《Omniscient [Monster tamer LitRPG]》


 C1-End Of A Story

    ¡°Hm, hm-hm hmmm¡­ hm hm hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your patronage.¡± The dwarven blacksmith nodded politely as he handed unto me a weapon of purest black.


    Admiring the cutting edge, and the sheen of the vantablack blade, I hold the sword to the air as I exit the building, breathing in deeply as I steel my nerves¡­


    ¡°...Appraise.¡±


    +99 Edge of Annihilation


    The absolute maximum enchantment value, the peak of this game''s meta¡­


    Holy shit, finally!


    Achievement unlocked!


    Wielder of God¡¯s Weaponry


    0.000078% of players have acquired this achievement!


    Only took me like three, straight months, good lord! That¡¯s an entire UB season passed¡­ yeesh! Grindy, grindy achievement¡­ but, made it! Despite the best effort of some goobers, the abysmal rng, the horrible grind, here we are! Filling my dopamine with an achievement well earned.


    An achievement system is admittedly somewhat outdated¡­ but that¡¯s a huge part of the game''s appeal to me anyways! It¡¯s charming, nostalgic even. Ragnarok certainly doesn¡¯t have the most massive following, but it had a modest audience. Two billion total players was nothing to scoff at, after all.


    And speaking of that achievement system¡­ That¡¯s it. I¡¯m done.


    100%. That¡¯s¡­ everything. Wow, I might be getting a little misty eyed! How much gold did I pour into that number? Trillions? Quadrillions? Hell I wasn¡¯t even aiming for it and I hit top five thousand on the global level leaderboard! That grind wasn¡¯t even optimized for exp! It was a mimic farm, loot until my inventory was full, sell, sell, sell¡­ Ah, good times. Maxed out my merchants reputation too¡­ Coincided nicely with my achievement hunting.


    Well, in recognition of the good times, might as well take this baby out for a test drive before I log off. You can one shot practically anything at this stage of power, besides tanker builds and most of the end game bosses¡­ but hey, that¡¯s fun in its own right! Besides, the game''s movement is good enough to warrant one last joy ride. I could also try to climb up the leaderboard but¡­ There¡¯s not really much of a point to it. That¡¯s only really for clout? And what¡¯s the point of clout in a game that¡¯s frankly, not really living much longer?


    It hasn¡¯t been updated for months now¡­ this last achievement was just my little send off.


    It was a good run, but it¡¯s about time to let the sun set on Ragnarok. There¡¯s no special award for 100%ing it, no acknowledgement, I¡¯m certainly not the first guy to do it¡­ Can¡¯t say it was really all THAT fun, but even if this game is a little dead now¡­ I don¡¯t regret it either¡­ it was a good time.


    ¡°Thanks for the help!¡± I called out to the npc I¡¯d frequented for this one upgrade before walking away. They didn¡¯t respond, they weren¡¯t programmed to, but I feel I owed it to them at least. For months, this guy¡¯s been the one to take my gold¡­ actually, why do I feel grateful? This gremlin messed up my reforge at least a thousand times¡­ Ah, you know what? Too late to take back the gratitude now, the npc can have it.


    Tapping my foot rhythmically, I eye up my surroundings one last time. An endgame city, surrounded by a volcanic environment. The buildings are blackened, and nobody walks the streets, but I¡¯ve spent a long while here. It¡¯s not exactly a sight worth seeing, but it¡¯s a sight that¡¯ll certainly stay burned into my memory. And, you know what? I don¡¯t really mind that.


    On a whim, I held my newly minted PUHLUS-NINE-TEE-NINE Edge of Annihilation to the open air, slashing a pattern into a wall to my right. Of course, it didn¡¯t collapse, it wasn¡¯t as if Ragnarok had the support for that, but the EoA certainly carved through it like it was butter.


    Boom¡­


    Hm?


    Bang¡­


    Do my ears deceive me? Is that combat I hear off in the far far distance?


    Bam¡­


    And it sounds kinda like¡­ [Cataclysm]...? Oh¡­ oh wait¡­ I know JUST how to end my time here! My favorite group of gooberets giving me a grand ol ''sendoff¡­


    Spinning my EoA around by the handle, with expert finesse crafted over hours of practicing this particular party-trick, I perfectly sheathe my blade and part the air in the movement.


    ¡°Come on then! Make this a great last day!¡±


    ---


    ¡°God¡­ damnit Koth¡­¡±


    ¡°God damn what now?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just let us farm in peace!?¡±


    ¡°Dude¡­ on this game? I know you¡¯re not going for achievements, this is obviously optimized for experience. Come on, live a little.¡± I pointedly ended that one with a kick to my downed opponent''s side.


    It¡¯s not like you really feel pain without turning the setting for it up, but it sure is disrespectful. But whatever, this guy¡¯s an ass. So is his guild.


    ¡°I mean, what¡¯s the point in trying to get a few levels higher if you can¡¯t even take one guy on. Like, how many people are in your guild?¡±


    ¡°...Fourteen.¡± OneToRule begrudgingly answered after another go at his side.


    ¡°Fourteen on one.¡± I nodded. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m done after today anyways.¡±


    Good riddance really, these guys have single handedly cost me like¡­ I dunno, at least 20 or so hours worth of farming? The more I think about it the more I wonder why I kept playing this¡­


    ¡°...Wait, wait wait wait, what!?¡±


    ¡°Yup! One, hundred, percent, completion. Take a look at this bad boy!¡± I chuckle as I stab my brilliantly black blade into the ashen earth right before his eyes, sitting down on his back in the same motion, eliciting a quiet ¡°oof¡± as I compress his lungs under my weight.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.¡°Plus, ninety, nine, Edge of Annihilation, right there.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ cannot be serious! You¡¯re just gonna quit, because you finished all the achievements? Like, what? you¡¯re literally on the top few thousand for the leaderboard already! There¡¯s so much more for you to do!¡±


    ¡­So much to do, like, what? To keep stomping this guy and his gaggle of goons? They¡¯re not exactly bad at the game, and if it was me against the entire group, they¡¯d usually have the advantage¡­ I just kind of caught them off guard this time. I MEAN, it was still a 1v14¡­ but y¡¯know. Anyways, as I was saying¡­ it¡¯s either boring to have to ambush them, or I¡¯m not winning, and I¡¯m not really having that much fun if I¡¯m not winning. Or well¡­ usually I guess.


    ¡°I mean, look man.¡± I sighed and kicked one of my legs over the other. ¡°This game was fun while it lasted but¡­ I¡¯m bored now, honest. Running the same route for weeks in a row just to farm billions of gold for a single shot at that 0.03% reforge chance¡­ It''s a little repetitive. I¡¯m not looking to do the same thing for experience. Especially not with this game¡¯s dead ass-¡± I paused for a moment, struggling to contain a yawn, but unable to help myself, I leaned back with a lazy stretch.


    ¡°...Where was I? Right, this game''s dead competitive scene. I just can¡¯t be bothered, honestly. Seeing that last achievement unlocked really did it for me, honestly. I think I¡¯m just about done with this game, for good.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Why, why would you¡­ why would you put so much time into getting the busted weapon if you¡¯re not even gonna use it?¡±


    But now that I think about it, was it really even that boring to fight these guys, win or lose? They¡¯re actually¡­ probably the most entertaining part of the game now that I think about it. They kept jumping me for no reason, messing up my progress, wasting my time and ruining my efficiency. They¡¯re kind of a bunch of uh¡­ assholes.


    ¡°I like big numbers.¡± I shrug innocently as I grab the blade once more, tossing it up into the air, and thus my inventory once it was far enough away from me. ¡°So Onesy, I guess this is goodbye.¡±


    ¡­Buuuuut they¡¯re endearing, assholes, to be fair. There wasn¡¯t really much toxicity coming from them, I don¡¯t wanna be, like, some oddball and make assumptions here, but now that I¡¯m actually thinking about it¡­ I think it might¡¯ve just been for the love of the game. I mean what else would it be for, really? You barely get anything for PKing in this game.


    So¡­ did I hate them attacking me¡­? Ehhhh, I guess not. It broke up the monotony. They probably didn¡¯t even mean anything by it. It is just a game after all, is it not? Hell, I might¡¯ve just quit playing altogether if I really sat and did nothing but farm gold for three months straight without any interruption¡­ I guess I could¡¯ve moved onto maining pvp¡­?


    I mean, sure, the competitive scene does exist¡­ It¡¯s always going to for any game with half decent pvp. But the end game level grind for just an extra twenty or so points on top of the thousands you already have¡­ it¡¯s honestly just kind of gross. I¡¯ve already made pretty good headway, and could probably push my way into the front of the scene within a month or two¡­ but, I just don¡¯t really care. Hack n¡¯slash gets boring after a while.


    I could just sell my gear to some idiot who¡¯d overpay to skip the obnoxious grind requirement for this game''s competitive scene for like, a few hundred dollars¡­ but no¡­ I think I¡¯ll do something else.


    ¡°So, tell you what. You guys don¡¯t really farm for gold, right? All your routes are optimized for experience, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what about it? And for god''s sake, think you could get off me now? Pretty sure we¡¯re done fighting.¡± OneToRule rolled his eyes as he dropped hostilities, sending his comparatively far lesser blade to his inventory. A¡­ +90 Eden¡¯s Longsword, if my eyes didn¡¯t deceive me. Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll appreciate what I have in store for him.


    ¡°Nah, you make for a better seat than molten rock.¡± I gesture out to the volcanic wasteland around us, the sight that made up the entirety of the end game location. It kind of grew plain, after a while. ¡°But tell you what, howsabout I make it worth your time this time?¡±


    ¡°The hell are you talking about-¡± And then his eyes, boggled.


    Right in front of him, was a dropped item of Mythic quality. The absolute maximum possible stats on a weapon right before his eyes.


    +99 Edge Of Annihilation


    ¡°Wh-what the hell are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°What does it look like? Giving it to you.¡± I snrrked as I got up and stretched again. ¡°Not gonna have any use sitting on a rotting account like mine¡¯s soon to be. I¡¯ve got my eye on a new game, so might as well make a flashy exit. Come on, give me your Eden¡¯s Longsword.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ huh?¡± He mumbled as he got up to his feet, dusting his equipment off.


    ¡°You know, like, have an epic duel to send me off! One on one, I¡¯ll use your sword, you use mine. Things busted, three hits should kill me. You¡¯re good enough to manage it.¡±


    ¡°...What¡¯s stopping me from just killing you while you have no weapon?¡± Onesy tilted his head as he picked up the fruit of months of my untiring labor.


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not that lame are you? You always wanted to fight on even grounds, you almost always came after me while I was running around, rather than when I was in the middle of a fight. No?¡±


    Wordlessly, he reached into his inventory and dropped his own weapon, making me crack a wicked grin as I bent down to grab it.


    ¡°See? You¡¯re not a loser like that. I knew you wouldn¡¯t back out.¡±


    ¡°Can I get that back after we¡¯re done here? My guildmates could still use a weapon like that. It¡¯ll save us a lot.¡±


    ¡°Pff, sure.¡± I smile, before twirling the blade around in a trail of white, much the same way I had when sheathing the EoA. Though this time, I had no such intention, continually spinning the blade around purely to flex my own skill. None of this is through an agility stat baby, this is 100% pure refined technique!


    In a display of superhuman strength only possible in this digital world, the weapon in my hands stopped in an instant, blasting debris and rubble away with a pulse of wind. Pointed towards OneToRule as he brandished what basically amounted to the entirety of my existence in this game.


    ¡°Well then?¡± I wave the sword around again, much more gently this time, gesturing for him to approach. ¡°We don¡¯t have all day now, let¡¯s wrap this up!¡±

 C2-Duel!

    I continue to smile, something about this just feels so cinematic. It¡¯s the kind of thing you only experience once a blue moon! Man, I should record this, I CAN record this! I AM recording this! Alright, let¡¯s go!


    Seemingly at a loss for words, Onesy came straight at me with no banter. To be expected, but not exactly what I¡¯d hoped for. I mean I get you¡¯re shell shocked and everything, but come oooooon, play into the bit at least a little bit, please?


    Our blades met with a BANG in a clash of raw power. I was a few levels higher, but the extra attack power from the EOA certainly smashed through the difference. There¡¯s no way I could ever hope to contest the damn thing when its attack stat is like ten times higher than this Eden¡¯s... so I needed to play defense. However, I¡¯m not doing that.


    Sliding my blade to the side with my smirk widening by the moment, I sidestepped the blow and took a swing at OTR¡¯s side, trying to catch him off guard and hope he wouldn¡¯t register the attack fast enough to properly counter, but in a rare display of extreme competency, he actually managed to pull back and counterattack! Knocking my sword off course with a dou block, he took a slash at me while I was completely off guard! Perhaps the shock of the situation was giving him some sort of out of body experience? Or just a fluke? He certainly wasn¡¯t playing this well when-HOLY CRAP!


    Forty two percent of my hp knocked off in a single hit! I mean, I knew I was gonna get three shot by the damn thing, but seeing it in action is another matter entirely! Hell, even he looks shocked!


    Not abating for a moment, I lunge back in as our blades meet again. He clearly hadn¡¯t expected my [Aggression] to still be running at full force, but my mentality had barely shaken from that hit. I¡¯d expected it, WANTED it! And given that fact, I was able to knock him back pretty easily. No damage, but that wasn¡¯t what I was after.


    [Berserk]! [Super Acceleration]!


    It was a bad habit, but I could feel my grin getting even wider as I leaped in after him, leaving a trail through his avatar as my blade slashed clear through¡­ for a measly 3% of his hp. He¡¯d be half dead if I was using my EoA. Well, not really MY EoA any more. I gave it away! But I¡¯m not quite done quite yet.


    Slash, slash, slash! One hit two hit three hits, fffff-yeah I don¡¯t know what I was thinking going for that last hit. I guess I¡¯m just used to shit dying by now. In an explosion of sparks, our blades met again. OTR finally managing to parry after getting hit a few times. But while my [Super Acceleration] is still active I reign supreme in this fight. He¡¯d be a fool to properly strike back. Without giving him the chance to even push me back an inch, I swing again, and again, and again!


    Five seconds left-and he manages to deflect four consecutive blows in a row. Impressive for him, but I¡¯m not getting spooked out of my offense.


    Four seconds left-and he finally bites a hit, taking another meager chunk of 2% to his health. The other hits parried with ease.


    Three seconds left-and still no dice. He¡¯s playing defense extraordinarily well today, did he just need a warm up or something with the earlier ass beating?


    Two seconds left-and finally he uses a skill. Makes sense, I was starting to press him pretty hard. Even his Frontliner [Regeneration] wouldn¡¯t be able to save him if I got a solid combo on him. He¡¯s already lost a fifth of his health, and 1% regen a second is NOT going to cut it.


    One second left-and his skill immediately wears off. Must¡¯ve been [First Nullification], meaning he¡¯s basically defenseless for this last second!


    Capitalizing on my chance, I activate a skill I hadn¡¯t used even while 1v14ing his entire guild. Feeling like getting off one last bit of trolling, I decide to announce it out loud to the wide, wide world.


