing an important matter, as all of their faces looked grave. Noticing the mood, Kira asked, "Hey, what''s wrong?" The first to speak was the woman Lena. "It seems that the Heilig Church has decided to ally with the Central Empire to raid the village again. Reports from the intelligence forces say that they have a large amount of soldiers numbering in the millions." This shocked us. As far as I knew, everyone here was around the levels 200-500 but only numbered a population of a small army. Why would they send such a large amount to subdue a small village like this? Oh, it seems that they have cookies on the table. Nearby, Ben also spoke, "And that''s not it. I hear that several Immortals have joined." Confused, Kira asked, "Immortals? What are they?" Answering, he said, "Since long ago, it has been prophesized that immortal beings from another world would appear on our planet. Most would barely leave a mark in history, but some have the potential to cause drastic changes to the world. At first, a few would appear, then they would start pouring in like a disease. All of them have special abilities, including the power to revive after 2 days." Oh, so they mean players. I wonder what would happen if they found out that I''m also an Immortal. Also, I''m a divine being with the power of a god, so I literally have all the powers of a god. Well, the death penalty seems to be a loss of a level and loss of a level in 10 random skills. "And you say that they''re going to attack soon," asked a frightened Kira. Silence permutated the surrounding air. Seeing as no one was going to do anything, I started eating the cookies that were on the table. Mmm, they''re pretty good. Seeing me act nonchalantly, Uncle Jack said, "It''s okay Kira. Everyone will leave the area again, you know the drill. Besides, we have up to two weeks to leave before they get here." Trying to change the topic, he turned to me. "So, how is our friend Vocal. Did he get stronger?" "Ah, let me check." She wanted to ask more, but she knew that she wouldn''t get much answers. Opening up her tamer screen, she was shocked at the change he underwent. ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 49 Race: [Divine] Slimen Gender: Male Health: 4900 / 4900 Mana: 4900 / 4900 Attack: 1-81 Spell Damage: 81 Defense: 81 EXP: 93% ---------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Kira''s Perspective) I can''t believe how much Vocal improved. A few days ago, his damage was less by 30 and his level was a lot lower. Even if it looks like he didn''t improve much, considering that it''s a slime that improved this much, it was quite a surprise. To the people here, he isn''t even considered a threat, but everyone started to respect him. It''s common knowledge in this world that slimes are the weakest monsters around, but their adaptability made it so that their race survived. A slime that could independently train is such an oddity that if anyone knew of him, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that a lot of people would kill for it. He even became a divine beast! I bet it has something to do with that man I saw the other day. Of course, there are many people who are under the impression that slimes are weak, but it''s actually that their beginning tools are so horrible. There are some stories of slimes overcoming obstacles and becoming powerful monsters. I thought of all of this during the past few days, trying to distract myself. Ever since I found out that the Central Empire is attacking again, I noticed how everyone was nervous and preparing to leave at a moment''s notice. Right now I''m at home playing some games with Vocal. I introduced to him a game called Shobo Darts. It''s where you throw darts at acupuncture points on a wooden board. Surprisingly Vocal was quite good. He would absorb the dart into his body and shoot it out with a powerful blast and hit accurately at the desired points. He was especially good at hitting the lethal spots, which sort of frightened me. Finishing another game, I decided to go hunting. "Hey Vocal, let''s go out and hunt a few wolves." With a sort of jiggle which I guessed meant yes, I placed him on my head and headed out. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wow, I can''t believe how lucky I was. When Kira brought up her tamer screen showing my status to the others, my heart practically stopped. Luckily they didn''t notice that I was an Immortal. For the next few days, I would just play some small games with Kira and sometimes Ben and Lena. I spent the next few days just leisurely playing around. It turns out that the skill points can''t be invested into my skills, but actually another concept of the game. Right now I''m alone as everyone had to leave to finish packing up some thing. They had to go to their various hiding spots and move all of the stuff with them. So right now I can play around. It turns out that all races have an innate skill to do better in several fields than others. For example, an elf can have an innate skill for mana affinity. An dwarf could have an innate skill for crafting. For Vocal, as a slime he only had a single innate skill. ---------- Innate Skill: Adaptability Lv: 1 (MAX: 10) A slimen is the most adaptable creature ever. This skill allows you to gain other innate skills. Higher skill levels can allow more chances acquiring new skills. Skill Points to Level Up: 10 ---------- Using all of my skill points, I leveled up the skill and received a random innate skill which became lesser mana affinity. ---------- Innate Skill: Lesser Mana Affinity Lv: 1 (MAX: 10) By being used to magic, you have become more used to using mana. Increases growth rate for training mana related skills. Skill Points to Level Up: 10 ---------- Now Vocal had two innate skills, which would probably help him in the future. Now I started thinking about my spells. In real life, a mage has a wide variety of skills, but mostly focus on a few spells and improving those spells throughout their lives. Usually it''s around three per spell rank. In reality, I already mastered 3 mortal rank spells: [Fireball], [Mana Pulse], and [Blink]. Mastering the spell is basically using the full potential of the spell. In game, the system seems to have a spell list for mages, but only spells you have mastered can be registered. ---------- Spell List: [Mortal Rank] Fireball (Lv: 12) Mana Pulse (Lv: 1) Blink (Lv: 1) [Core Rank] Field of Fire (Lv: 9) Frost Storm (Lv: 2) ---------- If the system only saves the spell as an attack if you master the spell, then there will probably be very few mages in the world. It takes many years to master even a simple spell. Well it took me only a few days, but this means that even if players try to become a mage, they probably will give up before long. This takes care of the problem of having mages appear on earth, or at least having a lot appear. Well, people can still accidentally use an unmastered spell. With this, I practically completed half of my job already. Now I just need to make sure that there won''t be a lot of real life qi cultivators. Hopefully warriors only teach how to use a weapon. Spells also seem to be able to get stronger even if they''re mastered. This is good for me as it would help me play the game better. What else¡­ oh yeah. Apparently the Navi Pixie was downloaded into my system and I received an item called Core of Navigation. It''s a dark blue sphere that''s as small as an eyeball. The description says that if a monster absorbs it, the monster''s core will fuse with it and give access to system controls to the fairy. I didn''t absorb it yet, so might as well absorb it now. Spitting out the core from my [Eternal Stomach] skill, I pressed the item, causing a notification screen to pop up. ---------- Do you wish to absorb the item [Core of Navigation] Yes / No ---------- Pressing yes, I felt a slight pain in my stomach. My monster core started coming out of my body and absorbing the other core. Both melding together, my black monster core fused with the blue core. Entering my body, a notification popped up. ---------- You have successfully absorbed the [Core of Navigation] You receive the following: + 10 INT + 10 LUC ---------- ---------- Hello Vocal, my name is Navi. I am an auto generated Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) created to help you. If you wish to speak to me, just think about it and I will read your mind. For private thoughts, just imagine a mental barrier around it which I know you are capable of. ---------- Oh hello Navi, so basically you can speak to me with messages, but that would be troublesome during a battle. Can you change to voice instead? ---------- When I transform into my Astral Form, I will manifest into a spirit fairy. If you wish, only you can sense me, but otherwise everyone can see and hear me. ---------- So can I see your astral form please. ---------- Yes, just hold on a minute. ---------- Light started appearing causing the surroundings to brighten up. From the source of the light a silhouette was slowly forming. As the light dimmed, I was able to see that a small tiny figure has appeared. A black silhouette remained, with no features other than a humanoid shape. "Hello Mr. Vocal, again my name is Navi. Created from your divine power, I can help assist you in the affairs of this world. If you wish to customize my settings, please do so now." Seeing the options, it turns out that I was able to choose a wide variety of things including class and stat growth. Finishing her settings, I made her a mix between a scout and a healer with some support spells. I also changed her personality to be similar to me, easygoing but serious when necessary. I wanted her to have an appearance similar to a little sister as I never had a sibling. Finishing some other stuff, I pressed create. She was very tiny, around the size of my finger. Navi had long black hair and a slim figure. She had fairy wings coming from her back and she was wearing a simple one piece. Her age seemed to be around the early teens, but her eyes indicated that she held intelligence beyond her years. "Heyo Big Brother Vocal, so now what do we do now. Do you wanna go out and play some games with Master Kira. Oh! How about we go check out the army?" I made it so that she would know all about what happened since coming to this world, so she knew the situation going around the village. "Well, I guess that checking the army out might be fun. Also I wanna see how far the other players got in this world. But let''s leave that to tomorrow. I''m gonna log off for now okay." "Alright, bye-bye Big Brother." Exiting the game, I left the VR Machine and stretched for a bit. Relieving myself of my worldly needs, I went to the fridge and noticed that I was low on food. Guess I gotta go to the local market. Leaving home, I activated several alarm spells so that I can tell if someone invades. Of course, a skilled mage might be able to deactivate most of them, but there are few skilled mages in this city that I know of. Going around, I was influenced by the mood causing me to feel quite happy. Today was a beautiful day with the sun shining and kids playing around. Going past the playground, I noticed some children playing a ball game. All of them had looks of joy and innocence on their faces. Nearby their parents were watching them occasionally talking with other parents. Looking at them, I thought, "How nice to be young," and "Wow I''m getting old if I''m saying things like that." Shaking my head, I was about to turn away when I noticed that one of the kids kicked the ball out of the playground onto the streets. In situations like this, a cliche event involving a speeding car would happen. But this is reality, nothing like that''s gonna happen. Look, a car just came onto the same street, but it properly slowed down while the kid went to get the ball. Nothing interesting happened. ...and I spoke too soon. As the kid was walking back, the car doors opened up and two people wearing ski masks came out with one having a bag in their hands. One grabbed the kid and put him in the bag while another threw a bunch of papers around, probably some sort of message of ransom. Both of them drew attention as kids and parents started screaming while some tried to run to them. Unfortunately, both men ran back into the car while the driver inside floored it. All of this happened while I was watching nearby. Obviously I would help them, but I have to make sure that my involvement doesn''t bite me later in the future. Using a few spells, I wear my official uniform, a robe with several runes, magic circles, and spell words written all over it. Another spell cast makes my face blurred of definite details. Using my mastered [Blink] spell, I appear inside the car. The inside of the car had three men and the kid, a little girl, was placed in a bag oddly quiet. A quick check showed me that she was breathing, but seemed unconscious. Right now, no one can notice me with the cloak on, even if they touch me or see someone touch me their mind will do anything to attempt to believe otherwise. I''ve been in situations like this a dozen times, so obviously I''m quite calm right now. Of course, I feel quite angry against such trash, but I need to know their reasons first. So I''m just gonna go with the for now. If it seems like the kid is in danger, I''ll save her but otherwise I don''t have anything else planned. Chapter 5: Satanic Cult (short chapter) Chapter 5: Satanic Cult The magic realm is the name for the society that all supernatural beings belong to. Satan is one of the many demons known throughout the magic realm. As a demon spirit, belief and time has made him one of the most powerful creatures. Of course, the regular masses don''t know that, and so do most of the Satanic Cults that worship him. There''s a reason to why I''m talking about such a rare spirit any dark mage would contract with. As the kidnappers drive, I notice their discussion was successful on getting their first sacrifice for lord Satan. Checking them out, I realized that they had no contact with