    ¡°[Rapid Cutter]!¡±


    ¡°AW YOU DI-¡±


    DING-DING-DING-DING-DING-DING


    Hit notifications ring off left and right, a dozen blows landing in that single instant as my arms speed up beyond visual comprehension. And what do I get for all that effort? Less than half of his health¡­ and a sword clean through my midsection. Seriously, he ATE the hits to get a single swing on me? That¡¯s just¡­


    Cut down by the culmination of my efforts. Hey, that¡¯s almost poetic.


    ¡°Ah, this game sucks. Good game.¡±


    I fall over, my health reduced to zero in a grand total of two hits. My body dissolves into nothing but a single flame, two minutes left until I respawn. Or in other words, until I let sleeping dogs lie, forever.


    ¡°You¡­ seriously, half my health while I¡¯m using a maxed out weapon, while you have a plus ninety weapon? You seriously just grinded to plus ninety nine for the achievement huh?¡±


    ¡°You betcha.¡± my voice echoes ethereally from the flame.


    ¡°Jeeze¡­¡± He ruffled his hair a moment, before slamming the EoA into the earth beneath him, much the same way I had done minutes earlier. Sitting down in front of my flame, he paused for a moment before tilting his head at the floating orb that was currently me. ¡°You sure you¡¯re quitting, man? I don¡¯t think this game¡¯s gonna be the same without you playing it. I can trade you this back still.¡± He gestured at the EoA planted firmly into the earth.


    ¡°Yeah, I think getting two shot just now added some more perspective to the decision. Uh, I¡¯m quitting, expeditiously. I get I¡¯m a glass cannon build, but that¡¯s just ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯d still dominate the meta. I¡¯d be dead, what, like eight times over before I even managed to hit you once? Hell, weren¡¯t half your skills and passives on cooldown anyways?¡±


    ¡°Eh, still shitty getting two shot.¡±


    Sighing dramatically, OTR throws the sword up into the air (one again) much the same way I did a minute or two ago, dismissing it to his inventory.


    ¡°Well, go ahead and trade me that Eden¡¯s Longsword back while you¡¯re still here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    I sort of¡­ forgot. That fight was pretty good. Most fights in this game were. It was just a sour feeling to be dead in quite literally two hits when I landed like, fifteen of my own? A little bullshit, in my professional opinion. A difference of trillions of gold¡­ perhaps, but should it really make THAT huge of a gap? He shouldn¡¯t even be dealing all that much damage anyways, he was a god damn tank class¡­ I mean, I guess I¡¯m a glass cannon, so it cancels out.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Tossing the white blade up into the air a moment later after it had found itself into his hands once more, OTR sighed again, remaining silent for a moment.


    ¡°Well?¡± I asked with an easy gait to my voice. ¡°Only eighty seconds until I¡¯m off this game forever, whatever you have to say, go ahead and get it off your chest.¡±


    ¡°This is just¡­ a little anticlimactic, you know? My guild doesn¡¯t even believe that you¡¯re dead right now.¡±


    ¡°Pff, tell me about it. We menace each other for months and it all ends with me getting two shot? I mean, it was pretty cool that it was by my own sword, like, it¡¯s poetic n¡¯shit, you know? ¡®Ohhhh, felled by my own hubris!¡¯¡±


    ¡°...I guess.¡± He mumbled, before scrolling through his menu. ¡°Uh¡­ hey?¡±


    ¡°Yeah? All ears.¡±


    I in fact, currently had no ears.


    ¡°You said you had your eyes on a game, right?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Yeah, advertised a super interactive world. Changing around the players actions, and whatnot. Early days should be sick. Releasing two days from now I think, why?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ talking to my guild about it. The only reason we were really farming was to keep up with you¡­ if you¡¯re quitting, there¡¯s no point to it.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow that he couldn¡¯t see, I had to wonder what was going through his head. ¡°...Jeeze dude, I¡¯m just a man.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a titan of a man! You almost beat me with nine less enchantment levels, that¡¯s like, ten times less attack power??? That¡¯s insane.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, enough with the glazing I¡¯m not that crazy! You¡¯ve got forty seconds left, make it count.¡±


    ¡°...What¡¯s the game¡¯s name?¡±


    I pause for a moment, letting the seconds tick down as OTR began to fidget nervously. And then¡­ it clicked.


    ¡°Heh-hehehehahaha! No way, nooooo way, you want to hop games WITH me? What¡¯s the point of my dramatic sacrifice dropping you the sword of legends and everything?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it was a pretty cool final battle.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you JUST say it was anticlimactic?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you JUST say you had forty seconds left?¡±


    ¡°Twenty five and counting, actually¡­ Ahem, I believe it was called¡­¡±


    ¡°...Called what!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking. Difficult to get off the top of my head, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh you ass just tell me!¡±


    ¡°Wow, that''s certainly not the way to ask nicely.¡±


    ¡°Screw being nice, you have like fifteen seconds left! Just, tell, me, the name!¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. It¡¯s called Omniscient. You happy?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Omniscient? That¡¯s a pretty high profile game actually, didn¡¯t the developers of Heaven¡¯s Gate make that one?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Played that one, it was pretty damn good. Didn¡¯t take me too long to hundred percent it though. Unfortunately, don¡¯t think their new game¡¯s gonna have any completionist bait for tired old souls like me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need an achievement to tell you you beat the game man. Like, I think you could tell you basically beat this game without a big waving flag telling you that you did it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I like bigger numbers.¡±


    He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then mulled it over, and¡­ ¡°...Is that why you¡¯re a glass cannon build?¡±


    I smiled and raised my hands, though he couldn¡¯t see either of those things given I was currently a fast fading flame. ¡°Red handed.¡±


    He snrrked a little bit, before once again opening his menu. ¡°Oh, right, before I forget, add me on Homepage real quick would you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What kind of enemies to allies shtick is this?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t well find you without having you added can I?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d manage.¡±


    ¡°Dude, you have like FIVE, SECONDS, just tell me your username!¡±


    ¡°Huh? You already know it.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t, you dolt! Tell me!¡±


    ¡°...Koth?¡±


    ¡°Wh-that¡¯s your name in this game.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s my name in everything.¡±


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t that a little unoriginal?¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhh noooooo, looks like time¡¯s uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-


    You have died!


    -5% exp


    -5% gold


    Respawni-


    Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t really care.


    Log out.


    Ding!


    Friend request from: Onesy


    ¡­Huh. I was spot on with that nickname.

 C3-Homepage

    I was apparently very tired today, because I just couldn¡¯t help but stretch. Which didn¡¯t really make all that much sense, because every part of the brain that actually needed proper rest got it while you were in full immersion. I absolutely did not care to understand the massive amount of mumbo jumbo that was this system, so I couldn¡¯t quite tell you how that worked, but it just does.


    ¡­Anyways, breaking out of that stretch, I tore my gaze back to my friends list. And more specifically, my friend requests. This wasn¡¯t the strangest thing ever¡­ actually, maybe it was. How many times have I sent this man home black and blue? Corporally punished him? Disciplined him? Pulled out a comically large ruler from the early 2000s and spanked him over the bum?


    A lot of times. Dozens, of times, in fact. But he wanted to¡­ follow me into a new game? To what, harass me some more? Because that actually sounded like a pretty good time, boss raiding was fun. I mean, it¡¯s definitely a hell of an ego boost to be the sole reason that over a dozen people are playing a game. But I just have to wonder, why the heck do they want to follow me?


    I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter all that much. And if it¡¯s for any particularly nefarious reasons, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t just unfriend him and switch to a different server in game. It would be pretty impossible to find me out of the probably billions and billions of players in the game across hundreds of different servers. If he was really that desperate he could keep trying to track me, but I¡¯d pull pretty damn far ahead in terms of grind, and at that point, I could just steamroll him. So really, what was the harm?


    Friend request from:Onesy


    You last played with this individual: today, on Ragnar?k, War of The Gods.


    Accept.


    And I will check back in with you, llllllater.


    Flicking an arm, Koth rolled open the menu, and with a bit of finagling, closed out of Homepage.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Luci!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ethan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading out now, I need to go to work. Disable the Immersion Gear, thank you!¡±


    ¡°Certainly, Ethan.¡±


    Presenting a thumbs up to the unblinking camera of an unfeeling AI, Ethan slipped out through the front door, stepping out into the cold night air.


    I¡¯ve got a job to work, kind of need to. Electricity and upkeep is free, but buying new stuff isn¡¯t. So, I picked up a night shift at the local Walmart. Still can¡¯t believe these corporate assholes have been kicking for over a hundred years, but hey, I guess they adapted to the times. They¡¯ve got money to pay me as opposed to AI, so I¡¯ll gladly bolster our everlasting overlords.


    Though, I¡¯ll probably quit after this shift. Not like I¡¯ll be missed, and I¡¯ll have gotten everything I need! Money to buy a new game. Uhhh¡­ money to buy a new game. Yeah that¡¯s about all I needed really. And some left over cash, in case of anything else I suppose.


    Slipping into my car, I tap on my place of work on the map that had lit up the moment the door opened, and buckle myself in a moment afterwards.


    It¡¯s a quick drive, the store only being thirty miles away. Some, quick, five minute trip? The night is colorful as per usual, but it doesn¡¯t really catch my eye. A lot of it is just hollow, marketed slop. I find there¡¯s very little beauty to be found in the real world. Ironic, really. Only a virtual reality holds any real sights worth seeing to me. But it¡¯s been like that for a long while now I suppose. Just¡­ the way it is.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Pushing open the car door, I step out in uniform. Having gotten dressed on the way.


    ¡ª


    The night¡¯s slow. Once again, as per usual. I hadn¡¯t expected anything else. Barely anybody comes in person to get their groceries anymore. Stores are glorified warehouses at this point, but this archaic job still exists. Works out just fine for me, but it¡¯s a little unnerving to be completely alone in the dark like this, even in an area with a crime rate of literally zero.


    Regardless¡­ I just sit there, doing nothing. I¡¯m security, and also clean up. But¡­ the only thing that needs any proper cleaning is¡­ nothing. The place is just a little dusty. I always tidy up while I¡¯m here, ergo nothing gets grungy when I¡¯m in. So, it¡¯s practically pristine. I check in on the frozen goods, perishables, no mold. No mold anywhere else, for that matter. I sweep, I dust, and I sit down. Strapping myself in for a long shift of just about nothing.


    And, lo and behold, despite me wishing otherwise, nothing happens. It¡¯s a slow, boring, night. And for the life of me I can¡¯t want for anything but to be in Full Immersion. Experiencing a world with more to offer than the real one ever could. Twenty, maybe ten years ago, that¡¯s a sentiment that would¡¯ve been frowned upon. But¡­ the real world¡¯s grown dull over the years. Slowly bleeding any true color. Leaving behind only a pale imitation.


    Hm. Look at me. What am I, some kind of philosopher?


    I sit up in my chair and pull out my phone. I¡¯m reading too deeply into it. I always do. That¡¯s just what I do when my mind wanders. The world¡¯s no less a husk than it¡¯s ever been. I just live in a shitty part of it. Not a shitty part, no¡­ a boring part. And for my part, I simply can¡¯t help but wait for my chance to get out of it once again.


    ¡ª


    The early morning sun beams into my house as I close the door behind me, arriving home after the end of my unbearably long night shift. Why is it unbearable? Because it¡¯s sooooooo BORING! This is why I don¡¯t work a job now, games are my job, alright? Definitely.


    ¡°Luci!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ethan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m home, obviously! Could you please get the Immersion Gear set up?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, Ethan.¡±


    ¡­Didn¡¯t it say those exact same four words when I left? Could¡¯ve sworn it said exactly that.


    Now unfortunately, I did have to eat food before I got in for the night, but that was alright. Food¡¯s one of the few things that aren¡¯t boring every time I have to deal with it. Food was good. As for what exactly I¡¯d eat¡­ honestly? Pizza sounded good.


    Pulling one of the many brands I kept on hand in the freezer out, I pried it free of its plastic prison and tossed it right into the oven. I never bothered to take a look at which brand, I liked to be surprised. And a minute later, the oven beeped, signifying the deliverance of the cheesy delicacy.


    ¡­Bleh, maybe delicacy was an overstatement. Must be Cheesy¡¯s. I really should knock them out of my grocery list. Whatever, that was disappointing, but I¡¯d just spend some time on a favorite hangout game while I waited for Omniscient to drop. I checked on my phone earlier, two days wasn¡¯t quite right. It actually dropped later tonight, once most people were out of work.


    ¡°The Immersion Gear is ready, Ethan.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Luci!¡±


    Tossing the cardboard which I¡¯d used as a plate into the recycling, I practically hopped skipped and jumped right over to the machinery on the wall. Lying against it, I closed my eyes as my mind drifted away.

 C4-Battlegrounds

    ¡°Hey R u on?¡± my fingers flicked across the keyboard as I contacted a few of my friends, though my attention snapped elsewhere at an unexpected response. That was fast, were they like, not in the middle of doing anything? I didn¡¯t expect to be responded ttttttttttttooooooooooooh that¡¯s not a response, that¡¯s a fresh DM.


    But from whom? Who could it have be-oh come on obviously it¡¯s Onesy who else?


    ¡°Are you online?¡±


    ¡°No¡±


    ¡°Haha, very funny.¡±


    ¡°I mean, u ask me if im online when it very clearly says im online and dont expect me to give u shit?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more a courtesy than anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah courtesy smhertesy. i was gonna ask some friends if they wanted to play a game with me while i waited for Omniscient to drop. But now that youre here i guess ill ask you instead. wanna hop on untitled battlegrounds?¡±


    ¡°Untitled what now?¡±


    ¡°O yeah it is kind of underground. Only a few hundred thousand players n stuff. Its free wann check it out?¡±


    ¡°...Sure, why not? Don¡¯t see why I can¡¯t talk to you on there instead.¡±


    ¡°Great its basically a hangout game anyways.¡±


    ¡°...Uh huh.¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°Where is he¡­ he said lobby sixty four didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Boo.¡±


    I stood with a smug grin on my face, watching as Onesy slowly turned around, with an entirely unamused stare.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s certainly a different look.¡± He noted offhandedly.


    I shrug innocently and give my leather armor a few raps. ¡°Hey man I can¡¯t be a berserker in every game I play. Not even a class in this one.¡±


    ¡°So I noticed. What the hell¡¯s this game even about?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s pretty obvious.¡± I mumble as I ignore the crystalline lobby built in the tree on the center of the map and instead gesture to the giant pit in the center of the map. ¡°You pick a class, and you go in. It¡¯s a battleground. A pretty fun one, in my opinion. Shame the developers never did some heavy duty advertising. They even update it from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± He nodded, before quickly pivoting to whatever he¡¯d wanted to ask me. ¡°So, now that I¡¯ve got your attention-¡±


    ¡°My what now? Oh no I appear to be being drawn to the field by some kind of magical compulsion.¡± I uttered in the most deadpan voice I could possibly muster as I proceeded to backpedal towards the arena.


    He frowned as he brought two fingers to the bridge of his nose. Pinching at it for a moment, before looking back up at me with that same miffed expression he¡¯d been wearing this entire time. ¡°Would it kill you to just listen to what I have to say for five seconds?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s lame bro.¡± I wave at him from a distance, now hanging just over the edge. ¡°Catch me on the field instead! I¡¯ll hear you out when you manage that. There¡¯s only a few hundred players on the server, and you¡¯ve got all day anyways! Have some fun!¡±


    Shooting two finger guns at him, I fall right on down with a wink.


    Alert!


    HIGH BOUNTY TARGET: KOTH, HAS ARRIVED ON THE FIELD! (#32)


    Right down into the middle. Just the way I like it.


    ¡ª


    The rules of UB are simple. Simply put, it¡¯s a free for all. The only rule, being that there are no rules, besides explicit bug abuse being not allowed. I¡¯ve seen a few Homepage accounts get banned over that one. Though it was pretty damn difficult to break the game with the current day Immersion Engine.


    Now that might make up all of the rules, but in my opinion, this game really appealed to a¡­ certain subset of people. Unlike most other battlegrounds games, where you¡¯d just pick a class and go right into doing whatever¡­ this one had a¡­ sort of, leveling system. Oh, one second.


    +21 exp!


    What was that freshie even thinking? I kill like thirty different people as I blaze a trail from the center of the map to the wetlands and you think you¡¯re gonna be the one to put me down?


    ¡­. Anyways, you stole experience from each kill scaling on how much experience your target had. And you could push that experience into upgrading class skills and your base stats. And for that, there was a leaderboard. That being the bounty leaderboard. Of which I was VERY, MUCH, a fan of.


    The top #100 players at any given moment will always reset to zero exp once they die. Additionally, they¡¯re marked as ¡°High bounty targets¡± by the game. Notifying the entire server when one is in the field. But that¡¯s not to say it¡¯s all downs-oop!


    Side step, pivot back in, parry-and that¡¯s totally an ambush! Yeesh, this far out from spawn? They want this kill, huh?


    My left and right blades cascade a storm of sparks as I deflect at least half a dozen attacks all aimed for my neck, two Warriors repelled and a few arrows deflected, I meet the greatsword of a Bulwark and easily shift its weight to the side. And so I count¡­ one, two, three, four, five, no sorry, six goobers in my vicinity at once! Man, they must REALLY want this kill.


    Unfortunately¡­ people always tend to underestimate the top #50 range. It¡¯s like they don¡¯t understand that in order to actually get past the initial first few rankings, that you kind of need to¡­ not die? Ever? If they wanted a fighting chance at beating me, they should¡¯ve brought at least two dozen. It¡¯s not like any other leaderboard players are in their group. At least not anybody past the first few dozen ranks.


    That same greatsword comes crashing towards me in a vertical line, but without the element of surprise it¡¯s an easy dodge, hitting a flicker of my afterimage as I sidestep the attack. My agility is way higher than any of these bozos, so I literally backflip onto the massive hunk of metal in the same fluid motion, leaping forwards and twisting in the air as I plant a solid kick into the Bulwarks right cheek. Disorienting him for a moment and using him as a platform to launch myself towards the archer in the backlines.


    Works like a charm, most people usually aren¡¯t expecting that trick, and these six clearly haven¡¯t done their homework. Must¡¯ve been a spur of the moment hunt. I can respect that, but I won¡¯t be letting them win either way. Cutting through the air in a blur of movement, I [Cleave] the archer into four, planting my boot into the dirt just shy of the creek after I fly through their rapidly vanishing body. Launching my way back to the frontliners whom had previously been within arms reach, who are, understandably, a little shook at the course of events that had proceeded in under a fifth of a second.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    +2512 exp!


    ¡­Oh? Are these guys on the cusp of the leaderboard? Hm, they should thank me for dropping their experience right here then, cause they¡¯d get wiped and lose everything with this level of skill.


    All it takes is two blows for each Warrior. One to offset their guard, and another to cut them in two. Health is a thing, yeah, but when you get slashed clean through the middle you¡¯re taking a lot of damage no matter what. When somebody has an attack stat equal to your max health, it¡¯s not gonna go well for you. Buuut¡­ they should be able to defend themselves though. They¡¯re not dual wielding, so they really shouldn¡¯t get pushed around like that, but hey I guess they¡¯re just not used to playing with high stats? Maybe this is the first time they¡¯ve gone up against a leaderboard player? Or perhaps they just weren¡¯t expecting such an aggressive response from somebody THEY ambushed?


    +1812 exp!


    +1645 exp!


    Or maybe it was just the archer who was high level? What, did he just pick off people all day long with his friends to guard him? That¡¯s kinda lame. But, I suppose I can¡¯t tell people how to have fun.


    Only the Bulwark and two mages are standing-two mages? How long have they been casting? Is that [Concealment]? Heh, those little shits! They must have a Support around here or something. Explains how they got the drop on me.


    [Riposte]!


    Holy shit, just in time on that one! Taking a familiar stance, I catch the incoming blasts of fire on each blade respectively, whirling around and redirecting them right towards the Bulwark. Usually, Riposte can¡¯t quite do that, but once the skills level gets high enough the amount of attacks you can reflect with it is kind of ludicrous. I¡¯d say it¡¯s broken, but I¡¯d literally lose everything if I died once, so, fair enough in my opinion!


    +1011 exp!


    ¡­Huh, he must die often. Welp, the mages are running now, but they¡¯re pretty much free pickings. They certainly tried to get to the waterfall, but to be honest these guys kind of¡­ I don¡¯t wanna say they suck, cause they don¡¯t, but they didn¡¯t even try to cover their escape with magic. It¡¯s not like fire mage is a bad class even with just other fire mages on your team, pretty sure #2 #5 #7 #11 and #15 are fire mages right now¡­


    +2075 exp!


    +2164 exp!


    Glancing around, I can¡¯t see or sense the Support player anywhere nearby. So, they know their place. Not gonna be able to find them without hunting them down properly, and I¡¯m not really interested right now. I¡¯ve already got plenty from this fight.


    But uh, yeah, that¡¯s a¡­ ton of experience from one fight. Did these guys hop on after I got on or something? This doesn¡¯t really feel like the kind of party you¡¯d see in only a group of six. Feels like a half baked hunting party that I¡¯d usually get accosted by. Anyways, that was a whole heap of experience. Like, jeeze, did I go up a spot with that?


    Sheathing my blades, I leap backwards and onto a foothold, taking a route I¡¯d labbed out time and time again. I flick open my menu as I jump from foothold to foothold, scrolling through the options as I make my way up. Eventually, I stop on the top of the waterfall and check my character page.


    Koth, The Fury.


    Ooo, I DID go up a few spots! Titles are only top #30, what¡¯re my numbers looking like?


    Bounty ranking #28


    Acquired Experience 14,184


    Nice, nice. Right, where was I before I was so rudely interrupted? Being on the bounty board not being all downsides? Right. Leaderboard players get a 50% increase to all experience gained, as well as a 25% stat buff and a 20% cooldown reduction to all skills. Basically, super duper buffed players. It¡¯s awesome to be one of them.


    And that, is why I love this game. It¡¯s not afraid to challenge, or reward its players. Other games would be afraid to penalize death too much, or to let anybody get TOO strong. Like, Ragnarok for an example, only 5% exp lost on death, really? And if I were to grind weeks for extra levels I¡¯d have maybe thirty extra points to show for it? Like, a 1% increase to my total strength? Really?


    Here if I die, that¡¯s EVERYTHING gone. Like, a dozen hours of this character! It¡¯s an adrenaline rush is what it is, and I can¡¯t help but love it. For casuals, you don¡¯t lose that much on death and you can hunt people down with friends and have a good time. For true gamers, everything is on the line and you get to have a power trip. It¡¯s great!


    I mean¡­ you don¡¯t lose everything everything, you get bonuses if you wipe on leaderboard, and the game resets every season anyways¡­ but that¡¯s besides the point.


    Welp, I should probably head back up, I got a crazy amount of experience to spend, and I¡¯m kind of curious to see how much wackier I can make [Co-


    ¡°Koth! I finally found you!¡±


    I pause mid thought, before tilting my head to the side. ¡°...Wha? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? Come on! You literally told me to find you!¡±


    Tapping my foot for a moment, I match a face to a name and snap. ¡°Ohhhh, yeah what¡¯s up Onesy? How the hell¡¯d you make it up here? Aren¡¯t you a freshie?¡± I tilt my head curiously as I unsheathe a blade. There¡¯s definitely a good chance of an ambush. If he asked for help from somebody to get him up here, then it¡¯s likely that they¡¯re a high level player trying to get close to me with some kind of front. So an ambush from¡­ a skilled assassin? It takes a pretty good amount of technical skill to actually make the climb-actually, wait a minute.


    ¡°Did¡­ did you pick Support?¡±


    His armor was leather like my class, swordsman, but the coloration was different. More tan, as opposed to dark like my own. It made sense, it had levitation and teleportation spells, and it wasn¡¯t like anything was level locked in this game. You had all your tools from day one, you could just make them stronger. He could totally make it up. It¡¯s just¡­


    ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡±


    ¡°I mean, not to tell you how to play the game¡­ but Support¡¯s kind of a shitty class on its own. Unless you¡¯re playing with like, at least half a dozen other people. I¡¯d just wipe and restart.¡±


    ¡°About that.¡± He grinned and raised a hand.


    My other arm flashed to the handle of my sword, my feet pattering against the uneven stone floor as I covered the distance in almost an instant.


    ¡°HEY-WAITWAITWA-¡±

 C5-Mass Destruction

    BANG


    In a single strike, my blade exploded through a solid buckler shield, sending a distinctly familiar avatar skidding to the floor.


    ¡°Jesus Christ man! I was just bringing my guild over!¡±


    Flying back a few steps, I eyed up the now crowd of¡­ ten, missing a few¡­ up on this mountain with me, a golden light evident of the support class surrounding them. Each and every one of them staring at me with an uneasy glare, hands on the hilts of their weapons and staves at the ready. Makes sense, after all, how many times have I annihilated this entire group of players now? I mean kinda pointless if none of them have any solid amount of experience, but good effort. Still not sure if he¡¯s allied with anybody else though¡­


    ¡°Meh, you don¡¯t take chances when one death means you lose everything.¡± I shrug noncommittally, still not sheathing my weapons. ¡°So, you got your friends on the game? I mean, good for them, it¡¯s pretty fire.¡±


    Offering a hand to his guildmate, Onesy explained his actions. ¡°I thought it¡¯d be easier to find you that way. This map is pretty big for only a few hundred players.¡±


    ¡°I like it, skirmishes don¡¯t turn into massive wars. And it takes a moment for anybody who dies to make their way back to where they were killed.¡±


    ¡°Jeeze¡­ did¡¯ja have to hit me that hard?¡± The guy who I smashed to the floor a moment ago stood up shakily, trying to work out the tension in his arm. ¡°I¡¯ve got my pain settings set to ten percent man, and that shit still stings.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my bad.¡± I say with some amount of genuinity. Buuuuuuuuut¡­ ¡°If you care about it that much though, just set your settings down dingus.¡± I wave at him haphazardly as I eye the amount of time I¡¯m still in combat for. Eight seconds. ¡°Well, I think I¡¯ve had my fun down here for now. I got a pretty crazy haul experience wise, so it¡¯s about time for me to head out. I¡¯ll hear you guys out back in the lobby.¡±


    Out of curiosity, an archer in the back asked me; ¡°how much?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, about fourteen thousand?¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡± He uttered, flabbergasted. ¡°Who did you kill?¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ five guys?¡± I shrug as I flick open my menu.


    Onesy stared at me wide eyed. ¡°We were only getting like fifty experience a kill at most. Who the heck did you stab?¡±


    ¡°Mmmmm¡­ I dunno, they were randoms. Just a group of somewhat competent players.¡±


    Alert!


    HIGH BOUNTY TARGET: ARCANE EYES, CASSLOCK, HAS ARRIVED ON THE FIELD! (#25)


    Oh, it would seem a friend got my dm.


    ¡°Right! Change of plans!¡±


    ¡°Change of plans?¡±


    ¡°See, I¡¯ve got a friend to meet up with. I¡¯ll be down here for a little bit longer still. You guys have fun though, just don¡¯t get too close to the center.¡±


    ¡°...What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± A swordsman in the guild tilted his head at me.


    ¡°Hell d¡¯ya think it means? There¡¯s gonna be carnage, that''s what it means. Stay out of the way unless you want to get obliterated.¡±


    ¡°Like, the entire middle?¡± Onesy asked, but I really couldn¡¯t be bothered to answer anymore.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! Just steer clear of the explosions! Seeya!¡± And with a wave, I took off running. Fall damage was a thing, but I was pretty well adapted to deal with it.


    Soaring into the open air, I sheathed one of my blades and two-handed the other. I don¡¯t really do this tech often, but it¡¯s been officially ruled as NOT bug abuse on the dev forum. So, I¡¯m going to abuse this one to make as flashy an entrance as possible.


    [Power stance].


    The earth zooms past me as I keep soaring through the air at an unbelievable speed. A lesser man would get motion sick, but I¡¯m no lesser man. I¡¯m, THE GOAT! The wetlands I came from gradually dissipate as I grow closer and closer to the world tree. I can already spot the elemental chaos happening under its trunk, over at the spawn point. A woman to rival my own dramatic flair she is. So I¡¯ve gotta get there before she can completely upstage my entrance two hours ago.


    The ground rapidly approaches, and as my grip tightens my grin only gets wider.


    Three seconds until impact! I can hear the roaring of combat now, and I simply can¡¯t wait to get in on the action.


    Two¡­


    One.


    [Cleave]!


    My sword flashes against the earth, crashing into and cracking it open. The wide slash gouging out the dirt beneath me, sending splinters through the ground that heal moments later.


    Under normal circumstances, I¡¯d shatter my legs and take like half my health instantly from this fall, but not this time, and not ever. Knockback functioned relatively simply in UB. The more damage an attack dealt, the further it would knock back the target. But, this was only really noticeable if an attack didn¡¯t immediately kill, and it already dealt enough damage to count for an achievement.


    (For the record, I already 100%ed this game, I just enjoy it. Yes, that includes hitting #1 on the leaderboard. Frankly not all that difficult, just rushed it on early reset, but definitely difficult to hold onto.)


    Said achievement being about¡­ one thousand damage in one hit. For the second record, my max health is about five thousand one hundred twenty two, and I¡¯m not exactly a tank. My attack just now, well¡­ it¡¯d probably one shot me if redirected. [Cleave] is warrior¡¯s highest single target damage skill. Dealing your strength multiplied by five at base, and in my case with the skill being level twenty eight, about forty. And [Power Stance] multiplied the damage of your next attack by two, but for me with a level twenty version of it, by ten. So, I hit, REALLY, god damn hard. And that¡¯s not even counting [Combo] stacks if I manage to get that up and running beforehand.


    So, short to say, my little pointy stick just Tsar Bombed mother nature. For a grand total of, I don¡¯t know, eighty thousand something damage? Of course, you can¡¯t actually destroy the map, but the visual damage that shows up on it is pretty satisfying.