anything mana related other than me. This is a skill called [Mana Pulse]. At mastery, people can sense anything around them depending on their mana. And I mean everything, including the small particles and even supernatural traces. Basically, they have no connection with the Satan I know. That''s good, cause if that guy caused trouble again, I swear I''m gonna call some of my priest friends to his house. Listening to them, basically this is what happened. They''re happy that they successfully kidnapped the daughter of some rich family, and that apparently they have a leader posing as Satan and has proven himself by creating some miracles. Apparently the papers they threw were actually a message saying how Satan is the one true god. Man, I wish I have one of those papers. That would be perfect blackmail material for Satan, or at least it''ll be a source for laughs. Also they left a message for the rest of the family to go to a certain location. It seems that their leader wished so, making me suspect that the leader just had some bad blood with the family. This doesn''t look very thought out, so I probably don''t even need to interfere as the police could handle it safely. But as a good friend to Satan, I''ll torture the fake worshipper. Maybe I can get some of the light goes to help, but then again it would be faster alone. Entering an abandoned warehouse, I saw the supposed leader. He was a fat man with a permanent lewd expression on his face. He was currently looking at the bag with the girl in it, so I guess he''s a pedo. They talked for a bit, then dressed in some weird robes and did many chunni ceremonies. All while I was recording to show to my good friend later when we have tea. When the child woke up, she started screaming, but went quiet when they threatened to kill her. Honestly at that point I felt that I should do something, but they didn''t physically hurt her yet. After an hour or so, the police surrounded the place. The fat man was barely worried as he had a hostage and had a slight advantage of territory. Another few minutes pass and three people come in. Two adults, a male and a female, as well as a teenage girl came in. Hmm, I feel like I''ve seen them before, but oh well. "Let go of my daughter," shouted the man who I presumed to be the father. "We came alone just like you ask," which was bullshit as I can sense several people closing in on the kidnappers. "Satan likes the blood of virgins. We either kill one of your girls, or you can have her in exchange for the older one." The parents start having a pale face when the teen went forward. "Take me, just let my sister go." With an even more lewd smile, the fat man said, "Satan accepts the offering. Come over here, then we''ll release your sister." Ignoring her parents, she walked right up to them where she was quickly bounded by the three lackeys. "Thank you, now we have two offerings to give to Lord Satan." "WHAT! You said you would let my sister go!" "Satan doesn''t keep his promises. Now come to the sacred altar where I will offer your virginity up to my lord." God these pigs are disgusting. Not only do they easily break their promises, kidnap women, and boldly announce that they will rape someone right in front of their parents, but they even made me lose face. All of my summon''s reputation are connected to me, so ridiculing Satan is basically sullying my reputation. Using a time field, everyone close to me (victim''s family and kidnappers) fell under my power. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. A time field is a power granted to all supernatural beings. Those who train supernatural powers all learn about the time field first. It creates a sort of illusion that makes people view something else. For example, I use a time field on me and kill someone with a fireball spell. If anyone saw me, they would probably think I used a flamethrower instead. When I used the time field, I started chanting the activation key to the summoning spell. HERE COMES SATAN! A magic circle appeared from the altar where I set my target. Coming from the altar was a black wisp that emoted large amounts of a baleful aura. Forming into a man, what appeared was a devilishly handsome man with bad boy looks and a mischievous smile that would steal many innocent hearts. "Wow, how long has it been since you called me Rhythm? Was it 8 months ago?" "Actually it was a few weeks ago, don''t forget about when you forcefully summoned yourself to watch a rerun of Attack on Titans." "Meh, I can''t help it. The Titans are like a mirror image to me. So why''d you call me this time?" "Look around you, then watch this video." Taking a while to watch the video, I noticed the reactions of others. The family seemed shock at both of our appearances (by the way, I turned off the invisibility function of my robe but kept the Blurred Face illusion active). The lackeys seemed like they were in prayer as their God has actually defended, while their leader finally showed an expression different from his usual lewd face. The girls next to him were watching me probably wondering where I came from. "Oh god, this is embarrassing. No wait, I''m a devil so that lease shouldn''t be used. Basically I''m mortified at what is being done in my name." Turning to the two girls, he bowed and apologized. "I''m sorry for the terrible experience you had to go to. I will compensate you with all of my power." Turning to the kidnappers he said, "...but first, let me educate these supposed followers of mine. Hmm, it looks like three of them are devout so I''ll take them." Waving his hand, the three praying goons disappear. Turning to the last man, he just shouted "TORTURE TIME!" and an iron maiden torture device appeared and ate the man up. The torture device sank into the ground swallowing up the altar with it. "And that should take care of that. Again, I apologize for this so if you ever need a favor, here''s my master''s phone number. Call him if you need help. Also, I suggest that you don''t mention what happened now as the surrounding police will not remember much of what happened." Taking the card, the older girl said, "t-th-thank you." Seeing as he was done, I used [Blink] to take us out of here. I also removed the time field as there was no need to keep it up. Teleporting outside the building, I talked to Satan. "So why did you give them my phone number. You know that that number is worth a fortune in our world." "Eh, oh yeah. At the time, I remembered how you were an antisocial brat and devised a way to indirectly have a girl come into contact with you. You should be thanking me." Punching him in the gut, I left him wheezing on the ground while I spoke. "I am not antisocial and I do not want to interact with people who are not related to our world." "See, a perfect example of your loneliness." Ignoring him, I see the family exit and I finally remember. The older girl was a girl from my school. Aw shit, if she tells starts talking to me at school, it''ll look strange to others. Oh well, she probably didn''t even recognize me with the Blurred Face illusion. Leaving the area, I totally forgot to go to the market until I was already inside my house. Oh well, I''ll go tomorrow. "Hey boss, so I hear that you started playing another VR recently. Can I join the game?" "Fine, but later. I have a way for you to bring your real demon form into the game." "Really! Thanks boss. Well, I gotta go. See ya later boss." Seeing Satan disappear, I went to the VR Machine and once again entered the world of New World. Chapter 6: World Destruction and New OP Status Chapter 6: World Destruction and New OP Status Entering the world again, I met Kira while she was about to leave. "Ah, there you are Rhythm. Where do you go anyways? Oh well, it''s not like I really care. Oh yeah, I''m going with Uncle Jack to help the neighbors collapse some buildings, so the area will be dangerous. Be careful." Saying all of that, she left the house. Now what should I do? I don''t really have a goal in this game now that I think about it. Maybe I should be the strongest. Naw, I did that in other games and it wasn''t as fun as I thought. But a lot of our worlds hidden supernatural concepts are here, so maybe I''ll train my magic. This way, I can train my real life magic in a world with 2 times the time it takes on earth. Plus, I can practice on real targets, unlike real life. Maybe I should try to learn a summoning skill. I think that my contracted spirits can enter, which will be a major help later on. All right, I''ll try to get the summoning skill today. Oh yeah, what about the skills I got? I got [Enchant] [Rune Mastery] and [Handicraft]. All of these are totally what I need for summoning. [Rune Mastery] to use runes to create the magic circle, [Enchant] to make the circle able to use mana (otherwise it''s just a complicated circle with no use other than a decoration), and [Handicraft] to help me construct a circle (it''s hard to draw a perfect circle, especially a big one). I should probably do it somewhere without people. Who knows what they''ll think when a pet slime suddenly summons demons in their home. Leaving the village, I walk to the forest below and enter a clearing that seemed to fit my requirements. On the ground, I started to write using crushed tall grass mixed with some sort of black herb (which I identified as Ashwell Mimic) as a substitute for ink. After a few minutes, I constructed a simple circle that allowed me to summon a nearby monster. Without the skill, this is the best I can do for now. Pouring mana into it, it started to glow bright until it slowly dimmed, leaving a confused wolf. Killing it, I received a few notifications. ---------- Hey Big Brother, I see that you came back. Anyway, from your actions just now, you received the following skills: [Magic Circle Knowledge] Lv: 1 [Summoning] Lv: 1 and you also got a few levels in [Enchant] [Rune Mastery] and [Handicraft] ---------- Thanks Navi. Now with the [Summoning] skill, I will be able to hopefully bring all of my friends from my world over. ---------- I can''t wait to meet them! ---------- Yeah, now lets¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ...hey Navi. ---------- Yes Big Brother? ---------- Are you sure you read all of the notifications to me. ---------- Wait, let me check. Oh my, it seems that I forgot one. Tee hee. ---------- Please, my dear little sister and navi pixie, tell me what does it say. ---------- Alright. Erm, something like, "For becoming the first player to acquire the [Summoning] skill, you will have a higher chance to be summoned. Thus, you have been granted the title [Summonable]." Nothing really important. Why do you ask? ---------- Then do you happen to know why there is a huge magic circle right under me right now. ---------- Um, a new notification says something about a world called "Lorfly" is attempting to summon you. By the way, you can''t refuse. ---------- GOD DAMMIT!!! And thus, I was sent to another world. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I opened my eyes again, I was in some sort of extravagant room with a bunch of people with robes nearby. Farther at the back of the room was an old man sitting on a throne. I won''t go into much details as it won''t matter in a few seconds (although I didn''t know what happened at that moment). "Welcome Hero. We have called you here beca- BLEARGH." As the king suddenly threw up blood, the surrounding mages also started throwing up. With my senses in mana, I was able to tell that all of the surrounding mana was coming at me. With all of the mana nearby entering my body, I felt an unimaginable amount of pain. Luckily it wasn''t my real body, but where''s the pain filter! For several minutes, I endured that torture until I blacked out. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Waking up, I found myself in my virtual room. As I haven''t logged out, that means I died. "Wow, that was intense." "Huh? Navi! What are you doing here." She was currently in my virtual room in her astral form. My virtual room has recently been changed to seem more homely, which included a couch and a couple of recliners. "You created me to be downloaded into you system, so obviously I can enter your virtual room." "Oh wow, so wait, can you tell me what happened?" "Of course, apparently you were summoned to a small planet called [Lorfly] that''s just a bit bigger than your world''s moon. It has a population about the same amount of Russia, so on a tiny planet they fought over resources. As one of the countries [Zectral] started to be pressured by the neighboring countries, they attempted creating a summoning circle to call a hero." "So how did I die?" "Hold on, I''m getting to that. So this circle was never attempted before and the created thought that summoning a being would require a large amount of mana. They eventually created a circle that would continuously provide the summoned hero with mana." "So what you''re saying is that they made a mistake and accidentally poured too much mana into me, causing me to die." "Not just that, but the mana accumulated was the whole world''s amount of mana. As mana ran out, their life energy was burnt to composite." Silence persisted the air, until I asked, "So what happened to them?" "The planet died. Even though you died fairly quickly, as your body was technically a game character and not really dead, the mana continued to pour into you without stopping. All life on the planet turned to mana and was transferred to you. From the several thousand notifications I got, there was one that granted you the title [Summoned Apocalypse]." "Hah, well I kinda guessed something like that happened. Although logically I know it isn''t my fault as they initiated the summoning, I still feel guilty that I was partially part of a world''s destruction." "So what now? You have a penalty of minus 1 level and minus one skill level in 10 random skills. Do you wish to see your status?" "I can do that in the virtual room! Yes please." ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 99 Class: Game Master Lv: 2 Race: [Divine] Slimen Gender: Male Health: 9900 Health Regen: 1 / Sec Mana: 9900 Mana Regen: 1 / Sec Divine Power: 999,897 DP Production: 1 / Week Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet] [God''s Voice] [Divine Beast] [Summonable] [Summoned Apocalypse] STR: 1 AGI: 1 (6) VIT: 1 DEX: 1 INT: 1 LUC: 1 Attack: 1-1 Spell Damage: 1 Defense: 1 Elemental Resistance: Fire: 1% Water: 1% Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 1010 Skill Points Available: 10 EXP: 3% ---------- "I made it so that you would go to your base form to customize." "Thanks Navi, but I have one question. How did I become level 99?" "Since you indirectly killed a planet, the system recognized the kill and gave you 1 xp for every lifeform annihilated. As the human population was around half of Russia and there was so many wild monsters and life forms, you received quite a bit of xp." "That''s the last thing I need. I already stand out with a new race and a relatively high level for my race. The last thing I need is evidence to prove I''m an Immortal." "So how do you want to distribute your points?" "Considering how I''m going to be a mage-build character, might as well forget STR and AGI. I need some VIT to survive a few hits, and DEX for drawing magic circles as well as some LUC for CRIT Damage. Obviously I need INT, so how about this. For every 10 points: 2 VIT, 2 DEX, 4 INT, and 2 LUC." "Distributing now, okay done. Here''s your status." ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 99 Class: Game Master Lv: 2 Race: [Divine] Slimen Gender: Male Health: 9900 Health Regen: 203 / Sec Mana: 9900 Mana Regen: 405 / Sec Divine Power: 999,897 DP Production: 1 / Week Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet] [God''s Voice] [Divine Beast] [Summonable] Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.[Summoned Apocalypse] STR: 1 AGI: 1 (6) VIT: 203 DEX: 203 INT: 405 LUC: 203 Attack: 1-1 Spell Damage: 405 Defense: 203 Elemental Resistance: Fire: 1% Water: 1% Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 0 Skill Points Available: 10 EXP: 3% ---------- "Also level up [Lesser Mana Affinity] please." ---------- Innate Skill: Lesser Mana Affinity Lv: 2 (MAX: 10) By being used to magic, you have become more used to using mana. Increases growth rate for training mana related skills. Skill Points to Level Up: 20 ---------- "And show me all current skills and innate skills." ---------- Innate Skills Innate Skill: Adaptability Lv: 2 (MAX: 10) A slimen is the most adaptable creature ever. This skill allows you to gain other innate skills. Higher skill levels can allow more chances acquiring new skills. Skill Points to Level Up: 20 Innate Skill: Lesser Mana Affinity Lv: 2 (MAX: 10) By being used to magic, you have become more used to using mana. Increases growth rate for training mana related skills. Skill Points to Level Up: 20 ---------- ---------- Skill List: Change Form (Lv: 4) Cell Structure Change Metamorphosis {Rank 2} Eternal Stomach Identify (Lv: 4) Mana Manipulation (Lv: 8) Elemental Magic (Lv: 6) Enchant (Lv: 2) Rune Mastery {Lv: 3) Handicraft (Lv: 2) DP Production (Lv: 1) DP Absorption HP Recovery Up MP Recovery Up [Magic Circle Knowledge] Lv: 1 [Summoning] Lv: 1 ---------- "Huh, oh yeah, I forgot about those skills I got. Hey Navi, can you show the information on all of the skills after [Elemental Magic]?" "Sure thing, here you go." ---------- Enchant (Lv: 2) - Infuses items with runes, spells, or an extra bonus in power Rune Mastery {Lv: 3) - Shows a bestiary of all rune knowledge Handicraft (Lv: 2) - Increase quality and effects involving DEX, mainly in crafts DP Production (Lv: 1) - Produces 1 DP per week DP Absorption - Allows you to store and take DP by sacrificing objects and converting them to DP. HP Recovery Up - Changes HP Recov to a higher rank (Ex: Changes Recov 1 / Min to Recov 1 / Sec) MP Recovery Up - Changes MP Recov to a higher rank (Ex: Changes Recov 1 / Min to Recov 1 / Sec) [Magic Circle Knowledge] Lv: 1 - Shows a bestiary of all saved recipes for magic circles. Linked with [Rune Mastery]. [Summoning] Lv: 1 - Allows you to summon anything under certain conditions. Linked with [Magic Circle Knowledge] ---------- Wow, so that''s why I got so strong easily. With HP and MP Recov always boosted, that means even if I change forms to creatures with low HP and MP Recov, this skill will cover that weakness. But is there another rank after seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_(Orders_of_magnitude)#Low_order_of_magnitude_-_measures_by_the_unit_second_.28s.29 "Okay, since I can''t enter the game, I''ll just leave. Is that okay with you Navi." "Yeah it''s okay. In fact, this is a perfect time to check how much data I can absorb from the internet. Watch out world, tremble before me for I shall steal all the knowledge in the world. WH-HA-HAH-HA!!!" Leaving my slightly crazed pixie, I exit the VR Machine and find out that I was only in there for a few minutes. Now what do I do? I guess I should go get the groceries like I planned. Leaving the house, I saw a few police cars drive by. It seems that the incident from a while ago has been settled as the cars were going away from the warehouse. *RING* *RING* My smartphone started to ring, but considering that the only ones who would call me are either the organization, the orphanage, or the girl from earlier, I had no idea what it could be about. Taking out the phone, I saw an unknown number. Picking it up, I heard a girl''s voice. ¡°Um, is this the right number? Remember from earlier, I called to ask for a request.¡± Wow, she called pretty quickly. "Okay, do you want to talk on the phone, or do you want to meet up." "The police are asking questions from me, but I had time to make a phone call. I have to go back soon, so meet me at **** Carter Song Av." "Okay, see you later." Hanging up, I just realized that I didn''t disguise my voice. Well I didn''t disguise it back then either, but this may be a problem for the future. Better avoid her in school. Going to the local market, I spent the next hour shopping for supplies. Then I spent the next 30 minutes going to several places unknown to those not from the hidden world. I won''t say what I did there, but my time there involved a few broken bones, some Recovery Potions, and digging a hole. Going to the address, I marveled at the neighborhood. Carter Song Av. was one of those upper-class streets. Everywhere I looked, I saw three story houses and clean lawns with barely any problems. Honestly with the money I have, I could''ve lived here, but I hate the fact that I have to involve myself with the so called "modern nobles." The adress the girl gave me led to one of the slightly smaller houses on the street. Although it was one of the small ones, it was still twice the size of my house, the garage that is. Seeing some guards blocking the gate, I just waited until the family comes home. Around ten minutes later, I saw a police car drop off the family. Wearing my cloak, I start to follow them inside with no one noticing me. "Oh Boss, she already called you! What do you think she wants?" "Dunno, but let''s talk to her when she''s alone." Bidding herself from her parents, the girl and her little sister left for upstairs. Seeing her sister into her room, the girl went to her own room, with me following after her. Entering inside, the room was a bright pink with a neat room and the occasional plushie. Jumping on the bed, the girl sighed. "Tough day?" Whirling her head towards my direction, I see her have a shocked expression before calming down. "Yeah, I had to answer a bunch of dumb questions from the police." "If it makes you feel better, they do it to help you." "I say they''re dumb because they keep asking what happened. I think you had something to do with it, so I''m blaming you." I winced at what she said. Technically if they were a bit more honest, they might''ve been sent to an asylum. "Sorry, but I don''t want the knowledge of our existence to be public." "Then why did you help us?" "I was walking when a kid was kidnapped, and I was bored. This and that happened and I saw how people were mocking my servant." "So you''re not Satan, but you''re Satan''s master." "Not just Satan, but yeah. So why did you call me?" "I need you to kill me." "Oh, okay. So how tolerant are you to pain?" "W-Wait, that came out wrong. What I mean is that I need you to fake my death." "Hmm, can you explain why?" Then she started explaining why she wanted to fake her death. Long story short, she realized how her parents planned to marry her off to some fat rich guy who annoyed her so bad. She had no qualms with faking her death as her parents are real bitches who trample on those lower than them. In the past, they used to beat her until her sister came along. She also wants to take her sister with her and live away from her parents. "I know it sounds unreasonable, but can you plea-" "Sure, why not. Okay, just sign this contract." Giving her a scroll I made for occasions like this, she started to read the "WARNING" message. WARNING! You are about to make a deal with the devil. Beware of the consequences you may cause by signing this contract. Please note that any deal made with this contract will be absolute. If the deal is cancelled by the customer, the customer will pay a fine appropriate to both parties. If the contracted fails to complete the mission, he will pay back the customer with an appropriate service. Both of us signed the contract. With this, we have a deal. "By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Luna Anderson. Glad to be working with you." "This is a one time business relationship, but you can call me Vocal." With that, that was the start of how I met one of my trusted partners. Chapter 7: New Residents & A Close Invasion Chapter 7: New Residents & A Close Invasion Luna was a beautiful girl. She had black hair and milky white skin. Her slim body and figure match perfectly. To think this girl is asking a favor from me. ...how annoying. "Don''t lie Rhythm, you definitely like this situation." "Shut up Satan." Right now, I was discussing with Luna about how she would fake her death. As long as she is hidden from her parents and together with her sister, she would be satisfied. "But an ojou-sama like you will probably have a hard time with managing money." "How rude! I can probably at least manage myself and my sister." "How much does a single egg cost?" "A dollar, even I know that." I was speechless at her sense of money, otherwise her common sense was better than others. "...honestly you''re in quite a predicament. Even if you successfully escape the control of your parents, you will definitely not be able to manage yourselves. I need to make sure you have a stable income." "I''m 15, how can I get a stable income?" "Well I could teach you magic, but that sounds troublesome..." as I was speaking, I noticed how her eyes started to sparkle. "I wanna learn magic. There are probably a lot of jobs involving magic right? I mean, look at you. You probably have a nice stable income right?" Well, she does have a point. "Do you know how many people want to learn magic? It''s not that easy to learn magic. Master mages are hard to find to teach you as during the beginning stages, you cannot deal with independent study without any danger. If I teach you magic, I would have to help you with everything." "Then I''ll live with you." "Eh?" Well, that does sound reasonable, but for peaks sake I''m a guy. Oh well, as long as she doesn''t do anything bad, then living with two girls might be fun¡­ or annoying. "Are you sure about that. I''m a male in the prime of his youth and you''re asking to live with someone who can ignore the law. You''re risking quite a lot for this." "I would do anything to get away from my parents, as long as I have my sister with me. Honestly, this deal is probably one of the most important events in my life." Seeing as she have no intentions of giving up, I gave up. I honestly hoped that she would change her mind, but oh well. "Fine, you and your sister will live with me, but in the future you will listen to me as my kind of life needs those that can obey. Otherwise you might get yourself killed." "I will. So how will you fake my death." "Easy, your parents don''t know what happened to those Satanic worshippers right. All we''ll do is take a pic of you and your sister bound and pretend you were kidnapped. They won''t be able to find you for months." Agreeing on this, Luna said that she wanted to leave immediately. Also, she left to bring her sister to meet me. Coming in was a cute girl wearing a black dress. She looked like a younger version of her sister, so it''s expected that she''ll be a great beauty when she grows up. "This is my sister Soleil. Soleil, this is the man who saved us earlier." "The magician?" Wow, this girl is sharp. Kneeling down to meet her eyes, I asked her, "Soleil, do you want to leave with your sister?" "Yeah, I don''t wanna stay with mommy and daddy. They won''t hit me anymore will they?" Seeing the bruises on her body, I momentarily remembered how I used to be like her. Thank god the orphanage changed, or else who knows what I would''ve done in revenge. "Yeah, you won''t have to see them anymore." Taking them both, I placed a photo on the ground, which I created with my magic. In it contained a picture of both of them bounded with a message for their parents. Taking them both, we left their house. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Several Hours Later) My name is Hill Anderson. I work as a boss of a major loan shark organization. I am a evil man, I must admit, and there are many enemies that would gladly have me removed. Today, my family was involved in another crazy incident. While waiting at the police station, a female officer actually spilled her coffee on me. That bitch, when I get home I''ll relieve my stress by beating my daughter. Next to me is my wife who is also looking at others like trash. Only she understands me. When we got home, both of my daughters excused themselves. The way they left seemed quite arrogant. Maybe tonight, I''ll punish them both. While my wife and I were discussing business, a servant came in and informed us that our daughters were missing. In their rooms was a photo and a written message on it. HA! You''ll never see your daughters again! LONG LIVE SATAN! God dammit, it was those crazy cult guys again. I had plans to marry them off to a wealthy family to take some of their fortune. "Notify the police to find my daughters. I will find that bastard who took my future investments." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (A few minutes after we left) Taking them home with [Blink] we all entered my house. Changing to my normal clothes, I led them to a guest room to live in. I also added them into my enchantments as a resident. "You have a nice home, and you live kinda close to us too." "Believe it or not, we go to the same school." "Huh, really!" Removing the facial illusion, my real face was revealed. Originally, I gave her my name Vocal as I didn''t realize that she would interact with me otherwise. Considering that we''ll be seeing each other more often, plus the fact that she''ll enter the hidden world, it was more beneficial to reveal my identity. "Oh I know you. You''re Rhythm. Wow, I wouldn''t have guessed that you''re a mage." Seeing as she had nothing else to say, I let them to themselves while I prepared a meal to eat. It was almost dinner, so I cooked some fried rice while the girls took time to accept their new situation. Coming to the kitchen, both of them looked at the food with surprise. It seems that they were quite hungry as they didn''t have lunch yet. Giving both of them a bowl, we all eat in silence at the table. "Both of you will need new identities. I know a friend who can help with that, but it''ll take a few days. Also, both of you will have to drop out of school. Are you okay with that?" "We''re both okay with that, as our parents made sure we didn''t have any friends, but why do we have to leave school?" "When you enter my world, school will just be in the way. The only reason I''m attending is because I want to take a regular job. I''ll have someone teach Soleil basic schooling up to early high school, but that''s it. Maybe later, she can enroll in a public school when it seems like your parents stop searching. Now any questions?" Silence stayed in the air, then Luna raised her hand. "What do we do here?" "You and Soleil will play [New World] when it comes out in a month from now. There are several reasons for this. 1) Time is different in there, so I can teach both of you easily; 2) Spell training is extremely effective inside VR Worlds; 3) You will still be able to interact with old friends even if you cannot meet in real life." I already planned ahead for them. It would be bad if they had to hide from their friends, so VR is a perfect solution. Also, learning magic in a place where you can''t die is perfect. And there are probably some tutors that can teach Soleil inside of [New World]. Soleil was quite quiet throughout the conversation, but she had a confused face on her, so maybe she just doesn''t talk because she doesn''t understand what''s going on. "Okay, do whatever you want. Just don''t leave the house for the next few days. If you want anything just ask me. Here is a credit card linked to an account set up for you. The account has $500,000. If you need more, earn it yourself." Saying that, I left to clear the table. While washing the dishes, I wondered why I was doing all of this. Honestly there were no benefits in helping them, at least no clear benefits. Maybe it''s because they remind me of myself. Also, I kinda want an apprentice like Teacher. But there''s one thing I know for sure. My daily life will be a lot less lonely. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Waking up the next morning, I checked out the time. Seeing as how it''s around 8, I have about 6 more hours till I can log in again. Getting out of bed, I walk to the restroom and start dressing. While I was changing, I heard the two sisters walk by. I didn''t really care until one of them opened the door. "So we need to be nice to him oka- Oh! I''m sorry, I''ll get out." Opening the door, I saw Luna staring at me. Honestly I''m glad this cliche situation isn''t revered, otherwise several misunderstandings might be made about me. I wondered why she keeps looking. My body isn''t really muscular or anything, in fact it''s quite slim. Noticing that she''s staring a bit too long, her face turned red. "S-Sorry for entering." Saying that, she quickly left the room. Now that I think about it, I never got a lock installed on the doorknob. Considering that I''ll live with two girls, it would help our sense of privacy if I got new doorknobs. Finishing up, I leave the room letting the other two enter. Going to the kitchen, I make a light breakfast of toast and eggs. Leaving some for the girls, I head to the door and shout, "I''m going out for about an hour. Don''t leave the house, and just do whatever until I get back." Hearing no response, I leave the house. Going to a nearby hardware store, I browse for some knobs before picking out a few for home. Then I go to a sort of back alley and hit a brick on a certain brick wall. Opening a trapdoor nearby, I enter it and find myself in some sort of fortune teller''s den. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Hello, what would you like to b- oh Rhythm it''s you! I haven''t seen you in quite a while." An old lady comes out from the cape. I know her too well. Around here, she''s one of the best dealers for goods involving the hidden world. For beginners of the hidden world, this place can provide you with almost anything, for a price. "Hello Baba, I recently took into care two girls who will learn how to be a mage. I need a beginners manual at a kindergartens level as well as a recommendation to a tutor in a VR classroom. Also, I need a few hundred heal talismans and potions. I can pay $500 up front, and I''ll discuss the price for the tutor." "Oh, you''re paying quite a bit. Alright, I know a guy looking for work, so teaching a kid might help him earn some cash. Don''t worry, he had the qualifications to teach." Further discussion led to both sides reaching a good deal. When I finished, I left the place. Two hours have passed since I left the house. I don''t know if the girls are hungry, but I''m pretty sure they can''t cook. Going home, I enter the house and Soleil runs up to me and says, "Welcome back Mister." Smiling at the welcome back, I reply, "I''m home." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Logging back into the game, Navi greeted me. ---------- Welcome back Big Bro! ---------- Hey Navi. What happened while I was gone? ---------- I dunno. I only have a restricted control of the system you know. ---------- Figures, oh well, might as well see what happened myself. Approximately 10 days are left before the human army reaches here, and that doesn''t include any scouting forces. Going to the village, I see everyone almost packed up, but they still might be here for another one or two days. Maybe I should look at the army. I might as well seeing as I have to go with Kira soon. Should I get an aerial form. Maybe I can absorb a bird or something. Going into the forest, a wolf choose to attack me, even though I was at least twice its level. Maybe this is a sign! Turning around, I don''t do any complicated tricks and just swallow it whole. ---------- So I guess you want to be a big bad wolf. Okay, you got it. Now you can turn into a wolf. ---------- Thanks for the notification. I turn into a wolf by activating [Change Form] and run off. A wolf is great for running for a long time, so this is a good form for me to travel somewhere far away. Running for quite a while, probably about an hour, I finally see signs of the army. Smoke rises from where the camps are, and there seems to be so much people. That''s bad, considering that they should be farther away than this. Looking around, I guess this must be a scouting party, albeit a big one. Let''s see if there are any Immortals/Players around. ...hey Navi. ---------- Yeah Bro? ---------- How can you tell if a person''s a resident or an Immortal? ---------- You can''t. The game is made that way for several reasons, but if you want I can tell who''s a player for you. ---------- Thanks Navi, you''re the best. ---------- EHEHEH! So in that campground there are two players. The leather armored woman with blond hair and the brown haired heavy armored guy. If you need anything else, just call me. ---------- Oh, I see them. The woman was wearing form fitting leather armour. She had a cheerful aura and a bow unstrung next to her. She looked young, bout maybe 20 or less. The man next to her seemed around the same age. He was wearing some sort of metal armour that focused on tanking rather than protecting. He had a shield on his back, and his helmet was on his lap, which explained why I could see his brown hair. Should I approach them. To them, I¡¯''m a Lv: 99 monster with a red cursor (which I got after the summoning incident). But then again, I''m just a cute looking slime. Going out, some people react until they realize I''m just a slime. Even Lv: 99 people don''t fear slimes. Moving towards the two players, they tense up a bit, but don''t react otherwise. Oh wait, I''m still in my wolf form. Why doesn''t someone stop me? "Seriously Amy. Why do animals love you, I mean you don''t even have a tamer class." "I dunno, but this wolf''s kinda cute. Maybe we can make it our pet." I guess this is a regular occurrence for them. Lucky me. But right now my equiped title shows [Kira''s Pet] showing I''m taken. "Oh, it looks like someone already owns him. Is there a person named Kira here? Maybe she''s one of the soldiers." "Oh, hey doggy, want a treat." The woman named Amy holds out some sort of doggy biscuit. . Where the hell did she get that from? You think I''ll just eat something just because you suffer your words... well if you insist. "Aw, it''s so cute! But why''s it so weird, it''s body is sort of jelly like." Well, I don''t really have to travel, so might as well return to normal. Turning back into my original form, I hear a gasp of surprise from the spectating soldiers. Fun fact, apparently I learned from Navi that other than my human form, all of my transformations won''t be really perfect. As the skill levels up, the detail may slightly get better, but otherwise I can hide perfectly only as a human. "W-Wh-What kind of slime is this." "It just transformed! Can slimes do that?" "What if we catch it and sell it? How much would it be worth." Uh-oh, it seems like I did something to stand out. So it seems that it''s rare for people to transform. Jumping on the guy''s lap. I just stay there while everyone just watched me. Taking some more biscuits, I just continue eating and everyone soon ignores me. HAHAHAHA, infiltration successful. A slime will never be suspected of complex plans like sabotaging an army. I''ll act cute and innocent to prevent suspicion from me. In fact, I might just even call a few of my summons to attack for me. Just you wait. No humans shall attack my owners without going through me. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Different Perspective) Vocal guessed correctly that he was at the scouting forces. What he didn''t know was that the scouting forces has stayed for several days already, with the main army only a day away. Thus, his time here was spent trying to befriend the soldiers and the two Immortals. "Haha, he''s so fun to play with." Currently Vocal was with the two players playing a simple game of charades. As a slime, his body is perfect for acting as something else. "Okay, he''s a dragon." "No way! He''s obviously an alligator." "He looks more like a lizard too me." "A dragon''s technically a lizard." Some of the soldiers on watch duty were also watching Vocal. Seeing the crowd around him, Vocal continued to gain favor from others. In fact, he even got paid change like a street performer. This was sadly how Vocal received his first money from the game world. He never got any money from monsters, so it was the first time he received money in this world. At the village, everyone was still collapsing various hiding spots of theirs when a messenger came telling how the army was only a day away. Everyone was shocked at how close they were, but they also wondered how did they get so close without warning the village. This village of black and red cursors quickly packed up their stuff and started to leave. As for Kira, she tried looking for Vocal at her house, but couldn''t find him anywhere she went. "Where could he be, we''re leaving in a few minutes." Kira endlessly searched, until her Uncle Jack called her. "Hurry up Kira, everyone else is leaving already. What are you doing?" "I can''t find Vocal anywhere. Just give me a few minutes." "Kira? Did you forget that you can just summon him?" "Oh yeah. [Summon Contracted Pet: Vocal]" At the camp, Vocal was still playing around with others, but he (or rather his system navi pixie) never received a notification to be summoned. ---------- You have failed to summon Contracted Pet: Vocal as he is in a sealed zone. ---------- "Wha? Uncle Jack, I can''t summon Vocal." "What do you mean? Do you mean he rejected the summons." "No, it says that I failed to summon him as he is in a sealed zone." "A sealed zone¡­ that''s it! I know how the humans reached so close to us." "What do you mean?" "The church has a special artifact that allows them to set up a time barrier. Within that time barrier, nothing out of the ordinary changes since the barrier was activated. If the humans activated it on a field when they weren''t here, then all we would see is a field without humans, unless they were right in front of us. I guess Vocal must be with them." "WHAT! Did they take him?" "Maybe, he is a weird slime after all." "Well he''s actually a slimen." "I don''t know the difference." "We gotta help him." "NO! I don''t want any one of us to risk our lives. Besides, he''s a slime and a valuable one at that. They probably won''t kill him, and once the time barrier is lifted, you can summon him, but I don''t know how long that''ll take." "...fine. But we should leave." "Yeah, I need to tell the elders about the time barrier." Side Story: Angering a Certain Devil & Big Bro (in law) Side Story: Angering a Certain Devil & Big Bro (in law) (A.N. This is a story that I just felt like writing. I don''t plan on incorporating it into the main story, but who knows?) A certain iron maiden torture device was alone amongst a blazing field. Inside was the fat man who kidnapped the two Anderson sisters. "God damn it, it''s so hot in here." "...you know that this is hell right. Saying god damn it won''t do anything much." The ones speaking were the fat man who''s name was Phigny Pepepet. His nickname during high school was P.P.Piggy and obviously he was bullied. The second voice came from the iron maiden torture device. As he grew up, he slowly turned to magician tricks, fooling street pedestrians by performing several so called miracles. Three men would always appear to watch his shows every Saturday, and they quickly became drinking buddies. The three men were Jeff, Rick, and Buford. The three men were friends from a nearby religious city, and were completely fooled by Phigny''s tricks. It wasn''t hard to convince them that he was the enemy of their religion, the devil Satan. Luckily the men had a hatred for religion after being forced to go to church instead of playing games at home. This and that happened, and soon they started to commit several religious related crimes across the country. Always, they would send a message to the police telling of their actions before they committed them, but not how. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Boss, we got another message from the email [Cockblock Penis Porn Luver 911]" "WHAT! This time I''ll catch them. Where are they now?" "There at **** in the state *** which is around ten miles from us. Do you want to send the big forces?" "Obviously, but contact their local police. Also send us some of their information on the new target. Also tell them to hide our involvement." "Do you want to ask for some of their local uniforms too." "Obviously." There were many agencies after them, but the ones who always focused on this particular quartet were the detective partners Orogok and Iruom. (Read it backwards all the Detective Conan Fans.) "This time, we''ll get them and our faces will go on the newspapers." "Newspapers? Those haven''t been in print since my grandmother died." "You know what I mean." Arriving at the town, they set up their operation once the Anderson family contacted them. Their operation was perfect, until they suddenly disappeared. Hours after the operation¡­ "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!!! I INVESTED MY WHOLE CAREER ON THIS! I EVEN LOST MY WIFE TRYING TO CATCH THAT GUY!" Orogok shouted. In fact, his wife actually left him because he was starting to stay over at Iruom''s house more than just occasionally. Due to the fact that she dealt with BL stories during her teenage days, she immediately filed a divorce after saying to her husband, ¡°You found yourself a good man,¡± with a thumbs up and a bleeding nose. "I dunno Boss. I also risked my life for this job to." In fact, Iruom was living quite well off making quite a bit of money investing in stocks. The only reason he kept his job was because it was interesting. "We had them all cornered, then they suddenly disappeared. The victims all claim they saw nothing, except for the short brat saying something about a "Magic Man" but they were definitely lying. "She also said something about the devil getting the bad guys." "Yeah right, as if mythological monsters like the devil exist." It was at that moment that Satan released the corpse of Phigny right on top of Orogok''s desk. Crashing on their files, the corpse spilled blood and guts all over the desk and on Orogok and Iruom. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" "OH MY GOD, WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM!?!" Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Before them was a sight so grotesque that Satan had to add some magic making a censor over the body to protect their eyes. Still, it didn''t stop the two detectives from fainting. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Piggy, Piggy, where are you Piggy?" An evil voice suddenly echoed throughout the fields of fire. Terrified, Phigny escaped from the iron maiden with an unknown remarkable strength. Running away, Phigny was actually squealing as he ran, his lewd face masked behind a face of horror. "Piggy, Piggy, where are you Piggy?" The voice was closer. As Phigny ran, his feet started getting 3rd Degree burns, but that didn''t stop him at the slightest. Unleashed by fear, Phigny was running more than he ever had in his life. But in the vast space of the field of fire, it seemed like he would run forever. "Piggy, where are you Piggy? AH! There you are." A large grabbed the squealing pig right out from the burning grounds. The pig was absolutely terrified. His face was covered in a mix of blood, fat, sweat, tears, snot, and terror. He was continuously praying that he would die instead of withstand this torture. Then he realized who grabbed him. "B-B-Buford, i-is th-that y-you?" Indeed it was Buford. Unlike Phigny, his three henchmen were complete believers of religion. Also their crimes were only for listening to Phigny, so recognized as their leader and freed from punishment due to their faith, Phigny received their punishments as well. "Hey Boss, can you believe it? I''m actually promoted by Satan to be a demon in training. Look, here comes Jeff and Rick." Looking into the familiar face, now deformed ugly as a demon, Phigny was slightly relieved. Two other giants came, and like Buford, they were also ugly to behold. "Hey, so this is the next meal huh." "Yeah, Lord Satan said to not waste food, so we should eat all the meat. Do you have any barbeque sauce?" "W-what! Wait, don''t eat me. Don''t you recognize me?" It took a while, but then Jeff answered, "Ah! I remember, you''re the Boss of our previous life. The heretic." "WHAT! This is the heretic who pretended to be Lord Satan. DEATH TO THE HERETIC!" "NO! Death is not enough. Bring out the torture devices for Rank 6 criminals." In hell, torture was designed differently depending on the person, but they were classified into punishments ranked 1-10. A Rank 3 punishment in real life would cause the criminal to lose his sanity. "N-N-NOOOO! Put that away from me." Coming towards the pig were zombie women, all of the women he raped in his previous life. All of them were holding questionable items, but none looked either safe or harmless. "NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Soleil''s Perspective) Today, I got taken by weird people, making them bad guys. Then a magic man came and saved me and Big Sis. Afterwords, Bis Sis made some deal with the magic man. Now we can finally leave the mean man and woman. I refuse to say that they''re my mommy and daddy. Taking us to his house, he talked with us for a while, but I zoned out. Then he led us to our rooms and stuff. We even had a good meal, unlike that dog food my parents made me eat the past week. When we went to sleep, I went with Big Sis and we talked for a while. "So Big Sis, do you like Mister Magic Man?" "N-Nooo! It''s just that I''m grateful for him because he risked his life to protect us from those kidnappers." She said a lot of big kid words, but I think she does like Mister. After all, I saw her peek at Mister so many times while blushing. Hmm, it seems like I''ll have to call Mister "Big Bro (in law)." Chapter 8: War Made a mistake about last chapter. The health was supposed to be 9900, not 100. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 8: War Wow, it is so easy to befriend these guys, but I''m slightly worried about a few things. One is that Navi hasn''t been answering me when I asked for her. That might make me sound like a master ordering around a slave, but I''m worried. She did say that she''ll answer if I call her. The second thing I''m worried about is that no one here acts like a scouting party. No one is going out to search the surroundings, and they carelessly put out a campfire, which may even let themselves be discovered. I seriously wonder what in the world these people are thinking. Right now, I''m watching two people spar with each other, which are the two players. One of them has an [Archer] class while the other has a [Knight] class. Or at least that''s my guess with what they are doing. The girl Amy always stays at the back and fires off arrows infused with mana to attack. The guy, who''s name I found out to be Ben, used his shield to block attacks and sometimes uses the shield to swing at Amy. I heard that he wanted a sword, but he was too poor to buy one. You and me both. In all of my time in this game, I made less than a silver. I was just watching them spar until suddenly a weird fluctuation in the mana flow occurred. Confused, I look around us and notice that cracks are starting to appear in the air. Wait a minute, we''re inside a time barrier! No wonder they weren''t worried about anyone coming to look for them. I totally didn''t think that they would incorporate this spell into the game. But then again, why wouldn''t they. "Oh, it seems like the barrier broke. Man, those mages must be awesome to cast such a convenient spell." "It''s too bad. I wish I could be a mage too, but the training is ridiculously hard for a game. Might as well be okay with the basics." That''s good news. With this, the amount of mages popping up in society won''t change much. Also from experiments I found, the mana here feels totally different from how it is on earth. It is so much easier to handle here, making it so that even if someone takes a mage class, it won''t necessarily mean that they''ll be a mage on Earth. Besides, you need talent to sense mana, and the innate skills here can do that for you. So basically, half of my job is done. "Okay, now let''s go join the raid. I can''t wait until we fight the demons. I hope this time the reward will be a sword." Huh? What did you say Ben? Did you say that you''re raiding now! I thought we still had time. SHIT! If it''s like this, I gotta stop everyone here. NAVI, PLEASE TELL ME YOU''RE THERE THIS TIME! ---------- ¡­ urgh, good morning Big Bro. ---------- Navi? Were you sleeping? ---------- No, I was just finetuning your system for several things to be installed. I had to slow down my processing speed and go into SLEEP MODE. Huh, I guess I was sleeping. Also, you never called me until now. ---------- What are you talking about? I called you several times already. ---------- What are you¡­ oh god. No wonder. I assume you already know about Time Barriers right? ---------- Yeah? ---------- In game, Time Barriers also affect Navi Pixies. You can still access system functions, but you won''t be hearing from me unless I was in my astral form. ---------- We''ll talk about this later. Right now, I need to equip the title [Summoned Apocalypse]. So can you tell me it''s effects. ---------- Right. The title gives you an additional boost to mana. WOW! +10,00,000 mana. But relations with others will decrease when conversing with the title equipped. Also, your cursor will turn pitch black when equipped. ---------- Such a perfect title. Oh, I know a perfect spell to go with this. Navi, reset my points and give it all to DEX, INT, and LUC at a ratio of 2:5:3. ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 99 Class: Game Master Lv: 2 Race: [Divine] Slimen Gender: Male Health: 9900 Health Regen: 1 / Sec Mana: 10,000,100 Mana Regen: 506 / Sec Divine Power: 999,897 DP Production: 1 / Week Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet] [God''s Voice] [Divine Beast] [Summonable] [Summoned Apocalypse] STR: 1 AGI: 1 (6) VIT: 1 DEX: 203 INT: 506 LUC: 304 Attack: 1-1 Spell Damage: 506 Defense: 1 Elemental Resistance: Fire: 1% Water: 1% Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 0 Skill Points Available: 0 EXP: 3% ---------- ---------- Gotcha, so what spell are you talking about? ---------- The European Mana Shield. The one where it converts damage into loss of MP. Even if my defense goes down, I''ll just lose a bit of MP. Having the title equipped, a pitch black aura surrounds me, scaring everyone around me. The aura condenses into a cursor above my head, but now everyone is wary of me. "W-what the hell is that?" "He has a black cursor! He must be with the enemy." "What? The little slime was an enemy?" Closing in on me, I attempt to fight back. Having lost the AGI from my time as a wolf, I don''t even bother to escape. Instead, I activate the magic circle for the European Magic Shield. A bright blue magic circle appears under me, glowing as it shrinks and my whole body is surrounded by a blue light. http://r.weavesilk.com/?v=4&id=clb156txl7l While they were blinded, I started my slaughter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Ben''s Perspective) What the hell is going on. Earlier, a weird wolf came to the camp and transformed into a slime. I thought nothing of it at first as Amy had always had a way with animals. We played with the slime as it was a funny creature. Then the time barrier broke, signaling that it was time to attack. We were supposed to leave immediately and defeat the demons for the rewards. That is, until the slime started to become aggressive. While preparing my stuff, a baleful aura enveloped the entire camp. I saw that the cause was from the slime we were playing with earlier. His title [Kira''s Pet] changed to [Summoned Apocalypse] and his cursor turned black. I used [Identify] on it to see it''s status, otherwise I wouldn''t have been able to tell it''s strength. ---------- [Summoned Apocalypse] Vocal Lv: 99 100 / 100 ---------- WHAT THE HECK! This slime is level 99, I''m not even level 50 yet! And it''s even a named monster. But it only has 100 health, so it should be easy to kill. Then a blue magic circle appeared underneath him. Is it some special skill? We were all blinded, but I was able to see what happened next. The slime suddenly fired off a large amount of fire at everyone. Shit! He''s a mage. I never fought a mage before as it''s rare for mages to appear, but we were instantly annihilated. Most of the soldiers died in one hit, as none here were above level 100 and had low elemental resistance. The grounds caught on fire, and everyone retreated. Without the advantage of numbers, I also ran away. Going to Amy, we both ran off together. "What the heck''s going on?" "I don''t know!" Both of us were running in fear from the monster behind us. Occasionally, we could hear the screams of the soldiers we befriended on this trip, even if they were NPCs. I turned around and saw a fireball going towards us. Bringing up my shield, I block it but my shield started to melt. "Amy! I can''t block them, go without me and warn the other players." "NO! We''re going together Ben." "Just go!" Pushing her away, I run back to the camp with the monster in hopes to buy time. I already guessed that the slime is killing everyone here, without leaving any survivors. I need to let Amy escape. Another fireball goes towards me, but I block it with my shield. I lowered it and was about to run when the fields of fire were now covered in ice. My feet became trapped with the ice, and I could only watch as the slime opened his mouth and ate me. Trapped in his mucus, my health slowly fell as I suffocated to death. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wow, that was awesome. That skill is really great. I didn''t think of eating him until a strange image of Kirby appeared in my head. Kinda like this: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqh8sWIn_6IqNHeL-Ujq5Cr6Di5x4SoSrN7_Tm9vXU1kLcEmb-FA Well that was fun, too bad I didn''t get a skill. He technically died by suffocation, so I only get an indirect kill. Oh well, I finally reached Lv: 100! Also, I even summoned Navi in her astral form, although she can only use the same spells as me. By the way, her stats are like this. ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 90 Class: Fairy Mage Lv: 4 Race: [Divine] Navigation Pixie Gender: Female Health: 9000 Health Regen: 90 / Hr Mana: 10,000,100 Mana Regen: 500 / Min Titles: [Navi Pixie] [Sister of Vocal] STR: 10 AGI: 100 VIT: 90 DEX: 200 INT: 500 LUC: 100 Attack: 1-10 Spell Damage: 500 Defense: 90 Elemental Resistance: Fire: -10% Water: 5% Earth: 5% Wind: 5% Light: 10% Dark: -10% Stat Points Available: 0 Skill Points Available: 40 (Level is 10 levels less than owner) ---------- Her regen is worse than me, but otherwise she''s as strong as me without my cheats. "What do we do now Big Bro?" We need to go back to the village and warn the others. Although I suspect that it''s too late already, we need to help the others. Navi, can you fly me over there? "Sure, just shrink a bit please." Condensing myself until my membrane just covers my core, she picks me up and fly off. This is quite convenient, although I could probably move faster as a wolf with all my points in AGI. Taking a bit more than an hour to return to the village, I saw that the army was quite close and that the residents are already fleeing. ---------- Kira has requested to summon you. Do you accept? Yes / No ---------- If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Oh, it looks like Kira is summoning me. Hey Navi, can you release astral form please. "Sure thing." With Navi disappearing, I start falling from the sky while my body dissipates as it is being transferred away. I also change my title to [Kira''s Pet]. Appearing in the village, I see Kira jumping towards me and picking me up. "Thank goodness I found you. It''s time to leave, let''s go!" Bringing me with her, we join Jack and his friends on some sort of giant dog. Looking at Jack''s friend Ben, I apologized in my head for what I did to Ben (the other one). Riding on top, Jack whips the reigns and we leave. He starts talking after a while. "We can''t make it. Alright, here''s the plan. The humans are mostly around level 50 - 150 so we can take a few, but not twenty at once. If we can''t leave, I''ll stay behind to distract them and regroup later. Lena, fire off some magic from the hellhound to hold back any pursuers." "Roger." Jumping off, Jack brings out a sword from his inventory and stays there. We continue without him. 30 minutes passed since then and nothing happened. Then from the direction of the village, a giant mushroom cloud explodes from the village, and out of it comes a giant red dragon. Flying to us, no one around me panics so I guess that it was Jack. I guess he can turn into a dragon after all. Maybe I should''ve been a draconian. Flying over us, he slowly shrinks before falling right on top of us. His body was naked except for a few rags covering him. "I managed to kill 10% of them before running out of MP. I came here as fast as I could, but there might be some who will chase us still. The elders plan to fight back, so after a quick rest I''m going back to fight. This is a perfect chance to dwindle the human armies." "Okay fine, but take Ben with you. I''ll stay and take care of Kira." Lena says. Both Jack and Ben nodded, then after a while both jumped up and turned into dragons and flew off. Even from here, I can see them flying back to the village with dragons flying around it. Explosions could be heard from here, and I wonder if they''ll be alright. "Man, why does this always happen. I already lost count of the times they did this." Hearing Kira next to me complain, I wondered what caused such conflict in the first place. Navi also appeared in her astral form, although no one could see her. "What kind of life makes a person give a response like that?" I also agreed with Navi. A life where you constantly worry about the next attack, which a close person to you may die. Some weak willed may even go insane. Maybe I should join them, but how can I escape these two without them noticing. "Well you are a slime, so why don''t you just split your body?" Huh, I can do that? "Well of course," Navi said with a cheerful tone. I''m glad that no one can hear her except me right now, because her voice''s quite loud. "Just imagine yourself going left and right at the same time. You''ll probably even get a skill for it." Okay, thanks for the idea. Imagining myself moving left, but also moving right, I feel my body start to split. "Good, but make sure that you split your monster core too." Following her instructions, I do as she says and my core painlessly separates. Lucky me. ---------- You have gained the skill [Split] ---------- ---------- Split: Lv: 1 (0%) [Active] You can separate yourself into two bodies. For every ten levels this skill is, you can split into another body. (Note: An AI will control the copy) Stats of the copy will equal to a percentage of the original body depending on the skill level. (Ex: Split Lv: 10 makes two copies w/ 10% stats) ---------- This is perfect! Making a copy of myself, my original body falls off the hellhound unnoticed. I can even switch my control from my real and fake body. This is perfect for renaissance, although it looks like I have to train this skill before this can get really useful. Waiting for the hellhound to move away, I use [Change Form] and turn into a wolf. I also change my build temporarily to a speed type to run back faster. Although as a slime creature, I do not need stamina, but a wolf is a perfect runner. Even with the same AGI, a wolf would naturally run faster than a human. Running quickly, I take quite a while to go back. I should get an aerial form sometime soon. Otherwise, long boring runs will await me. Nearing the village, I turn into my human form and equip my gear. Even if I am stronger than most soldiers stat wise, even I might not be able to fight against twenty at once¡­ not. Of course I can, I have an OP title to help me out. Equipping it, I activate the magic spell for the European Magic Shield protecting me from most attacks. Seeing as how this will be a drawn out fight. I opt for an mage/assassin build considering I have my [Horn Dagger of Bull] with me. I also give my grimoire to Navi to fight with me. ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 100 Class: Game Master Lv: 3 Race: [Divine] Slimen Gender: Male Health: 10,000 (+550) = (10,550) Health Regen: 1 / Sec Mana: 10,010,000 Mana Regen: 301 / Sec Divine Power: 999,897 DP Production: 1 / Week Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet] [God''s Voice] [Divine Beast] [Summonable] [Summoned Apocalypse (Equipped)] STR: 201 (+10) = (211) AGI: 201 (+107) = (308) VIT: 1 DEX: 301 INT: 301 LUC: 21 Attack: 1-201 (+25) = (26-226) Spell Damage: 301 Defense: 1 (+100) Elemental Resistance: Fire: 1% Water: 1% (+9%) = (10%) Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 0 Skill Points Available: 10 EXP: 46% ---------- (Team Equipment) Spoiler : My Equipment ---------- Ring of Water [Rare] x4 A ring that''s related to the Water Deers. Restrictions: Lv: 30 Equipped: + 100 HP + 10 AGI + 1% Water Resistance ---------- ---------- Deer Mottle Cloak [Common] A cloak with the pattern of the Water Deer on it. Durability: 2/10 Restrictions: Lv: 25 Equipped: + 7 AGI ---------- ---------- Ring of Elder Water Deer [Unique] A ring related to the Water Deers, it belongs only to several of their kin. Restrictions: Lv: 32 Equipped: + 150 HP + 15 AGI + 5% Water Resistance ---------- ---------- Rabbit Foot Trinket [Rare] a memento of a newborn bunny. Restrictions: Lv: 1 Equipped: + 5 AGI ---------- ---------- Leather Wolf Armour [Common] Made from the furs of slain wolves. Durability: 34/40 Restrictions: Lv: 40 Equipped: + 100 Defense + 30 AGI ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ---------- Horn Dagger of Bull [Common] A natural horn shaped like a dagger. Durability: 28/30 Restrictions: Lv: 42 Equipped: + 25 Attack + 10 STR + 10 AGI ---------- Navi''s Equipment ---------- Grimoire of Fire [Rare] A book explaining more about the laws of fire. Durability: 28/30 Restrictions: Lv: 35 Equipped: + 20 Spell Damage + 10 INT + 5% Damage With Fire Magic + 1% Fire Resistance ---------- Prepared, I went into the village. Immediately, I meet about eight soldiers who were carrying around some torches, burning down the houses. Seeing one about to go to Kira''s house, I grew enraged and quickly attacked the ones near the house. [Fireball] Firing a fireball, a giant inferno condensed into a sphere shoots out and hits many soldiers at once. Controlling it to move, I make it curve and hit two other soldiers. None were killed instantly, but they all lost around 5 - 10% of their health. But this was only a distraction as I head up and kill all of them with a strike to the heart. Hitting vital organs have a high chance to cause an instant death. For me though, I''m not a real human so I do not have any weak spots like others. Instantly dying, I set up a barrier around Jack and Kira''s house to prevent attackers from entering. Moving around, I keep fighting against many foes, but not all of my fights went unscratched. Fire burned around me, so I got burnt a few times. It''s sad to say, but my cloak got burnt completely. Luckily I got a ton of souvenirs from the dead soldiers. For every death, items would drop next to their corpses which I would eat up. I can even just kick it and it would get sucked into a hole from my foot. Seriously this skill [Eternal Stomach] is so hacked. My mana is about 60% full, but in the span of two hours I probably killed a few hundred soldiers. I gained 7 levels already, and Navi also helped several times. It''s too bad that her invisibility doesn''t work when she attacks someone. We would''ve made the perfect assassin duo. "Wow, this is more like a good hunting spot than defending a village from a raid." "Well, the dragons are already taking care of the soldiers, so we probably will finish soon. Hey Navi, what time is it in real life?" "Hmm, it''s about 4 o''clock in real time right now. Are you planning to leave?" "Maybe after two ingame hours. Then I need to help cook for the girls." "Girls? What are you talking about?" "Ah! I forgot to tell you. I recently got two potential apprentices to teach magic too. In a few weeks, they''ll also play this game." "And they''re both girls..." "Yeah, so what?" Staring at me intensely, I could feel her glare on me. I wonder what''s wrong? Ah! Is she jealous? That''s so cute, better explain to her. "Don''t worry. I''m not some big bad wolf that eats up girls for dinner. Stop glaring at me and let''s keep hunting." She didn''t seem convinced, but she did stop glaring at me. What I did notice was that ever since then, she aimed a bit lower at the bottom areas of every male soldier we met. Specifically between the legs. Girls are scary, and she''s only a few days old! Chapter 9: Before The Fight Chapter 9: Before The Fight Leaving the game, I went out of my room to go cook for the girls, or I was about too when I found Luna already cooking some curry. "Ah, Rhythm you''re done. I tried making some dinner. Thank god I learned how to in class." Well, that ruined my image of a spoiled ojou-sama. "By the way, I wanted to ask for some time. How did you become a beta tester for the game [New World]?" "Dunno." It''s true. Even though I know that Daimon Chase was inspired by the song, why did he make me play it. "Maybe it''s because he''s a fan of mine." "The heck? Fan, of you. Why would he be a fan of your''s?" "Why wouldn''t he be. Here, sit down and let me explain. By the way, where''s Soleil?" "She went to sleep," saying that, she sat down and took a taste of her own curry. "Bleah, I need to heat it up more.¡± Taking a sip, I thought it was okay, so I continued. ¡°Daimon Chase is a mage. In fact, the technology used to make VR are all based on magic runes.¡± Spitting out her curry, she started coughing before she exclaimed, ¡°WHAT!