    Now, this long winded explanation is all to explain, this; if knockback can¡¯t knock something back, but the game still generates the force, where does that knockback go?


    Well, straight to the individual who produced it to begin with. There¡¯s a reason this ¡°tech¡± isn¡¯t really considered bug abuse. Because the only people who can do it in the first place are leaderboard players and those close to it. And at that point, you kind of deserve every busted ability you can get your hands on with how much you stand to lose from dying. So, what did I do? A fall damage cancel of course!


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    The knockback generated from my skill pushed me back far enough to counteract the momentum from falling for¡­ I don¡¯t know how long, a minute straight? Straight from the tallest point of the map to the lowest was a pretty long fall¡­ It pushed me back far enough to counter THAT. So, by a lot.


    Touching down on the earth from a few feet up a moment later, I leisurely stroll on ahead as I unsheathed my other sword. Apparently, my little stunt caught a little attention, given the cacophony of combat slowed down for a moment after the earth almost shattered above everyone¡¯s heads.


    ¡°Ahem!¡± I call out as I rap a fist against my chest. ¡°Oh Cassy I¡¯m hoooooome!¡±


    ¡­


    Only the occasional chant and clash of blades continued to ring out. Everybody who had their attention on me simply went silent.


    What, tough crowd?


    ¡°Khm¡­hmhmhm¡­¡±


    Ayeeeee, there we go!


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Get down here already you dumbass! I¡¯m getting swarmed out here!¡± My friend called out as another blast of raw magic wiped out another individual.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah! You¡¯re a mage idiot, next time you wanna drop in the dead center of the map, maybe tell me! Are you trying to get your character wiped!?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, nobody else important is on!¡±


    There¡¯s a few cries of disdain as I ¡°make my way¡± (+52 exp) through the crowd and to my buddies'' side, grinning even more wickedly when a notification pops up.


    Party invite from: Arcane Eyes, Casslock.


    Accept?


    Y/N


    Yes, obviously.


    ¡°¡®The Fury¡¯? Yikes Koth, you got a pretty shitty title huh?¡±


    ¡°Hey, speak for yourself! I like it!¡±


    Finally within range of my teammates spell casting, I can¡¯t help but burst out laughing as an extra 272k hp tops off my health bar. [Arcane Barrier] is, so, bullshit.


    ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s put on a show!¡±


    The crowds practically quiver when we start unleashing skill after skill upon the collective. Basically? We¡¯re the god meta of the current season. There¡¯s almost nothing you can do to deal with a glass cannon [Arcane Barrier]ed warrior. It¡¯s like, genuinely almost comical how insane this combo is. Even without leaderboard player stats, it¡¯s still insane. Hell I almost got wiped by it once or twice when I got caught out on my own against the combo.


    Most definitely going to get nerfed next reset, but hey I¡¯m abusing this for all it¡¯s worth while I can. I don¡¯t even need to worry about defense! I can just rip, and tear, through the entire horde. All I need to do is keep Casslock safe, which, frankly, I barely even need to do that, everybody here is small fry.


    And speaking of those small fry, this is the literal perfect scenario for me to build up [Combo] stacks. This skill actually becomes so ridiculous with leaderboard levels of experience, it¡¯s really not even funny. I¡¯ve probably put a third of my total experience into this ability alone, but it¡¯s honestly worth it. The scaling for it is BONKERS.


    One hit becomes two hits, and two hundred damage becomes four hundred damage. four hundred damage becomes eight hundred damage, in just three hits. One [Cleave] later, and suddenly the entire world is in flames. Even without power stance, it¡¯s still dealing almost eighty thousand damage with just four stacks of [Combo]. This broken ass skill is just¡­ I don¡¯t even have the words. I just killed four people at the same time with one hit.


    It almost feels criminal.


    Almost.


    [Power Stance]!


    ¡ª


    Alert!


    HIGH BOUNTY TARGET: RITHER, HAS ARRIVED ON THE FIELD! (#58)


    ¡°Oh my GOD!¡± I can¡¯t help but call out. That¡¯s just overkill! No leaderboard players are even gonna show up to fight us at this point! Unlike Cass, Rither is an entirely DPS focused mage. But with Cassy¡¯s Arcane Barrier, it doesn¡¯t even matter. He¡¯s definitely the most vulnerable of us three though, so he doesn¡¯t really have the ability to farm on his own time. He¡¯s still ranked anyways, so it doesn¡¯t matter too much.


    ¡°Heeeeeey, you¡¯re late to the party, man!¡±


    ¡°You know I was at work dude! How many people are we fighting right now?!¡±


    RIther has joined the party!


    ¡°Literally everybody! No ranked players though, go crazy!¡±


    ¡°Yooooo, sounds like free experience!¡±


    The earth rumbles for a moment, and in the next, dozens of players vanish, skewered on [Pikes Of The Land].


    +11 exp!


    +254 exp!


    +55 exp!


    +44 exp!


    +62 exp!


    +333 exp!


    +2 exp!


    +21 exp!


    +36 exp!


    +83 exp!


    Oh, also, experience share is a pretty solid reason too. If he got full credit for all of his kills while in the party, he¡¯d probably have pulled ahead of us both by now.


    Oh well! We¡¯ll just have to make up for it with enough kills to get us ALL titles.

 C6-Pre-game Conference

    ¡°Hey man, good catching up with you two!¡± I land a solid hi-five with each of my friends, strolling through the lobby fresh out of updating our characters.


    [Combo] just keeps ramping up and up. Damage multiplied by 2.1x every single hit within three seconds of each other. That¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m gonna have to take a shower, because that¡¯s just DISGUSTING! I get I¡¯m #27 on the leaderboard now, but at a certain point it¡¯s gotta stop for the sake of the game itself, right?


    Speaking of things that need to stop though, kind of ran out of players to slaughter about ten minutes in between the three of us, which is understandable. Nobody just wants to sacc their experience for nothing. I got about twenty thousand total experience today though, so that¡¯s pretty damn nice.


    ¡°Same, it¡¯s been awhile. You done with Ragnarok?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Finally 100%ed it.¡± I nod to Rither in affirmation. ¡°Got my eyes set on a new game, so I¡¯ll probably be skipping out on the next season while I¡¯m playing that. Well, mostly anyways. I¡¯ll hop on from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? What game?¡± Cassy elbowed me in the arm with a smirk. ¡°Probably just another old PC port, yeah?¡±


    ¡°No, actually.¡± I daintily dust off my armor, despite it not being scuffed because you literally can¡¯t physically interact with other players in the lobby. ¡°Omniscient, heard of it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think I have, actually.¡± And then something seemed to click for her. ¡°Wait, whaha-huhabahdauh? You-you, Koth, are going to play a NEW game? Like, properly new? Not just something you haven¡¯t played before?¡±


    ¡°...Is that so surprising?¡±


    ¡°Yeah kind of.¡± She shrugged, dropping the exasperated tone instantly. ¡°You usually don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be inclined to agree.¡± Rither nodded. ¡°You¡¯re a very static gamer, my friend.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m an old school, gamer, thank you very much. Well, you guys gonna be heading out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just got on cause I saw you two were on. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re gonna get any leaderboard player fights, unless you wanna server hop and hunt them down or something.¡± Rither suggested after a moment''s thought.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s basically impossible to catch somebody actively dodging a fight, not worth the effort.¡± I shrugged with a grin. Omniscient was coming out soon anyways, and I still had to talk to the doofus about whatever he¡¯d been wanting to talk about.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m gonna go get on an actual hang out game.¡± Cassy yawned as she opened up her menu. ¡°See you guys around next season, I guess. Unless you wanna get together and try and organize a blow out fight for the end of the season? You know, leaderboard players vs leaderboard players? I¡¯m sure we could get a pretty sizable chunk of the rankers to play along.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, maybe.¡± I nodded slightly. Basically giving her a ¡°nah¡±. ¡°Welp, I¡¯ve gotta talk to somebody, see you guys around.¡±


    ¡°See ya man!¡± Rither waved, as did Cassy, and a moment later, both vanished in a pale blue light, one after the other.


    ¡°RRrrrrrrrrrrright.¡±


    Well, no more putting it off. I had to stop trolling, eeeeeeeeeeeeventually.


    ¡ª


    ¡°So what exactly have you been tailing me around the map for?¡±


    ¡°Oh so now you see fit to ask?¡±


    ¡°Okay, my bad maybe I left you hanging for a little longer than I intended to.¡± I sagged a bit as I collapsed into a chair. I was a little mentally drained after all that fighting, so maybe I¡¯d take it easy for release day.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Onesy rolled his eyes as he sat in the chair adjacent to me.


    ¡°So, where¡¯s your guild? Weren¡¯t you guys going around together?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re checking out the lobby. Some of them actually like the game. It¡¯s not bad by the way, but not really my taste.¡±


    ¡°Eh, fair enough.¡± I shrugged casually.


    It was a punishing game, not everybody liked that kind of thing. I couldn¡¯t well fault him for it.


    Working my way back up into an upright position, I leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Now, seriously, what¡¯d you want to say to me?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I feel as if I¡¯m suddenly forgetting.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I feel as if my hand is gravitating to the menu.¡± I quip right back.


    ¡°Yeesh, my bad!¡± He raised his hands in surrender. ¡°I wanted to talk to you about Omniscient.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± I stare at him with my best, ¡°dawg.¡± face.


    ¡°Specifically, about what you¡¯re planning to do on release.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± I lean against the table, catching my head in the palm of my hand as I regale my goals. ¡°I¡¯m going to grind, get ahead of the competition, pick up pvp and try to complete most of the game, like I normally would. Same kind of build I used in Ragnarok, the usual.¡±


    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he raised a singular eyebrow as he asked an odd question. ¡°Any room for joining a guild in that busy schedule?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°Do you, want, to join, our guild?¡±


    I raise an eyebrow right back, given that¡¯s a rather silly question. Even if we were close friends or something, individually I was pretty well over the level of skill of anybody in this guy¡¯s guild¡­


    ¡°Uh, not really? I play with a small party sometimes, but solo play is more my thing.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I¡¯m gonna speak my mind for a moment here.¡±


    ¡°Go for it.¡± I sit back up and wave for him to carry on.


    ¡°You¡¯re an achievement hunter, right?¡±


    Well, I didn¡¯t explicitly tell him, but it¡¯s not like it¡¯s all that difficult to figure out. I mean, what kind of loon would spend months in pursuit of a single goal just to immediately quit once they fulfilled it? Not even bothering to properly use it? This kind of loon, that¡¯s who. An achievement hunter loon.


    Seeing no reason to deny him, I shrug. ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it get kind of boring to do the same thing over and over? You said you¡¯re Koth in every game, do you do this same thing in every game? Glass cannon, completionist?¡±


    ¡°...What¡¯re you getting at here?¡± I narrow my eyes as he carries on, wondering how he¡¯s going to end this tangent without ticking me off.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying, why not try something new? I mean, this game advertises something different from what you¡¯d usually play, right? Older mechanics, more simplistic, achievement systems, stuff like that?¡±


    Continuing to give him a neutral look, I agree with him at least partially. ¡°It does. But I don¡¯t see why I can¡¯t just do what I¡¯d normally do. What exactly is stopping me?¡±


    ¡°Well nothing¡¯s stopping you, obviously.¡± He scoffed before continuing. ¡°But I¡¯m just saying, really, why not try something new?¡±


    ¡°...Are you just trying to get me to join your guild?¡±


    ¡°I mean, kind of.¡± He admitted pretty freely. ¡°You seem like you¡¯re good at these kinds of games. Really good, so of course I WANT you to join my guild, but I mean what I say too.¡±


    Well¡­ I was pretty exhausted today. I hadn¡¯t exactly been expecting to deal with such a huge swarm of grunts today¡­ Maybe I could give it a try just for tonight, do a bit of exploring instead of farming¡­ or at least just doing quests instead of straight up farming.


    ¡°...Mmm, still a pretty big no to joining the guild.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± He exasperatedly shrugged in defeat.


    ¡°But, you¡¯re not wrong about me always doing the same thing in every game. I guess it couldn¡¯t hurt to take it a little slower for the first few days. This is a different kind of game, right?¡±


    Leaning back and staring up at the sky, Onesie sighed and fell forward in his chair, facing me once again. ¡°...Yeah. It is. Anyways, even if you don¡¯t wanna join our guild, would you at least be open to cooperating on some raids or whatever?¡±


    I mean¡­ that one can¡¯t really hurt me, so¡­ ¡°Eh, yeah, sure, why not? I don¡¯t know any friends who are gonna play, so if I happen to need some allies for something in game, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± He instantly sat up beaming, holding out an arm for a handshake.


    ¡­Was that the only thing he was after this entire time?


    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s a deal.¡± I sighed and smiled, taking Onesy¡¯s hand. Just the other day I was whooping this guy''s entire guild, but I guess he¡¯s not the type to hold a grudge. Suppose I can respect that.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be pre-ordering the game now. See you around, and I¡¯ll be in server sixty four. Hopefully.¡± I grinned nervously. There was a pretty solid chance everything past the first few hundred servers would flood instantly given how many people would be in the game on day one.


    ¡°Hm, see you around then, Koth.¡±


    ¡°Likewise Onesy.¡±


    Log out.

 C7-Character Creation

    It wasn¡¯t long now, mere minutes remained until the game officially released. There¡¯d been very few trailers about it. Mostly just a showcase of the movement and combat, and promises of what would be available. Like, actually varied npc dialogue. Procedurally generated, or whatever? I kind of spaced out during those parts of the trailer. There was a hyperlink to a more in depth analysis on the AI, supposedly groundbreaking stuff, but¡­


    Look man, I¡¯m just here to play the game. Anyways, back to my point, while I didn¡¯t know much about the game, that also meant nobody else knew anything about it. Or well, a few people would, but the amount would be negligible in comparison to the general public.


    Anyways anyways, that meant that this game which was apparently supposed to be full of secrets, would be ripe for the taking for anybody competent. I watched a few more trailers after getting off of Untitled Battlegrounds, and there were multiple promises of non combat opportunities. So, clearly, there was an emphasis on exploration.


    Or, that¡¯s at least what it sounded like to me. Perhaps it was a good idea to chill out on grinding for the first day, and to instead just¡­ explore. It might work out for me in an interesting way. So, here¡¯s my game plan.


    Make my character as fast as I can, blitz through the basic customization stuff (because base avatars are LAME!), and wherever I spawn, explore town as quickly as I possibly can. Speed stat is my priority, but enjoying the game itself is secondary to that as well. Most of all, I¡¯m playing this to take a break from achievement hunting. To try something new, so I¡¯m trying to come into this with a fresh perspective.


    How well that goes, remains to be seen, but I¡¯m not just gonna lie down and give up on any early ¡°achievements¡±. After all, another promise was player exclusive rewards. Like, ONE, TIME, unlocks. Single one throughout every single person ingame, only ONE copy. Which was almost unheard of in the modern day, given any game on average could expect to have millions of players at the very least if they did the absolute bare minimum of advertising¡­ but, apparently these devs were built different, putting shit like this in a game which could possibly have bbbbbbillions. With a capital B.


    This game was supposed to have so many discoverable secrets, that it apparently wouldn¡¯t matter. With their dev team of¡­ I believe it was twelve hundred thousand strong? I can honestly believe it. The amount of work that¡¯s gone into this game should be frankly ludicrous. So, enough secrets to tide over billions of players? Yeah, sure, I can see it.


    I just don¡¯t wanna be left out. No matter how many secrets there are to find, they¡¯ll be knocked out soon enough by a ravenous horde of literally billions.


    But hey, that¡¯s enough contemplating. The game drops any second now¡­


    Steady¡­


    Ssssssssteeeeeady¡­


    NOW!


    Welcome to Omniscient!


    YESSIR! First five seconds!


    Please design your character!


    Almost immediately, at least a few dozen different options popped up in my field of view. A wide open grassland with the occasional what I assume to be monster running across it. Mostly just what I¡¯d classify as a generic trash mob.


    However, that¡¯s not what was important right now! What needed to get done, was my character creation!


    First things first, character des-WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR CHARACTER DESIGN AFFECTS YOUR STATS!?


    I mean, sure it makes sense that bigger and bulkier means more hp, and smaller and thinner means more mobile. And the stat differences aren¡¯t really that crazy¡­ no downside to your stature¡­ Okay, I guess it really isn¡¯t that big of a deal.


    Anyways, I can¡¯t be bothered to puzzle this all out right now! If I really need to I can just reset my character later. For now, probably! Uh¡­. give me my speed!


    5¡¯1.


    ¡­I¡¯ll ignore that for now! Dropping an entire foot in height doesn¡¯t bother me at all, nope, not a bit! The character model was partially based off of your real life figure, and you couldn¡¯t go a foot shorter or taller than what you actually looked like. It didn¡¯t affect the stat bonuses though, so it wasn¡¯t an issue that I was already fairly tall. I assume that it¡¯s in order to not create too much of a difference between your body in the real and fake world, so that moving still feels normal to you. My legs were shortened much less than my torso after all¡­ actually, couldn¡¯t that lead to some pretty goofy avatars? Like, a four foot tall person takes a foot off, would their torso just be a third of the size of their legs?


    ¡­??????, man I¡¯d wanna see that!


    Anyways, after setting my stature to the absolute minimum for the totally necessary 7% total increase to my agility stat, I flicked through the rest of the character customization. There¡¯s no option to pick between different races, so no min maxing there, and I¡¯m perfectly comfortable with my appearance¡­ It¡¯s not like I have any real reason to hide it. Brown hair, a little skinny, green eyes, pretty pale skin¡­


    Well, it¡¯s not like I have much reason to go out during the day. Okay, maybe I¡¯ll tick up the melanation just a smidge. Okay, better. RIGHT! Set my name to Koth, and onto the stats!


    There were a total of eight options: vitality, strength, intelligence, agility (my beloved), endurance, luck, mana, and lastly, dexterity. Though, uniquely, those latter four were categorized under a ¡°substat¡± distinction. With a little question mark on top of the list. Vitality, strength, agility and luck were self explanatory, but I was curious about the distinctions between vitality and endurance, intelligence and mana, and agility and dexterity.


    So, I went ahead and tapped on that there question mark.


    Sub stats increase naturally regardless of stats invested into them. With three of the four sub stats correlating to an existing core stat. Gaining a boost to their effectiveness based on how high their respective core stat is.


    ¡­Well that¡¯s sort of unique. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of a system like that before. So, I guess now I just check what the heck everything does.


    Vitality, obviously, is your max health. Shocker, who could¡¯ve seen that one coming? Rather predictably, it boosts endurance.


    Strength affects your physical damage, as well as your critical hit damage modifier. Or at least, it says it makes up¡­ thirty percent of it? Luck probably does the rest, honestly. Apparently this is the stat that doesn¡¯t tie in to any of the sub stats.


    Intelligence actually doesn¡¯t increase your max mana, but what it does is lower your skill cooldowns, as well as provide a stacking bonus to the mana cost of your skills. Interesting take on the stat, so I suppose mana is the more traditional ¡°intelligence¡± you¡¯d find more widespread throughout the rest of gaming as a whole. Speaking of mana, that¡¯s what intelligence boosts.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Agility, is a boost to your movement and perception speed. Literally the same across every game, I dunno what else I was expecting. That¡¯s about it though, it increases dexterity.


    Now, I was already leaning pretty heavily towards agility. I hated to be slow, so I was probably gonna dump a solid chunk of my points into it. But first, I still needed to check out the sub stats.


    Endurance, increases by 1 per level.


    Increases by 5 per point invested.


    Increases max stamina and gives a miniscule amount of overall damage resistance per point.


    Boosted by vitality.


    So, stamina is an actual thing? I don¡¯t know how I feel about that, given it¡¯s generally not implemented too well in other games¡­ but hopefully it¡¯s not too bad. Looks like it¡¯s not really too much of an issue given you can apparently boost this stat like crazy. Damage resistance must be actually tiny if you can raise it by five in a single point. Could definitely see a damage resist build being nice though. Unless armor piercing is common. Actually, I should probably invest in that. Armor piercing, not the stat.


    Luck, increases by 0.1 per level.


    Increases by 0.25 per point invested.


    Boosts the chances of a positive outcome from all factors influenced by luck.


    Rather vague, but honestly sounds like that might be cracked if the scaling is good. Probably good for farming rare drops on a dedicated build.


    Mana, increases by 0.2 per level.


    Increases by 2 per point invested.


    Increases maximum MP.


    Boosted by Intelligence.


    Yeah that¡¯s straight forward enough. Looks like you¡¯re meant to actually invest in this one, given it doesn¡¯t increase by too much otherwise.


    Dexterity, increases by 0.5 per level.


    Increases by 3 per point invested.


    Increases control over character movement.


    Boosted by agility.


    ¡­That¡¯s also a little bit vague, but not too big of a deal I suppose. Probably some kind of auto pilot assistance, other games have had similar mechanics. Turning thought to immediate action and stuff like that. Welp, that¡¯s all a complicated bunch of character building that I just can¡¯t be bothered with right now.


    Agility, here I co-


    Warning!


    The current level cap is currently; 150. Please choose your stats carefully! Respecs are difficult to come by!


    ¡­Ahem, as I was saying, agility, here I come!


    Fifteen agility, and, five vitality I guess. If it increases the effectiveness of endurance, which boosts stamina, and also a little bit of hp, no reason to not take it. Not too much though.


    Only five. And with that, that¡¯s all twenty points.


    Are you satisfied with your final stats?


    Koth-Traveller


    Level 1


    HP 120/120


    MP 50/50


    Stamina 103/103


    Core stats


    Vitality-5


    Strength-0


    Intelligence-0


    Agility-15


    Sub stats


    Endurance-1


    Luck-0.1


    Mana-0.2


    Dexterity-0.5


    Unique stats


    Skills


    Yeah of course I am, duh.


    Character creation complete, please choose a spawn location.


    Three options popped up into my field of view, Forseea, a town, by the sea. How original. Firsgalia. A town, in the windy plains? Galia¡­ windy¡­ really? Kind of picking the low hanging fruit here aren¡¯t we?


    And finally, Resin Peak. A town in the forest on top of a plateau. At least this one is kind of original. Better than the other two, trying to hide their deficiency. So, I think I¡¯ll go with this one.


    And without any further ceremony, I was unceremoniously dropped into town. Birdsong filling my ears and a gentle sunlight piercing through branches above. The name of the location showing just in my peripheral vision.


    New location discovered!


    Resin Peak.


    Location added to map!


    Wait, wait, wait. There¡¯s¡­ a map¡­ that you can fill out?


    ¡°Eh¡­ heh heh heh¡­¡±


    I got an odd glance or two from the dozens and dozens of people spawning in all at once around me, but that didn¡¯t matter! Completionist behavior, rewarded! A MAP! TO FILL OUT! No, no¡­ control yourself Koth. Hey, why not just take a look around town for now, right? That couldn¡¯t hurt. Find some secrets, take a chill pill, relaaaaaax.


    Kicking at the dirt beneath my feet, I roll my neck, and put the game''s mobility to the test.

 C8-Day One

    Frankly, movement feels pretty fluid. It¡¯ll take me a little bit to readjust to being slower, but it shouldn¡¯t take too long. It¡¯s jarring to jump from crossing miles in moments to only being able to run somewhat faster than the average person, but it¡¯s a sensation that I¡¯ve dealt with in the past numerous times.


    Besides that, there was a very nice connection between what I wanted to do and what my ¡°body¡± did. Every game had some way of doing it, human perception and cognition wasn¡¯t built to go at the speeds that some games allowed you to after all. However, this game in particular certainly had a very natural feel to it. The moment I had the intention of doing it, my body responded almost immediately, with my cognizant mind being able to pick up the movement within a miniscule amount of time.


    It¡¯s honestly so smooth that it might take MORE getting used to than any other game that I¡¯ve played! I¡¯m used to compensating for slightly less than perfect systems with my own, honed, gamer instinct, but that just doesn¡¯t quite seem to be necessary here. Maybe when you get to higher speeds¡­ but we¡¯ll see, I suppose.


    Anyways, disregarding that! This game had an AMAZING aesthetic to it! There was this seamless blend of that romanticized medieval town structure and actual comprehensive placement of structures, you know, something a lot of game devs seem to struggle with. The pale light that made its way through the trees also lended itself wonderfully to the aforementioned aesthetic. The sun wasn¡¯t quite setting yet, but it wasn¡¯t at full mast either. A mixture of orange and yellow bleeding through the thick leaves above.


    So far, the game was getting full marks from me. But, none of this was quite what it advertised. Well, it obviously advertised them somewhat, but not nearly as much as the supposed advanced AI. So, I wanted to check a few things out!


    ¡°Hello sir!¡±


    A modestly wealthy looking man looked down at me curiously, sitting in an open roof carriage, drawn by two¡­ could I see a creature''s name by looking at it?


    A moment later, and the answer to that question was certifiably a yes.


    Resiala Forest Wolf


    The monster¡¯s name was blue, presumably meaning that it was passive. Or maybe that it was weak, couldn¡¯t really tell you.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± The man turned his attention to me after glancing over at a few individuals who were currently offloading a few crates from a container attached to the carriage. Asking his question with a mild amount of confusion.


    ¡°Do you need any help with moving those boxes? I have a bit of spare time.¡± I smile as best I can, but only a moment later do I remember that my smile is, in fact, quite unnerving. At least it¡¯s not as bad as a grin in the middle of a fight.


    Looking me over in the span of a few seconds, a look of what I can affably describe as, mild disappointment, spread across his face for even fewer seconds, before quickly being replaced with his previous neutral expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure my employees will be just fine without the assistance. If you don¡¯t have any further business with me¡­¡±


    Ooo! A straight up rejection, with no compromise? That was more promising than most other games. Npcs would at least give you an option to salvage a conversation, or some sort of quest¡­ Alright, alright, no need to be annoying, just one last question.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get out of your hair. But, mind telling me where you got those wolves?¡±


    If before he looked somewhat confused, now he just looked annoyed.


    ¡°The Tamer¡¯s Guild, obviously. What of it?¡±


    Out of curiosity, I asked one simple final question, for real this time. ¡°Where could I find that?¡±


    Blinking a few times in that same mild annoyance, the man pointed a ringed finger northwest. Towards a split in the road. Not deigning to grace me with any further words, he quickly dismounted once he counted a grand total of zero crates remaining, dumping me unceremoniously and walking into the building his goons had previously been bringing the boxes into.


    Alright, honestly? Good first showing! I was being a weirdo, and just asking a complete stranger questions. Them getting annoyed or weirded out, and leaving me alone makes sense! They also adapted pretty quickly to my questions. Other games usually took a little longer to formulate a response, and it definitely felt more robotic. Some just outright had pre-programmed responses that wouldn¡¯t change no matter what you said though¡­


    ¡®Your bloodlines muddled with itself you fat pig!¡¯


    ¡®Thank you brave adventurers.¡¯


    While, I myself, would never say such a thing, ever¡­ definitely¡­ It was still pretty funny to hear coming from somebody else after a raid quest.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.Anyways, I started making my way down the road once more, working up another jog without breaking a sweat. It would seem stamina either didn¡¯t apply outside of fights, or I just wasn¡¯t pushing myself hard enough. Either way, I had a place to check out.


    ¡ª


    Still no fatigue by the time I arrived, not a single point of my 103 stamina drained during my jog. So, yeah, I suppose it really won¡¯t be that much of an issue. Of course, my end destination was already set in stone by the time I¡¯d started to move again. Here I stood, at the entrance of this supposed ¡°Tamer¡¯s Guild.¡±


    A big fat sign, which I could read thank god. (some games made you actually LEARN their in-verse languages) Read off the following.


    ¡°Tamer¡¯s Guild, open 6AM-6PM. Seeking assistance, enter after hours if interested!¡±


    ¡­Seeking assistance? Was that like, a job offer, or a quest? Well, only one way to really properly figure that out. It was, after all, currently¡­


    6:32PM on the in game clock. So, stepping forward with a stride in my step, I held and twisted the doorknob, stepping inside a moment later.


    ¡°Hello, welcome to the Tamer¡¯s Guild!¡±


    Oh, that¡¯s a classic! A bell attached to the door rang as I stepped inside, and immediately following that a young man called out that line.


    ¡°Are you here to apply for after hours assistance?¡±


    Taking a moment to consider it, yes, I suppose so. Perhaps it might be a slight waste of time, but it wasn¡¯t like being first to everything mattered. I had plenty of time.


    ¡°Yes, actually.¡± I nodded as I walked up to the front desk. The man looked older than he sounded.


    ¡°Excellent! If you¡¯d simply read this, we can arrange a deal!¡± He smiled warmly and reached under the desk, handing me a small piece of old paper. Taking it from his hands, I received my first quest.


    Hall upkeep-1


    20 exp


    30 copper


    ???


    Clean up the halls.


    Accept?


    Y/N


    Yes, obviously. I already said yes, what, would I just say ¡°No, I¡¯d rather not!¡± and walk out of the building after already saying that I¡¯d do it?


    Handing the paper back, I did my best to not smile, lest I spook the man before me. Though, for his part, he smiled freely.


    Standing up a moment later, he stretched for a few seconds before stepping out from behind his desk. ¡°If you¡¯d follow me, I¡¯ll go ahead and show you what you¡¯ll be doing.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡ª


    Well, I wasn¡¯t really sure what I was expecting. I was, quite literally, just sweeping the halls at the moment. And after that I was supposed to be reporting back to the front desk, because apparently, they were one of the only managers in at the moment. ¡°They¡±, because they haven¡¯t told me their name unfortunately.


    It¡¯s honest work, sure, but I didn¡¯t really get this game to work another job in it¡­ I¡¯ll probably just wrap this up and then head out. Unless that ¡°???¡± reward is seriously absurd, which I, somehow, doubt.


    ¡­How much can I describe sweeping? It¡¯s just menial work. I do it quickly enough, I invested into agility after all¡­ but there¡¯s really not much to describe here. It¡¯s plain.