¡± -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daimon Chase was nobody in the hidden world. However, his specialty was runic knowledge. To the public, he is a genius that somehow created the impossible, VR Tech. However, it was soon discovered by the hidden world that all VR Tech used magic runes to power them. Companies that own VR Games are all run by mages. They all keep the secret on how to create a VR World. Implement their system of magic into the technology, many games all have similar systems on magic and combat. A virtual world uses a system of magic to mimic our solar system''s creation, with a few changes. In fact, the old headgear for accessing VR Worlds had no circuitry at all, but was mostly made to cast an illusion to not notice the runes. That is why all VR Games are created and runned by mages. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, that was the summary of the lecture I gave Luna. "Wow, mages have a bigger impact on society than I thought. But again, why would he be a fan of you?" "Well, I''m quite famous among mages. In fact, you and Soleil are lucky to have such a knowledgeable teacher. Among my world, I''m probably ranked in the upper thousands in power." "I don''t really see that though. So I have another question, why is the VR Machine for [New World] so big." Hmm, that is a good question. The old headgear had pretty much everything already. Maybe I should take a look. Answering that I didn''t know, I finished my curry and left the room. On the way, I saw Soleil peeping on us, but she ran away once I saw her. Weird. Going to the VR Machine, I looked upon the giant egg shaped capsule. It did strike me odd that such a simple machine needs to be excessively big. Maybe I should take a look. Using [Mana Pulse] I check the inside of the machine. What was inside shocked me. There were so many runes and magic circles that they overlapped each other so many times. Such a complex formula should take decades to create. Trying to decipher the runes, I started to get dizzy at how much there were. Argh! I''ll take a look at it later. I''ll just go back in and play. Entering the machine, I kept [Mana Pulse] activated as the machine loaded. I was able to see the effects of some parts, but it consisted less than 1% of the runes. When it was time for me to enter VR Space, almost 90% of the runes activated. Why would so many runes activate from me just entering the machine? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the virtual room, I was silently fuming at what happened. I was now really curious about what happened. I memorized all runes there were invented, even some custom made ones, even the ancient unrefined ones. But there were several runes in there that even I didn''t recognize. "Oh? What''s wrong Big Bro." "NAVI! I have a question. Does the VR Machine have an active external camera with the formula for [Mana Pulse]?" "It has an inactive magic circle for [Mana Sight]. Is that good enough for you?" Seriously, what kind of machine needs these stuff installed. "Can you activate [Mana Sight] and monitor how the mana flows when the machine is active?" "Sure thing." With that over with, I logged into the game [New World]. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A burnt village surrounded me. There were barely any standing structures still standing other than Jack and Kira''s house. Most of the dragons and soldiers left already, so I was standing all alone. ---------- Vocal, there is no one here. You should probably transfer you focus to your other body. I''ll turn into my astral form and carry your body to where you are. Just lighten the load for me please. ---------- Doing as she said, I change to my slime form and condense myself into a tight membrane around my monster core. Kira appearing in her astral form picks me up. Transfering my focus, I instantly find myself next to Kira. We were inside a tent, with Kira sleeping next to Lena. Lena was keeping watch with her staff next to her ready. Memories of what happened during my absence started to appear in my head. Everything the copy experienced became memories that transferred into my head. From early morning till now, we continued to escape on the hellhound without any pursuers. My copy mainly stayed inactive while Kira and Lena conversed. It was still around afternoon. The sun was shining brightly, but not of a warm light but more of a harsh heatwave. We were inside a forest with little trees and shade. Checking out my stats and skills, I forgot about the 1% stats. ---------- Name: Vocal Level: 100 (1%) Class: Game Master Lv: 3 Race: [Divine] Slimen Gender: Male Health: 10,000 Health Regen: 1 / Sec Mana: 10,000 Mana Regen: 5 / Sec Divine Power: 999,898 DP Production: 2 / Week Titles: [Game Master] [Kira''s Pet (Equipped)] [God''s Voice] [Divine Beast] [Summonable] [Summoned Apocalypse] STR: 1 (1) AGI: 1 (1) VIT: 1 (1) DEX: 203 (2) INT: 506 (5) LUC: 304 (3) Attack: 1-1 Spell Damage: 5 Defense: 1 Elemental Resistance: Fire: 1% Water: 1% Earth: 1% Wind: 1% Light: 1% Dark: 1% Stat Points Available: 0 Skill Points Available: 11 EXP: 46% ---------- ---------- Innate Skill(s): --- Innate Skill: Adaptability Lv: 2 (MAX: 10) A slimen is the most adaptable creature ever. This skill allows you to gain other innate skills. Higher skill levels can allow more chances acquiring new skills. Skill Points to Level Up: 20 --- Innate Skill: Lesser Mana Affinity Lv: 2 (MAX: 10) By being used to magic, you have become more used to using mana. Increases growth rate for training mana related skills. Skill Points to Level Up: 20 --- Innate Skill: Fire Affinity Lv: 1 (MAX: 10) By being used to the element fire, you have become more used to using fire magic. Increases growth rate for training spells relating to fire. Skill Points to Level Up: 10 --- Innate Skill: Water Affinity Lv: 1 (MAX: 10) By being used to the element water, you have become more used to using water magic. Increases growth rate for training spells relating to water. Skill Points to Level Up: 10 ---------- ---------- Skill List: Change Form (Lv: 6) Cell Structure Change Metamorphosis {Rank 2} Eternal Stomach Identify (Lv: 12) Mana Manipulation (Lv: 11) Elemental Magic (Lv: 8) Enchant (Lv: 2) Rune Mastery (Lv: 3) Handicraft (Lv: 2) DP Production (Lv: 2) DP Absorption HP Recovery Up MP Recovery Up Magic Circle Knowledge (Lv: 1) Summoning (Lv: 1) Split (Lv: 1) ---------- ---------- Spell List: The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. [Mortal Rank] Fireball (Lv: 20) Mana Pulse (Lv: 2) Blink (Lv: 3) [Core Rank] Field of Fire (Lv: 12) Frost Storm (Lv: 15) ---------- Hmm, when did I get Fire and Water Affinity? Maybe it''s because I used the spells [Frost Storm] and [Fireball] quite often when fighting the human soldiers. I also got another skill point. From what I know, a skill gives you a Skill Point for every ten levels the skill is. (Ex: At Lv: 10, the skill gives 1pt and at Lv: 30 it gives 3pts) Oh, it looks like Jack and Ben are back. From the direction of the village, two mighty dragons were flying at amazing speeds towards us. Seriously, I''m so jealous at how strong they are. I wonder how strong they are, but my [Identify] level isn''t high enough to find out. No wait a minute, can''t I combine [Identify] with [Mana Sight]. [Mana Sight] is just a focused version of [Mana Pulse] so I can probably combine the two skills. Using [Identify] as well as [Mana Pulse] - One Direction -> {Mana Sight}, a notification popped up. ---------- The skill [Identify] has evolved into the skill [Detect]. You have gained the innate skill [Enhanced Sight] ---------- ---------- Detect: Lv: 1 (0%) [Passive] You can analyze certain things, with the limitation only to your mind. You can also sense incoming attacks, killing intent, and the flow of energy. ---------- ---------- Innate Skill: Enhanced Sight Lv: 1 (MAX: 10) Greater vision, including seeing farther and seeing in the dark. Skill Points to Level Up: 1 ---------- Hmm, better vision would help sometimes. I raise the level of [Enhanced Sight] by one, making it level 2. With my vision enhanced, I can see how the two draconians were heavily injured. Parts of their scales have fallen off, while many places were bleeding. Seeing their health bar, although I couldn''t see the exact figures, it was around 20% for both of them. Could the army really damage these two dragons? No way, they must be at least level 400, how can they be damaged this badly. Both of the dragons eventually came to the tent we were in. Turning back into humans, their tattered clothes were stained in blood as both of them fell to the ground unconscious. Seeing this, Lena hurriedly moves towards them and casts a healing spell. Moving them into the tent, Lena wakes up Kira and has her help. Kira at first cried at the injuries of her Uncle Jack and Ben, but then she started to nurse them. I just watched nearby. (5 In-game Hours Later) Navi returned my original body while we waited, and my copy fused with me. It wasn''t long before both Jack and Ben woke up at the same time. "Urgh, damn this headache is so fucking annoying." "Watch your language Jack. Your little Kira is nearby." "How are you doing Uncle?" They continued to idly converse with each other for a while, then Jack started to explain what happened. "Most of the humans were eradicated by us and the elders, but many of their mages took us down. Eight of our elders fell in battle. We plan to have a final battle at the Crater of Carter." Kira tried to convince her uncle to consider otherwise. "But there should still be a lot of the army remaining. And all of the Immortals might hold a grudge and kill you later. It''s not worth going." Ben spoke out in a frustrated voice. "We need to. The humans have hunted us for too long. We must make a last stand." Everyone felt the gloomy atmosphere in the air. Everyone was silent, then both Ben and Jack stood up. "Goodbye, we will only be out for a while." No one mentioned that they also might never see Jack and Ben again. Both of them leaving, they transformed into their dragon forms. As they flew, no one noticed me attaching myself to Ben''s scales. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "How long do you think we''ll get there Ben?" "At this speed, probably around 2 hours. By the way, shouldn''t you have spent more time with Kira for a while. We might not see them again." "Don''t say that Ben. I want to believe that we will see Kira and Lena the next day, regardless whether we win or lose." With me eavesdropping on their conversation, I felt guilty at sneaking onto the flight. I long ago split my body and had my main body attach myself to Ben''s scales. Navi was watching over my copy, but she could still communicate with me through messages. I thought up of an idea to train my mastery over spells. Before I left, I equipped my title [Game Master] and spent 50 DP to create an AI that has my memories. So now whenever I split, two me(s) will control each body. My copy, which I will call First, is currently training several spells while I was with the two dragons. This way, I can have one of me train while the other plays around. It''s lucky that all trained skills go together when we (or I) fuse. First can even play while I''m offline. Seeing how long it will take to get there, I log out. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leaving the machine, it was around 9 p.m. I have nothing to do for an hour or so. What should I do? Oh yeah, I forgot to visit the suicidal girl. I prepared some outdoor clothes and started to leave. On the way, I met with Luna. "Hey, where''re you going?" "Oh, I have nothing to do for an hour, so I''m going to visit someone." "Oh, can I come. Honestly it''s kinda tough staying inside without going outside." "Sorry, but in a few days you should be able to leave. Do you want to bring Soleil¡­ no wait, she''s probably asleep." "Don''t worry, she woke up a while ago. Wait here, I''ll get us prepared." A few minutes later, I see both girls coming towards me. Nodding to Soleil, I say, "You okay with going out." Nodding her head, she replies, "Let''s go Big Bro!" Big Bro? Were we that intimate that she would call me Big Bro. Opening the door, I didn''t notice how Luna''s face slightly blushed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mmm, it''s so good to go out after being cooped up. So where are we going?" "I''m going to visit an acquaintance of mine''s. She''s from my old middle school." "Ehh, you''re visiting a girl this late at night. Is it appropriate to bring us with you?" "It''s just for an hour. Besides, we have a sort of business relationship, so you might be meeting with her more often in the future." Going to Baba''s place, we enter her store through the trapdoor, to the surprise of Luna and Soleil. Inside, it was the same room with an excessive amount of capes and currents. "Ah, Rhythm! I see that you brought more customers." "Yeah. In fact, the order I made was for the two girls here. I came to pick up the goods." "FUFUFU, very well. Here they are." Bringing out several items, I gather them all into a bag that came along with the pile. The two sisters were watching the items with a strange glint in their eyes. Seeing this, Baba just chuckled. "By the way, the tutor will teach the young lady every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the VR World [Study Forever]. He starts next week, here''s his Teachers ID, xxx-xxx-xxxx." "Thanks Baba." Taking all of the items, we left the store and walked home. It was a short trip, but both Luna and Soleil were satisfied with this small trip. Seeing them off, I went back into [New World]. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Navi, can you tell me anything noteworthy about the effects of the machine?" "The machine draws mana from the atmosphere, but also draws mana from the Arcane Veins from the world. The machine uses an astronomical amount of mana, but most of the mana is used only when you log in to the game [New World] or when you log out. Also, it seems like your body starts to naturally fuse with the world''s energies, although it was only a tiny amount so it is still uncertain if it actually happened." "Wow, that''s a lot of information. Thanks Navi." "Hehehe." Seeing as how the body unconsciously fused with energies, usually that was a symptom of aftereffects of being summoned or when your body starts to lose its physical shape. I guess I''ll study later. Time to go back into the game. [Spoiler] Halloween Special: Bloody Ghost Queen Halloween Special: Bloody Ghost Queen (This will take place later than the current storyline, on a Halloween event in which the game was already released to the world. I will introduce several new characters as well, so if you don¡¯t like spoilers, don¡¯t read this chapter.) ¡°HAH!¡± Slashing at the monster, it fell before me. Behind me, another wolf pounced on me, but Cox helped protect my back. Next to him, a girl quietly chanted a few words, and firing from a magic circle were deadly projectiles that killed the last remaining wolves. ¡°Hey Vocal, where¡¯s Navi?¡± ¡°She says that a Halloween update is coming up, so she went to try to find out what it is.¡± ¡°Awsome! So there really is a Halloween event. Any idea what it will be?¡± ¡°Well, most events are different for each continent you¡¯re on, so a summoner filled continent like this will surely have an event for summoning special monsters.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, knowing this, maybe I should¡¯ve become a summoner. Although I do like my current class right now.¡± Cox, with that vulgar sounding name, has one of the rare hidden classes [Artisan]. A good class wasted on such a pervert can only make so many people cry. ¡°Wait, can¡¯t a summoner summon a succubus? SHIT! I missed such a good chance to get lai- !!!¡± Before he could finish his sentence, the girl next to him slapped his face. There was enough force in that slap that it actually shaved about a third of his health. Even a mage can deal a lot of physical damage to a low-defense crafting class. ¡°Pervert! Don¡¯t pick a class for such a stupid reason.¡± ¡°Aww Luna, I was only joking. Could it be that you¡¯re jealous?¡± ¡°No, in fact, just die to a wolf right now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so cru- AAARRRGGGHHH!¡± Behind him, an injured wolf had managed to sneak up on the loud pervert. Knowing this, Luna purposely distracted him with the conversation so Cox wouldn¡¯t notice. ¡°F*ck, die you stupid wolf!¡± Throwing out several paintbrushes, the tips harden with mana and pierce the wolf¡¯s eye, killing it. ¡°Hah, hah, WHAT THE HECK LUNA!?! WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU WARN ME!¡± ¡°Hmm, did I forget to hit the one wolf that was so conveniently near you. My bad, are you okay?¡± Saying that line with a monotone voice and a face that said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you die,¡± Cox shivered and turned away. ¡°WAH, Vocal help me. She¡¯s so mean to me.¡± Ignoring him, I such the corpses into my hand and put them into my storage, but not before removing the monster cores. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go back.¡± -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the way back, both Luna and Cox were arguing about who is right about what the local Halloween event is about. ¡°It¡¯s a summoning event!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a chain quest event!¡± Barely listening to those two argue, I call Navi. ¡°Hey, how¡¯s it going on your end?¡± ---------- Urg, I can¡¯t seem to understand this spell. ---------- ¡°Don¡¯t worry. By the way, do you know what the event is about? If I don¡¯t satisfy these two¡¯s curiosity, they¡¯ll argue until we come back to town.¡± ---------- Sorry, but I did confirm that it¡¯s related to summoning. ---------- ¡°Thanks anyway, and take a day off. Kids like you should be out and trick-or-treating, although I doubt anyone other than players would actually give out candy.¡± ---------- Alright. Oh yeah! This may be related to the quest, but recently the locals started talking about stories associated with Halloween. Mainly it¡¯s about how criminals use the sneak bonus up effect to attack people during the night. ---------- Sneak bonus up, a special effect in which your opponent loses defense when surprised and the attacker can deal more damage. Halloween is one of the most infamous times for bandits to attack those outside the city. ¡°Thanks, see you at school.¡± ---------- Bye! ---------- Finishing our conversation, I noticed that we already reached the base of the mountain our school was on. A seemingly endless set of stairs stretched up to the top of the mountain, where players and local inhabitants of this world can study together. ¡°Man, I always hate climbing these stairs.¡± ¡°A weak crafter like you may be strong in combat, but you are no match physically to the likes of us.¡± ¡°WHAT! You have no right to say that. You¡¯re a mage, not a warrior!¡± ¡°I at least train my physique. Come on! Soleil and Navi are up at the top. Besides, if we don¡¯t reach the top in time, Sensei will make you crawl up and down the steps as punishment.¡± ¡°Ehh! We only have a time limit of half an hour! Gotta run before I crawl!¡± Running ahead, both of us catch up to Cox and quickly overtake him. Reaching the top, all of us breath heavily a bit, although I didn''t really feel tired like the others as I didn''t have lungs. ¡°Phew, we made it. I could see the various guards waiting for us to fail.¡± ¡°Hurry up, let''s go back to class.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Sekaikoa Academy. A slightly famous summoner school that we currently attend. Recently there were rumors of a new event, so I wonder if any of the teachers might know something. Let''s ask Sensei for help. ¡°Sensei! What the heck are you doing!¡± Next to me, Luna shouted out in a very loud voice. Turning to look at what she was surprised about, I saw Sensei carrying out hundreds of giant mirrors all on his back. Running over, we helped the load off of him as he looked like he was dying. ¡°Hah, hah. Thank the lord you youngsters helped me. Now set these up for me as well.¡± ¡°Eh, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s for the Halloween event!¡± -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bloody Mary. A story with several variations, but the overall story of today is about how calling out her name while looking in a mirror several times would summon her. In [New World] the blood mary is more than a story and is actually a race of legendary A-Ranked summon that everyone aspires to contract with. Of course, I also have my share of A-Ranked summons, but an intelligent ghost type is one of the rarest summons anyone can contract with. ¡°So learning that she is easier to summon on Halloween, you made a purchase of 200 mirrors to help in hopes summoning her.¡± ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s true. In fact, almost everyone at school knows about it, but only a few can contract with a Bloody Mary. Maybe I might have the luck to summon the original Bloody Mary.¡± ¡°Original? I thought that Bloody Mary is only the name of the race.¡± ¡°No, no, no. The original Bloody Mary was a well known magician that studied the concepts of death and the afterlife. She was the first person to retain her existence after death, becoming the first ghost. Due to this, she became widely known as the Ghost Queen Mary.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. (No relation to the English Queen Mary) So the mirrors are going to be used to summon a powerful spirit. In fact, from what Sensei told us, the mirrors are going to be placed in a room so that everyone can access it and have a chance to summon Bloody Mary. This is certainly a favorable event for a school mainly focused on summoners. Well, even non-summoners benefit. Sometimes a failed contract makes the summon go beserk, making fights common. Defeating rare monsters would give exp and loot, so everyone benefits, except for summoners who fail. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°Great, now just help me move these.¡± For the next few hours, everyone helped in setting the mirrors into a specific arrangement that reminded one of a fun house. Because of space, the formation looked like a maze with narrow corridors. The mirrors were enchanted to hold in place and survive a few attacks in case of a battle against a failed contract. ¡°DONE!!! Alright everyone, make a line. Warriors and mages, on standby in case of failure.¡± ¡°OOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!¡± Multiple summoners were casting magic out onto the magic circle. People were waiting nearby either waiting in line, on standby in case of an attack, or simply watching. Eventually after a few minutes, someone succeeded. ¡°Oh my god, I actually did it!¡± A boy around my age shouted. He was prancing around his new spirit, a hazy figure that could barely pass as a female. Soon, several other students started to succeed. ¡°Wow, I wonder if I should try.¡± ¡°Navi! You¡¯re here.¡± Seeing the tiny pixie, Luna ran up to her and grabbed her. Pressing Navi to her cheeks, Navi eventually cried, ¡°STOP!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try Navi?¡± ¡°Umm, well I know I don¡¯t really have good affinity with summoning, so I¡¯m worried that I might trouble people if I fail a contract.¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± Cox interjected. ¡°Most people can¡¯t even manifest a Bloody Mary, and they still try. Even if you do fail, defeating it can give out a lot of rewards, so everyone should attempt a summon.¡± ¡°Mmm, okay!¡± Seeing her get in line, everyone watched her. To the majority of the students, she was a popular figure that was well known for not having an affinity for summoning, so everyone was watching with some interest. ¡°Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary¡­¡± With the unique chant used specifically to summon Bloody Mary, mana started to gather, bouncing off of several mirrors. The mirrors reflected the gathered mana until it eventually formed a complicated formation from a bird¡¯s eye view. In fact, compared to others, her summoning seemed to have a lot more flair than everyone combined. Then, it suddenly grew very wrong¡­ Without an obvious reason, the summoning failed. Everyone knew it, even without any logical reasoning. The gathered mana, their beautiful form of light, started to turn pitch black as the mana grew alive. Turning into flies, a swarm of black mana gathered at the center of the formation. All of the mirrors cracked, an ominous presence descended upon everyone in the vicinity. Fusing together, the flies turned into a figure of a woman. She was no beauty, nor was she hidious, rather she was quite plain looking. Mana drooped from her skin, turning dark red, the color of blood. Bloody Mary, the original, has appeared. Instantly, guards surrounded her. Everyone unable to help were running away, even if they wanted to watch. The Ghost Queen was ranked at the SS-Tier. Even if they stayed, they would only watch a battle for a few seconds before they realized that they have died. Equipping all the necessities for battle, Luna, Cox, Navi, and I all charged at the enemy. ---------- [Summoned Terror] Ghost Queen: Bloody Mary Lv: ??? ???,??? / ???,??? ---------- Seeing her title, I wondered if it was the same as my title [Summoned Apocalypse] but with [Identify] I found out that it only gave a fear factor in her presence. With everyone attacking, GQBM could barely fight back. Warriors were unable to attack without special skills, so the majority of the damage were taken from mages. Summoners were also not helpful without any monsters that could damage ghosts. Although Cox couldn¡¯t attack, he used his [Mark Bright Red] skill to make GQBM lose mobility and drop dodge rate. Luna and Navi, as magicians, attacked with their signature spells. I was doing nothing. With my main body gone, my powers were harshly restricted fighting with a copy¡¯s body. But I did go around giving aid with the help of potions and items. ¡°AWW YEAH! THIS IS WHAT HALLOWEEN SHOULD BE ABOUT!¡± An excited Sensei shouted as he rode on his summons. ¡°No, this is definitely not what Halloween is supposed to be about,¡± Luna replied. ¡°Fighting with everyone, working together, having fun. Isn¡¯t that the goal of every holiday.¡± I replied. I really meant what I said. Most people take the chance for a cause of celebration to have a good time. This was what everyone should be like. Although we were at a stalemate, everyone was having fun with the fight. I even saw GQBM smile. ¡°What a fun night!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t get summoned did you? You intentionally came here.¡± I inquired her about that. Her actions were that of playing a game with her friends. ¡°Yeah, I answer to those only who wish to have fun. Halloween is my jam, baby.¡± ¡°What century are you from?¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s just harsh. Now, let¡¯s fight to our best. Don¡¯t worry about killing me, I¡¯ll revive by tomorrow. Just entertain me!¡± Hearing her words, everyone¡¯s spirit fired up. ¡°WE WON¡¯T LOSE TO YOU! WE ARE MEMBERS OF SEKAIKOA! WE WON¡¯T LOSE TO SOME GHOST!!!¡± With our spirits in one, everyone charged with new vigor. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Let¡¯s fight to our heart¡¯s content.¡± She smiled. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°WE WON!!!¡± ¡°Congratulations, I had quite a fun time as well. I hope that everyone here grows up to be amazing people. See you next Halloween.¡± Saying that, Bloody Mary smiled as her body disappeared. People started to receive notifications on rewards and gains in level. And as for me... ---------- You received the event award [Pumpkin Bomb x100] and [GQBM Gift Card]. Thank you for participating in the Sekaikoa Halloween Event (but it¡¯s not over yet). ---------- I smiled at that message, and I knew that it wasn¡¯t Navi that wrote that last part. ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s go trick-or-treating.¡± ¡°YEAH!¡± Smiling, I saw my friends wave at me, telling me to hurry up. With the night still young, I followed them.