    One dust pile finished, pushed into the pan. Another, and I¡¯m almost d-


    ¡°LOOSE LYNX!¡±


    ¡­What now?


    Spinning the broom in my hands around like a quarterstaff, I squint my eyes down the hallway as a distant tap-tap-tap-tap-tap grows ever closer to my current location. Eventually, a whole new creature bursted onto the scene! A monster in a monster tamer workplace. Who could¡¯ve ever seen that coming. But uh, doesn¡¯t uh, seem to uh¡­ be very tame to me, to be frank.


    Speaking of not being tame, it¡¯s coming right at me. Uh, jinkies!


    Resiala Forest Lynx-lvl ?

 C9-Jasper

    This time its name was green, so, not passive? Green doesn¡¯t exactly read off as aggressive, but hey what do I know? It wasn¡¯t exactly charging me though, in fact, it seemed to be doing its best to avoid me. As soon as it properly laid eyes on me, the cat immediately began zig-zagging side to side, delaying and concealing its inevitable attempt to pass me as best it could. But, given my quest has an undecided reward¡­


    Maybe this was a scripted event?


    Bringing my ¡°weapon¡± to bare didn¡¯t quite result in the same wind pressure it would¡¯ve, had I been playing any other game¡­ Buuuuut it was an intimidating enough sight to see somebody spinning a four foot long pole around four times a second. Taking a wide stance, I spread my legs and got myself ready to intercept.


    The cat didn¡¯t stop for a single second at the intimidation attempt, but hey at least I was ready for it.


    Tracking it as best I could, my eyes darted side to side along with the monster, and when its legs tensed, I reflexively lashed out with the broom. Catching the feline mid jump at its midsection and forcing it back down to the ground with a surprised yowl. It managed to right itself in less than a second, but it now seemed to view me as more than an obstacle.


    It was, visibly, shocked. Like, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen this much of an expression on any animal, monster, whatever you wanna call it, in game or not for a long time now. Oh, you know what, the image of like¡­ a really shook tiger comes to mind, yeah, that one! That¡¯s what they look like.


    I did my best not to hurt it, aiming for its torso and with minimal force, but it wasn¡¯t a non-attack either. Spinning the broom around once again, purely because I wanted to, I took a step back, as did the cat. Ending the flourish, I once again brought the broom to bare, scattering a pile of dust that I¡¯d priorly accumulated¡­


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile in annoyance, but that wasn¡¯t my focus right now. This escapee was!


    Speaking of my smile however, it didn¡¯t seem to take very kindly. Its expression once again changed as my eyes pierced into it. And while it may have caused the creature a moment of hesitation, when it clearly heard footsteps pitter pattering against the floor a distance behind it, it immediately got back to its prior goal of passing me.


    Mind you, each of those following attempts, I matched, equaling each of its movements with one of my own. It snapped to the left, my body tensed to intercept. Its legs tensed to leap past me, my broom threateningly snapped into place. We appeared to be at an impasse, but time was on my side.


    ¡­It was sort of pitiful, honestly. Like, I was almost tempted to just let it go.


    ¡­Was it giving me puppy dog eyes?


    ¡°Jasper!¡±


    And then its eyes instantly hardened. It would seem that the time for action on its part, was now. Without any further hesitation, it leaped in a desperate attempt to make its way past the immovable blockade that was me. However, unfortunately for the big cat, my reflexes had not magically grown worse in the span of a few seconds.


    Donk


    Forced back to the ground, it could only scowl as the woman who¡¯d been chasing it¡­ attached what I think is a leash? Yeah, a leash, to it. It actually had a collar on, always did, I just didn¡¯t notice. Which is fair, I was clearly preoccupied.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Mr¡­¡±


    ¡°Koth.¡±


    ¡°Mr Koth. This rascal has a habit of not following instructions and trying to escape. As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware.¡±


    I nodded understandingly. Despite not quite understanding the struggle they supposedly went through.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I haven¡¯t seen you around before. Are you a new hire, or are you just here for after hours work?¡±


    ¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a new hire. And the only other option makes sense.


    ¡°After hours work, I was asked to help cl¡­¡±


    I now notice, in the scuffle¡­ we knocked over the dustpan¡­ and its contents scattered¡­ everywhere¡­


    ¡°Oh god dammit.¡±


    Somehow, the big cat had both the capability and the gall to look smug. My hand twitched ever so slightly in response, the weapon in my hands shuddering along with it.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure Mr. Matthew would be happy to pay you extra for the help! Sorry about the trouble, though.¡±


    Sighing as I put the broom back to the floor, I mumbled ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± as I got back to work.


    ¡ª


    ¡°You stopped Jasper?¡±


    ¡°Is that their name?¡±


    ¡°The monster you stopped in the hallway? Yes, that would be their name. They¡¯re quite tricky, excellent work.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I shrugged slightly. It wasn¡¯t much trouble.


    ¡°Well, you might not care too much about it, but it was a big help. She can be quite difficult to catch when she puts her mind to it.¡±


    Hall upkeep 1-complete!


    +20 exp!


    +30 copper!


    +???


    Determining rewards¡­


    ¡°Actually, we happen to be somewhat short staffed tonight. Would you be interested in helping out some more?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ Well, n-¡±


    Rewards determined!


    +30 exp!


    +70 copper!


    New quest available!


    Assistant work-1


    40 exp


    1 silver


    ???


    Take care of Jasper.


    ¡°-ever did I expect such a positive response! Sure!¡±


    ¡ª


    After I was given a silver for my already completed work, I was ushered along with the same woman who had priorly captured Jasper. Obviously I accepted the quest. I wasn¡¯t sure how much experience was an actual large amount of experience, and I could still just be wasting my time, but I was already half way to leveling up. 50/100 experience needed. And if the previous ¡°???¡± reward was anything to go by, it can be big numbers. The ??? was worth way more than both other rewards combined.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Mr. Matthew must¡¯ve been impressed with how you handled yourself! It usually takes him a little bit to let non-employees actually work with the monsters. A few days at the least!¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± I nodded thoughtfully. Frankly, it was a little weird, but like, it¡¯s a game. Things are meant to progress quickly. It¡¯s unrealistic to spend days doing one thing in the early game. And honestly, fully stopping Jasper probably wasn¡¯t even expected by the game. That was difficult, even for me, and I¡¯m what some people would call, slightly better at video games than most. AND I dumped most of my starting stats into agility.


    Honestly, I probably just skipped the starting quest line for this place. Hall upkeep 1 became Assistant work 1, so¡­ makes sense


    ¡°Now, we don¡¯t have too many monsters to take care of today. You¡¯ve already met one of them actually. Now, you¡¯ll be getting a little more acquainted with them. Jasper¡¯s a sweetheart, really, but she just can¡¯t help but ignore every order given to her. She¡¯s become somewhat of a permanent resident, nobody wants to purchase a monster that won¡¯t even listen to them. Especially not a lynx.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I ask absentmindedly, observing the empty stalls and rooms that are presumably for different kinds of monsters.


    ¡°Well, Lynxes are powerful monsters. Well suited to hunting and combat, but not so much straight up physical labor. In combat where they¡¯re most effective, having a companion that listens to you is essential. Nobody wants an ally that won¡¯t listen to them, and we can¡¯t in good conscience sell her off knowing that.¡±


    Made sense, made perfect sense really. What would you do if one of your allies just said, ¡°nah¡± in the middle of a fight and left? You¡¯d suffer for it, that''s what you¡¯d do. You¡¯d suffer real bad.


    ¡°Jasper¡¯s room is just ahead. Given her extended stay, she stays in one of the nicer rooms. Emphasis on er, though. She¡¯ll scratch anything fancy up eventually.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Nobody had actually bothered explaining to me what exactly I¡¯d be doing quite yet, but oh well. I¡¯m sure it would be clear in due time.


    ¡ª


    Well, not quite what I expected, but the task was simple enough. As opposed to before, they were remarkably calm. Tranquil, even. In fact, despite the cats lack of malleable facial expression, I could just about swear they were taking pleasure in the fact that specifically I was brushing them.


    Like, do they take this as some kind of revenge? Jokes on them, I don¡¯t really mind one bit. I never had pets of my own. I always wanted one as a kid, but my parents never let me. Then when I was older, I just couldn¡¯t really be bothered to work a job consistently enough to provide for another creature.


    In other words, fur soft, very nice.


    ¡°I know I said she was a sweetheart, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± I tilted my head slightly as I ran the brush against their back, slowly tracing their spine down their body.


    ¡°But nothing, I guess.¡± She crossed her legs and pondered the situation. ¡°I suppose you just have a natural sway with them.¡±


    Staring down at the lounging feline, I could¡¯ve sworn I could still feel a lingering sense of smugness.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know about that.¡±


    It felt less like naturally getting along and more like a battle of some sort. Just one I didn¡¯t really care to win.


    ¡°Well, either way, they clearly don¡¯t mind your presence too much. I wasn¡¯t sure if I would be able to leave them to you or not, but if you¡¯re okay with being on your own with them I can go take care of the other monsters.¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± I nodded again, flicking a sizable amount of hair away. At least allergies didn¡¯t carry over 1:1. This much dandruff would surely ruin me in real life.


    ¡°Great! I¡¯ll be back in thirty or so minutes.¡±


    And she got up. And then, she left.


    And then it was just the two of us.


    It didn¡¯t take Jasper long to get up, and with a somewhat lazy stretch, they shook my brush away and jumped off of their podium. I did find it a little silly how there was just a bunch of stuff in here that you¡¯d get a cat in the real world, except like, super sized for a bigger cat. But hey, who am I to judge? The devs already got flying colors for design from me earlier. Maybe they¡¯ve got a plan or something, who knows?


    Walking across the floor slowly, Jasper slowly, very slowly, yet inevitably, came to sit at the door. Staring at me from across the room.


    ¡°...I¡¯m not going to let you out.¡±


    They blinked once or twice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it.¡±


    Their expression remained entirely motionless.


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    Leaning forward, resting both of my elbows onto the podium they¡¯d formerly been on a moment prior, I lock my hands together and rest my head upon them. Staring right back at the feline as their head tilted ever so slightly forward.


    We can do this all day.


    Slowly, their maw stretched open in a yawn. Their exceedingly sharp canines flashing in the now orange light bleeding through the¡­ the window¡­


    Is that what they¡¯re staring at?


    That¡¯s definitely what they¡¯re staring at.


    Reflexively, I reach for a broom, but I don¡¯t quite have one on hand.


    They start to move, slowly but surely creeping towards the window. Crappity crap crappalacka of course this quest isn¡¯t just a free completion. She¡¯s a clever girl. But, the thought occurs, why did they not just do this while nobody was here?


    ¡­Did they WANT an observer? That¡¯s a little strange, but maybe they don¡¯t just want to single mindedly escape.


    I wasn¡¯t given a leash to use, so¡­ Ccccrap. I might be cooked, honestly. Well done, one could say.


    So, my options seem to be either, let them break out, or try my best to keep an eye on them inside of the building while letting them roam around¡­


    ¡°Alright, fine.¡± I roll my eyes and sit up, and immediately, she sits down and tilts her head towards the door.


    ¡­What the hell?

 C10-The Great Escape

    Well, if they¡¯re smart¡­ maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ they¡¯ll be at least a LITTLE understanding. Standing up slowly, I begin to walk towards the door. As I do so, they scoot across the floor and watch my every moment with an unflinching gaze. A mixture between what I would call puppy dog eyes and a neutral expression directed towards me.


    ¡°Are you happy now?¡± I ask sarcastically, and with another yawn and that same smug look on their face, yes, I¡¯d say they¡¯re pretty damn happy.


    Slowly, very slowly, I reach for the doorknob. Frankly, I think they could figure this out if they put their mind to it, but perhaps they don¡¯t quite realize that they can¡­ oh, yeah no clearly they¡¯ve done it in the past. The handle literally had a case over it.


    Welp, I¡¯m just going to have to hope they don¡¯t try to escape¡­ though even without a proper weapon to stop them, I¡¯m ready to have a go at it if they try anything.


    Flipping open the glass case, I twist the knob gingerly, Jasper eyed the motion eagerly, and with a sigh, I very slightly crack open the door.


    To their credit, they don¡¯t immediately bolt for it, but instead daintily stroll over to it. Sitting down and looking up at me as they wait for me to open it all the way.


    Scoffing in moderate disbelief, I finally opened the door and sarcastically remarked; ¡°Yes, your highness.¡±


    Standing up a moment later, she prowled slowly towards the hall. Stepping foot into the winding corridor along with me. My body tensed in anticipation. I¡¯d wrestle them, despite them being a¡­ y¡¯know¡­ if I had to¡­ I was just banking on them, maybe being smart enough to recognize that I was letting them walk around, as long as they didn¡¯t make a break for it? Crazy, I know.


    Also because I didn¡¯t want to try and grab a cat. Look, my pain settings might be on 3.5%, but that¡¯s still gonna suck.


    Looking up at me, very, slowly, she blinked almost as slowly, before taking a few steps down the hall.


    ¡­I suppose that¡¯s my cue to follow them? This is a weird quest, man. But ah what the hell, might as well.


    Her jaunt is slow, calculated even. She seems to know these halls well enough, given there was hesitation in her chosen route. They even glance back at me every once in a while, making sure that I¡¯m still following them. Which of course I am, though I¡¯m not quite as tense now. This cat seems¡­ agreeable enough.


    And then she paused in place, her ears twitching at something that seemed as if only she could hear. And without a moment¡¯s delay, they bolted.


    ¡°H-you!¡±


    And immediately she hissed at me. Not too loudly, but her fangs were on full display. They hadn¡¯t run very far, just towards a curve in the hall. But, why¡­?


    Tap¡­ tap¡­ tap¡­


    As quietly as I possibly could, I made haste in following their example, stopping right behind the cat as I dipped around the corner.


    ¡°Hmmm, hm hm hmmm¡­¡±


    Somebody had been humming, but it quickly faded out of earshot. And not too long after, Jasper gave me what distinctly felt like a judgmental side eye, before stepping forward once again.


    ¡­So, it¡¯s an escort mission?


    Or am I the escortee here?


    ¡ª


    Frankly, I have no idea why this place is so big, but perhaps it was designed for quests just like this one. For at least ten minutes, I followed closely behind Jasper, paying attention to their movements and hiding whenever they saw fit to do so. We were about evenly matched for speed and stealth, but she had a clear edge in perception.


    There were a few¡­ closer calls though. Doors that Jasper couldn¡¯t open herself, or at least, not within a reasonable and quiet time frame. I guess that¡¯s where I came into the equation, given it was in my best interests to not get caught wandering around with property of the Guild on the loose. I mean, at least I think so. I couldn¡¯t imagine they¡¯d be too happy about that.


    Eventually, we reached what seemed to be more of an actual pen. Like, the kind of thing you¡¯d be expecting in my opinion. Stalls, hay and water troughs, oh and actual monsters. Many of which were hissed at by the one who currently had immeasurable freedom. Usually only in retaliation when they got a little too curious, sticking their faces out of their enclosures as best they could.


    It didn¡¯t take us too long to reach the next segment and¡­ and we were outside. Huh. They must¡¯ve done this before if they knew how to get here.


    By now, it¡¯s almost dark out. But still, some small trickle of sunlight manages to slip through the leaves. To be honest, I¡¯m a little concerned about all of this, but it might be too late to do much of anything about it. This isn¡¯t going to like, irreparably ruin something for me in this town, right?


    Now that we were properly outside of the building, seemingly having taken a back exit, I found myself in a less populated part of town. If before you could compare the environment to the ideal medieval town, now it was more like¡­ what a medieval town would actually look like. Outside of the center of the town, things were a little less colorful.


    Buildings were just, ever so slightly, more dilapidated¡­ and I guess the lack of sunlight also contributed to the more dingy aesthetic. It wasn¡¯t exactly horrible or anything though, just slightly less appealing. Made sense why you started the game in a more colorful part of town.


    Not much time for rumination though, it seems as if we¡¯re picking up the pace. Not quite breaking into a run, but now that we¡¯re outside and the need for stealth seems to be over, the need for speed has arisen.


    We dip in and out of alleyways, rolling around town, doling out the occasional ¡°excuse me¡± or, ¡°sorry¡± if I cut somebody off, and¡­ And we come to a stop at a cemetery.


    Slowing down for a moment, the big cat almost seems to hesitate before setting another paw forward. But they only take a moment to fully recover, blazing right on inside. Of course, I follow behind them.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    If the rest of the town had a somewhat gloomy feeling, now I¡¯ve walked into¡­ well, a cemetery. It¡¯s a bit off putting, honestly. But Jasper seemed to be looking for something. They scanned the graves, one after the other, before finally settling on one which coincidentally happened to have some of the last remaining sunlight shining down on it.


    Laying down on it, she closed her eyes. Just breathing in and out for a good minute or two. I didn¡¯t want to interrupt or anything, it kind of felt like an important moment even though they were just an AI, but¡­


    Time was, sort of kind of definitely soon inevitably, running, ouuuuuut! I was about to make an attempt to get their attention, but once direct sunshine completely faded, they got up on their own, staring up at me with an expression that I couldn¡¯t quite describe.


    It was still a little baffling to me how an animal could be this expressive, but hey virtual reality gets what needs to be done done.


    ¡°...So, think we can make it back in¡­ ten minutes?¡± I raised an eyebrow, looking at the in game clock. We left like seventeen minutes ago, and the thirty minutes would be up real soon¡­


    Without a grunt, or a sound of any kind. Jasper stood up and shook herself out, scattering loose dirt, and pointing their fierce eyes away from my somewhat mollified own.


    And then? They took off running.


    I¡¯d take that as a ¡°yes¡±, to my question.


    ¡ª


    So, stamina does in fact drain outside of combat, when you¡¯re properly exerting yourself is when it starts to drain.


    102¡­


    101¡­


    Back through the paths we¡¯d taken to get to the cemetery, weaving around buildings as quickly as we can possibly manage. I¡¯m not quite as nimble on the ground, but I can make sharper turns and bigger jumps than my feline companion presently present.


    100¡­


    So, while they could make it down a straight lane faster than I currently could, it mostly evened out with the amount of obstacles we found ourselves traversing on the way back.


    All in all, pretty good time, within the span of about three minutes, we¡¯d made it back to the back entrance of the Tamer¡¯s Guild. For a moment, I was worried that it would¡¯ve been locked, but apparently no such concerns were necessary. It did have a lock, it¡¯s just, who was going to lock it if not us? The place was short staffed today after all.


    Slipping back inside, I make sure to actually lock the door this time, seeking to leave everything as natural as possible. And from there, it continues to just be a matter of retracing our steps. This has been¡­ not necessarily a difficult quest, but certainly an odd one. I mean, I guess I wasn¡¯t exactly looking for combat quests, but this is pretty far down the other side of the spectrum. I wasn¡¯t expecting to be playing a stealth game with an oddly smart animal being my guide today, but that appears to be how my days turned out.


    As we weave from corridor to corridor, making it back to Jasper¡¯s room on the double, I couldn¡¯t help but think about the quest itself, my guess being that this is part of a chain quest, cause like, an unruly individual heading over to a graveyard to pick out a specific grave, like, really? I can sniff out the plotline here from a mile away. Not necessarily a boring one, but they really made this one obvious.


    Like, let me guess, she had a previous owner, they died somehow, she got taken in, won¡¯t listen to anybody else besides their owner, whom is already gone? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I¡¯m spot on.


    Ah, how time flies. We¡¯re already back at Jasper¡¯s room! There was a serious lack of staff that we actually needed to avoid on the way back thankfully, only one or two individuals. Leaving us with¡­ about five minutes! Excellent time really.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I start as I open the door for us to step back inside, ¡°thanks for not ruining anything.¡±


    Seemingly taking the thanks with grace, she proceeded to practically bounce back into the room. Each step rolling with her entire body. Honestly? They¡¯re kind of cute in that way. Like sure cats are cute, but the bigger ones tend to need to work harder for it. I¡¯d say she¡¯s earned the moniker a little by now.


    Thankfully, everything in the room appears to be just the way it was before we left it. So, clearly, nobody had gotten in and had the epiphany of ¡°Huh, that¡¯s weird, aren¡¯t we missing a cat?¡±


    Speaking of that cat, she was perfectly content to trudge over and curl up in a corner of the room. So, now I supposed I was just supposed to wait for somebody else to get here.


    Sitting down in one of the few chairs in the room, I cross my legs and stretch. Jasper? Taken care of, no issue. None at all!


    ¡ª


    ¡°So she didn¡¯t give you any trouble, did she?¡±


    ¡°Nah, not really.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good! I forgot to tell you about it, but she has a habit of trying to trick newcomers into letting her out of the room. There¡¯s no real way out without help. Windows enchanted and everything!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ hah¡­ I see.¡±


    As if on cue, Jasper herself got up and strode over, rubbing against my leg and sitting down on the ground next to me. The amount of smugness that exuded from her was baffling, but the lady talking to me didn¡¯t quite seem to recognize it somehow. Cheeky little gremlin¡­


    ¡°But it¡¯s good to hear that she didn¡¯t try to trick you. That¡¯s even progress, I¡¯d say! It¡¯d certainly help if she wasn¡¯t quite so fleet-footed.¡±


    ¡°...Right.¡±


    So, I could¡¯ve just, sat in here and did nothing the entire quest? Heh¡­ ahahah¡­ oh well¡­ nothing went wrong!


    ¡°Or maybe she just likes you? She doesn¡¯t usually warm up to new people quite so quickly¡­ actually, would you be willing to entertain an idea, Mr. Koth?¡±

 C11-Tamer Of Monsters

    Assistant work-1 complete!


    +40 exp!


    +1 silver!


    +???


    Determining rewards¡­


    ¡°Mrs. Samantha spoke quite highly of you, you know.¡± Matthew noted evenly as he handed me the silver coin. ¡°For just a day of work, apparently you made quite the impression on her. I was skeptical about allowing a newcomer to work with Jasper of all our monsters, but she¡¯s also taken quite the liking to you I suppose.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t all that difficult.¡± I shrug nonchalantly, conveniently leaving out our little¡­ escapade.


    ¡°Even still, that speaks well of your disposition, no? Tell you what, Mr. Koth. Would you be willing to hear me out for a moment?¡±


    Must be for the hidden rewards given the game hasn¡¯t given me them yet, so¡­ ¡°Sure, why not?¡±


    ¡°Would you happen to be involved in a profession as of the moment?¡±


    ¡­A profession? No, not to my knowledge. I¡¯m a freshly spawned character.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! Tell you what, would you be interested in becoming a Monster Tamer?¡±


    Rewards Determined!


    +20 exp!


    +Class change opportunity!


    Level up!


    Wait, what?


    Monster Tamer (Common)


    Usage difficulty: * * * * * * * *


    Note! The more stars a class is rated, the harsher its use conditions and skill requirements are considered to be! The maximum number of stars is ten!


    Make use of tamed monsters in order to cover a wide variety of skill sets! Maintain your line-up of powerful summons to become a massive threat on any battlefield.


    Skills


    Recall-desummon any currently active monster of your choice. Monsters not currently summoned will recover 1% of their hp every 3 seconds. Monsters cannot be recalled within 3 seconds of being damaged. DoT status effects do not activate this restriction.


    Summon-Call any currently desummoned monster of your choice to the material plane. Monsters cannot be summoned unless they are at max hp. Consumes 1 MP.


    Tame LVL 1-Attempt to tame a targeted monster. Chances of success scale off of multiple different factors. Successful taming allows either positive interactions with said monster, or the taming of a monster provided the user has slots to spare. Tamed monsters may rebel depending on varying circumstances. Tamed monsters are lost FOREVER upon their death, barring certain situations. Monsters that lose over 20% of their hp from PvP damage will not be lost upon death. Consumes 10% of max MP per use.


    Passives


    Capacity LVL 1-Increases the maximum number of monsters you can tame by 1. (Max 2)


    Communication LVL 1-Increases your ability to understand and communicate with your tamed monsters, as well as wild monsters.


    Efficacy LVL 1-Slightly increases the stats and skill effectiveness of tamed monsters.


    Shared Effort-all experience gained is split between yourself and currently summoned monsters.


    Coordination-orders can be shared with subordinated monsters through a limited vocabulary scaling on the level of Communication.


    Change classes?


    Y/N


    OOOOOOooookay! Wow, that¡¯s a lot to go through! Let¡¯s take this slowly for a second here.


    Raising a hand to Matthew¡¯s expectant face, I speak a moment later. ¡°Give me a moment to think about it.¡±


    So, this class is supposedly really difficult to use? Eight out of ten stars, and more stars means more difficult. And I guess I can see it. The first two skills paint a micro-management picture. You can summon and unsummon your monsters at will, so it¡¯s on you to keep them alive. As for tame¡­


    Bla-bla-bla you can tame monsters, they can rebel, that¡¯s kind of weird, and-oh. That¡¯s why this class is rated eight stars, huh?


    Losing a monster permanently on death seems a little¡­ ah, fucked up? I mean, there¡¯s always going to be something jank in the game, right? Like, what if my monster gets one shot? What do I do then? I mean, maybe it¡¯s not that bad, let me keep reading for a bit.


    Alright, not losing monsters in PvP makes more sense.I can imagine if this class exists, that there¡¯s also a good chunk of other cracked classes that can do some crazy shit too. This one is already pretty out there, and it¡¯s only eight stars on the ¡°difficulty¡± scale. There¡¯s probably a few other classes that are super difficult to use but have huge rewards on proper usage.


    Anyways, there''s a bunch of passives¡­


    Capacity, straight forward enough. Communication, also straight forward enough. But I do have to wonder how talking to like¡­ a dog, would work. And Efficacy. Which just, buffs the monsters I have. Alright, fair enough if they permanently die. Now Shared Effort¡­ oh my god this is a masochist class. Wait, no, no. Let me think of the positives here.


    If you have multiple people farming at the same time that are all funneling towards one person experience wise, I suppose it could get out of hand pretty damn fast. Like, ten or so individuals all sweeping one location constantly, that could rack up experience very quickly. So, it kind of needs to balance out so you couldn¡¯t just like, get a bunch of capacity and swarm a low level area. And with this experience share, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue for new monsters in your group, it¡¯d be great to have experience share. You could boost a new monster up to a high level in record time actually.


    Now, on the other hand, it¡¯s a problem because that monster which you¡¯ve funneled so much of YOUR experience to, will just kind of¡­ die, and uh, lose all of it!? I mean, I guess there¡¯s a level cap in game so it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll lose an infinite amount of progress from some super souped up summon dying¡­ but still, if leveling takes a while, that¡¯s gonna be something that HURTS.


    There¡¯s also the distinction that it only gives experience to monsters currently summoned I guess, so you can try and micro-manage the experience gain as well¡­ but constantly doing that in a battle with multiple enemies probably wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. Only really applicable for boss fights.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.And¡­ Coordination. I guess that¡¯s just how you speak to monsters, maybe it like, auto translates?


    Alright, official Koth review for this class.


    You¡¯re micromanaging your forces on the battlefield without any proper skills of your own. You¡¯re basically a commander, if that makes sense. I could see this being REALLY busted, because if you get a bunch of different strong monsters and level them all up, you¡¯re basically a dozen different classes all baked into one singular character. But on the other hand, this is like some Untitled Battlegrounds shit cranked up to a thirteen.


    You become a giga boss raid¡­ but you can lose literally almost everything you¡¯ve worked towards in one day if you¡¯re not paying attention¡­


    Hey, why is my hand moving?


    Yes


    While this isn¡¯t exactly the speed blitz kind of class that I¡¯d usually play, it does seem strong. And it seems like it can be a lot of fun too. And, and! This basically epiphanizes everything I love in a game. Huge risk, huge reward. Besides, I told myself I¡¯d try some new ideas on this game too.


    ¡­And I¡¯m not gonna keep my hopes up, but I can prooooobably get some kind of synchronization skill in the future, to like, manually control a monster. And if I use that on a fast one¡­


    ¡­Just a gut feeling.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! I don¡¯t think you¡¯re much of a stationary type, so I imagine you¡¯ll be doing most of your work out in the wilderness. But, feel free to bring monsters that you manage to tame here to do business.¡±


    Class change complete!


    New class, Monster Tamer!


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back with your official license, marking you as a reliable source of monsters for other Tamer¡¯s Guilds. And as a show of good will, I¡¯ll allow you to pick a monster we have on hand at a discount to start you off.¡±


    Pretty good offer, I nod in approval as I once more restrain a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that.¡±


    ¡ª


    So, after dumping the five stat points I got from my level up into agility, this is what my new character page looks like.


    Koth-Monster Tamer


    Level 2


    HP 120/120


    MP 51/51


    Stamina 106/106


    Core stats


    Vitality-5


    Strength-0


    Intelligence-0


    Agility-20


    Sub stats


    Endurance-2


    Luck-0.2


    Mana-0.4


    Dexterity-1


    Unique stats


    Skills


    Recall-desummon any currently active monster of your choice to the immaterial plane. Monsters not currently summoned will recover 1% of their HP every 3 seconds. Monsters cannot be recalled within 3 seconds of being damaged. DoT status effects do not activate this restriction.


    Summon-Call any currently desummoned monster of your choice to the material plane. Monsters cannot be summoned unless they are at max HP. Consumes 1 MP.


    Tame LVL 1-Attempt to tame a targeted monster. Chances of success scale off of multiple different factors. Successful taming allows either positive interactions with said monster, or the taming of a monster provided the user has slots to spare. Tamed monsters may rebel depending on varying circumstances. Tamed monsters are lost FOREVER upon their death, barring certain situations. Monsters that lose over 20% of their hp from PvP damage will not be lost upon death. Consumes 10% of max MP per use.


    Passives


    Capacity LVL 2-Increases the maximum number of monsters you can tame by 1. (Max 3)


    Communication LVL 1-Increases your ability to understand and communicate with your tamed monsters, as well as wild monsters.


    Efficacy LVL 2-Slightly increases the stats and skill effectiveness of tamed monsters.


    Shared Effort-all experience gained is split between yourself and currently summoned monsters.


    Coordination-orders can be shared with subordinated monsters through a limited vocabulary scaling on the level of Communication.


    Exp-10/154


    What¡¯s that? Why do I have two level two passives?


    Oh, you know, nothing too major¡­ just¡­ just AN ACHIEVEMENT!!!!!


    You are the first player to become a Monster Tamer!


    +2 skill levels!


    Oh mah gah. You get ¡°achievements¡± for doing certain things in this game. And this is like, a permanent, buff, to my character, right??? It¡¯s marked on a separate tab that just showed up on my character page too. Literally dubbed, ¡°accomplishments¡±.


    I don¡¯t know how often you can buff your skills, so I just went for two things that are surely good in the long run. Straight buffs, and more monsters to use. I wasn¡¯t sure about Tame or Communication, since both of those seem like things that aren¡¯t really necessary to upgrade to me.


    I don¡¯t know how much time passed. I was, clearly, much too flabbergasted with this wicked development, but eventually Matthew returned holding a small card in his hand.


    ¡°Here you go sir.¡±


    Obtained Monster Tamer¡¯s license!


    You can now sell docile monsters to any Tamer¡¯s Guld. Whether they¡¯re properly tamed or not. The price of a monster is determined by its use for labor, its quality, and its rarity.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I nod quickly, and before I forget about it¡­


    ¡°Now, what was that you said about a discount?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, yes. Follow me, I¡¯ll show you the monsters we¡¯ll be willing to part with for cheap.¡±

 C12-The Need For Speed

    ¡°Do try not to get lost, the building is rather large.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for letting me know.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the sarcastic smile that found itself plastered across my face a moment later, but luckily for me, Matthew wasn¡¯t looking at me.


    Anyways, it seemed we were heading towards the stalls in the back of the building that I¡¯d previously found myself passing by on the way out with Jasper. I hadn¡¯t really paid any attention to the monsters that were there given I was in a hurry, but now that we¡¯re heading back I¡¯ve got plenty of opportunity.


    It¡¯s a few minutes to reach the back of the building, but given there¡¯s no interruption this time, time practically flies! In what feels like just about a matter of seconds, we¡¯ve arrived in, not quite the pens that I¡¯d seen, but a slightly different locale.


    Suppose I won¡¯t get to take a look at those monsters. Oh well.


    ¡°What sort of budget are you working with here?¡± Matthew asked absentmindedly as his eyes drifted across the dozen or so different rooms in range of view.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say about what you¡¯ve paid me for my work so far. So about¡­ two silver.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ not too much, but I suppose that¡¯s enough for a few monsters at a discount. The selection might be somewhat lacking, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    I was planning to just go find some wild monsters anyways. They might not be priorly trained, but I¡¯m sure I could manage. One extra monster at the start couldn¡¯t hurt though.


    ¡ª


    A very common throughline with all of these monsters being offered up as a choice, was that they were¡­ not actually all that strong. Like, to the point where I¡¯d rather just go out solo and get my own monsters. I mean, it¡¯d be rude to just go out and say that, this was a show of good will after all, but still.


    A few shrub monster, things, specifically called Resiala Forest Shrublings, all of whom had base stat lines of about nine in total. I had twenty at level one. Yikes. Oh yeah, speaking of that, unmentioned feature of the class, you can actually check the stats and skills of monsters that you try to tame. Neat enough, but I had bigger fish to fry.


    I mean, seriously though, three vitality, five intelligence, and literally one strength? Really? I mean, I guess they had a lot of mana, but that was a SUB, stat. What purpose did it serve if they didn¡¯t even have any skills to use that mana on¡­? They had precisely one skill, to be exact, that being [Mana Transfer] which did exactly what it said it did. It gave its target the casters mana. However, I have very little need for extra mana, so what¡¯s the point!? Not to mention that they absolutely would not be able to keep up with me in a fight, with ZERO agility. It ain¡¯t happenin!


    After those three, whom were all together so they were actually a package deal as Matthew had informed me a moment later, (that still did not sway my opinion even a little bit, that was just a waste of three slots instead of one at that point.) we moved onto a few younger monsters. At this point, I was starting to see a pattern to the monsters that resided in this part of the game.


    Resiala Forest Elk calf, Resiala Forest Boar farrow, Resiala Forest Bear cub, the last of those three actually being somewhat tempting, but that wasn¡¯t the point.


    What, that they all happen to be from the ¡°Resiala Forest¡±? No, not that. It¡¯s that all of them seem to have some tie to the wilderness in general. Like, every monster I¡¯ve seen with a location attached to its name has been some sort of animal, or nature spirit. I mean it is a starter area I suppose, so a more simplistic motif makes sense. Just a curious observation I had.


    Now, thinking about it, what exactly is the ideal monster that I¡¯m looking for here? Some sort of animal that matches what I¡¯m looking for in a prospective partner?


    One that can keep up with me, like fifteen agility at a minimum. Or one that doesn¡¯t need to keep up with me and can attack from a distance for big damage. A tanker was somewhat tempting, that being the bear cub with sixteen vitality and eight strength, but their measly t w o agility really left me asking, what exactly is the point? I guess I can de-summon and re-summon them all I want, but if they¡¯re a stereotypical tanker they¡¯re going to be taking damage. And that means that once I de-summon them, that they¡¯d be off the battlefield for a long time.


    Maybe I¡¯d have a use for this in the future to like, soak up big attacks for some of my squishier monsters? But right now, it seems like a pointless investment to get a meat shield for early game attacks. I¡¯d just be lowering my overall grind speed since they¡¯d be desummoned, healing, a lot of the time. And when they¡¯re summoned, cutting my overall experience gain in half. I want DPS, straight up damage. A monster that can invalidate the experience penalty by just doubling the speed of the grind. And for that, I need an attacker who can keep up with me, or otherwise deal a huge amount of damage in one fell swoop.


    Huge aoe isn¡¯t going to be an early game ability, that¡¯s for certain. So that second option is basically off the table. Maybe huge single target damage from a magic caster or something similar, but I think I might¡¯ve picked a bad starting location on that front. The closest thing I¡¯ve seen to that end would be the shrublings, but they don¡¯t even have any skills to put their mana stat of thirteen towards, besides mana transfer, which wouldn¡¯t even be useful to me.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    So, that leaves me with the first of those two options. Find a monster that can keep up with me speed-wise.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Finally have a choice in mind?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you might be able to narrow the search down a little.¡± I smile, very, slightly. It¡¯s not a fake smile, it is genuine, but unfortunately that just makes it look like an annoyed smile.


    ¡°...I¡­ see. Well, what sort of monster are you looking for?¡±


    Tilting my head thoughtfully, I raise a finger a moment later. ¡°Something like a lynx? A monster that can move quickly, preferably. Anything with an agility stat of fifteen or higher?¡±


    ¡°...Oh, I apologize. We don¡¯t generally raise monsters like that. People are usually looking for more physically capable assistance.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Well, kind of made sense in the context of the game world, I suppose? What was the one instance of monsters outside that I¡¯d seen by now again? A few wolves pulling a carriage? I imagine that¡¯s what most people would purchase monsters for, physical labor or something similar. So of course a place that sells monsters for a living, wouldn¡¯t raise monsters that people don¡¯t usually buy¡­


    Wait, what the heck were shrublings for then?


    Eh, didn¡¯t really matter.


    ¡°Well, then I have one other monster in mind.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°What about Jasper?¡±


    ¡°...Pardon?¡±


    ¡°You know, Resiala Forest Lynx, Jasper, monster I was watching earlier?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I heard you. Just¡­ you do understand why she hasn¡¯t been sold, yes? Despite being significantly stronger than the average monsters we tend to have on hand?¡±


    ¡°Because she doesn¡¯t listen to people?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. She¡¯s almost unwilling to follow orders. I understand that she didn¡¯t exactly give you a hard time, but I fear you may be underestimating just how unruly she can be.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ but they are exactly what I¡¯m looking for in a monster at the moment. They¡¯re faster than most other monsters here, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, of course. She¡¯s level seven, after all.¡±


    ¡­Wait wha?


    ¡°Level seven?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she had a master before coming to stay with us.¡±


    No, that wasn¡¯t what I was particularly surprised about¡­ her level isn¡¯t shocking, it¡¯s just that¡­ they¡¯re making direct mention OF their level¡­ as an NPC? I guess I mentioned agility earlier and they didn¡¯t bat an eye, but the stats in game are just another part of daily life for these people? Well, alright. That¡¯s not necessarily a common design choice, but I can vibe with it.


    ¡°I see. Well, I guess this is more of a question of, would you be willing to sell them for two silver? Because I think I can work my way past any difficulties as long as they¡¯re not outright unwilling to listen to me in any way.¡±


    Matthew went quiet for a few seconds, seemingly thinking it over. ¡°I¡­ suppose so. We¡¯re likely never going to sell her otherwise, and while she is mostly tolerated by the staff here, it is an unnecessary expense to keep them. For two silver, I¡¯d be willing to part with her.¡±


    ¡°Alright then!¡± I clapped and spun around, facing back towards the hall. ¡°What are we waiting for then?¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Matthew said with a hint of annoyance, probably at my flippant tone despite his warnings. ¡°However, given her disobedience, I¡¯ll leave you with an offer. Should she prove to be too much to handle, you may return her at any given time.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the offer.¡± I nod without turning around, smiling knowing damn well I had absolutely no intention of taking that offer. A, level, seven, monster? Hell they don¡¯t even need to consider listening to me, as long as they¡¯re killing stuff that¡¯s fine by me!


    This is an early game area, level seven should be veritably dunking on the competition if a hundred fifty is the level cap! Even if we¡¯re just off doing our separate things that should still be a good rate of experience farming. And if they don¡¯t hunt on their own without incentive, I can still just reserve them for bigger fights until I eventually end up replacing them with a stronger monster if need be.


    This is gonna be great!

 C13-It Wasnt Great

    After a quick stop by the actual starter tutorial which, I, completely missed near the start of town in my haste to explore, go figure, I came out twenty copper, ten experience, and one broadsword richer! So focused on seeing the rest of the game was I, that I missed out on the most obviously important location. Ironic.


    Anyways, walking with Jasper hasn¡¯t been all that terrible like I¡¯d have expected it to be with the way she was talked about. She keeps up just fine, staying at my side with a lazy jaunt. Her agility is higher than mine by a pretty solid margin, so I know she¡¯s been holding back at least a bit while leading me around. I get the feeling she just got straight up outskilled in our little spat though, heh.


    Speaking of her agility, I feel it necessary to think over my little reading of her stat page, because good lord.


    Jasper-Resiala Forest Lynx


    Level 7


    HP 190/190


    MP 50/50


    Stamina 125/125


    Core stats


    Vitality-21


    Strength-24


    Intelligence-0


    Agility-32


    Sub stats


    Endurance-7


    Luck-2.7


    Mana-0


    Dexterity-15.5


    Unique stats


    Grace-2.5


    First things first, these stat totals definitely don¡¯t line up. So, this is either the effects of efficacy, or their base stats are just that high. At level seven, I should theoretically have about fifty total stat points. At level seven, Jasper has like, uh let me count real quick¡­ seventy seven in their core stats alone. And extra in luck and dexterity! I mean, they have like no magic, but come on that¡¯s barely a downside with their one whole skill. So what, they¡¯re just a pure physical bruiser? I mean I can¡¯t complain, that''s exactly what I was looking for. It¡¯s just a little surprising to see that in the flesh.


    However, there¡¯s also ¡°Grace¡±. Not quite sure what that does, since I couldn¡¯t check the description of the stat for some reason. But, based on the name alone, I¡¯d imagine it¡¯s somewhat adjacent to dexterity and agility. Moving on, despite their utter lack of magic based stats, they do actually have a few skills.


    Skills


    Hunter¡¯s Mark LVL 2-Strike an enemy with a powerful blow dealing 200% of the users base physical damage. Apply the debuff ¡°Hunter¡¯s Mark¡±, which increases damage received from the user and their party members by 20% for 15 seconds. Costs 10 MP.


    Passives


    Aftercut LVL 2-Attacks consecutively landed against enemies inflicted with ¡°Hunter¡¯s Mark¡±  will apply ¡°Aftercut¡± stacks, up to a maximum of five. One stack disappears per second, unless an additional stack was applied within the time limit. Each stack applies 7% of the damage of an attack that was landed while the stack is active.


    Exp-74/907


    Which, frankly? Aren¡¯t half bad. An attack that just deals double damage is nothing too crazy to be fair, but it doesn¡¯t specify any kind of usage condition. This is just something they can do at any time, so any attack can suddenly become a solid debuff that does extra damage, very nice. And Aftercut is literally just free damage. Nothing to be dissatisfied with! Just having this stat check by my side is enough to dismiss almost every concern.


    Did I like, stumble into an advanced quest that I shouldn¡¯t have been anywhere nearby? Like, something something, oh you¡¯re heading out of town? Hey, why not get another monster in the interest of good health? Boom, then you start the questline that got me this figurative MONSTER. I mean, sure they¡¯re supposedly going to be difficult to work with¡­ but¡­


    ¡°So, how are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    A lazy grumble was about the extent of what I¡¯ve gotten so far. I was told by Matthew that they could actually speak, provided the link between tamer and monster was present, but that they probably wouldn¡¯t. That was currently holding true. The grumble was also ever so slightly confused, but that also made sense, given she was probably seeing a sight that she hadn¡¯t in quite some time.


    We¡¯d been making our way towards the main entrance of the town for some time now, and rounding the previous corner, the main gate finally came into view. Dozens of individuals came and went, carts, carriages, a whole lot of copy pasted default outfits, heh, nerds, and the like.


    ¡°Any opinion on this?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    That sounded like a sort of yes to me, so, good enough! Anyways, it¡¯d probably be easier to walk by if I didn¡¯t have to ferry the monster through, so¡­ might as well test out one of my new skills.


    [Recall].


    Uh¡­


    [Recall]!


    Huh¡­


    With a glacially slow turn of her head, Jasper gazed upwards at me, and blinked once, twice, and thrice.


    Recall failed! Jasper is rebelling!


    ¡­Oh, so that¡¯s what ¡°Tame¡± means by monsters can rebel, huh?


    ¡­


    It wasn¡¯t like she went completely ballistic or anything, she still counted as a tamed monster she just didn¡¯t¡­ uh, listen.


    What, did I not have enough gym badges or something?


    Fortunately enough, getting them through the gate wasn¡¯t too difficult, monsters accompanying their tamers were a very common sight. I¡¯d kind of overestimated how difficult that was going to be. No, that wasn¡¯t much of an issue at all you see! That wasn¡¯t to say though, that there were no issues.


    ¡°Mmmmgh.¡¯


    With a lazy yawn, Jasper settled right on top of a particularly flat rock. There was no sunlight, but they seemed just as content to bathe in the moonlight instead. Speaking of that moonlight, it was actually quite bright. To the point that I didn¡¯t even need an outside source of light to see! That was a consolation, to be certain. A consolation to what exactly, you may ask?


    +1 exp!


    This¡­ fat cat¡­ I mean. I knew they weren¡¯t going to listen to me but¡­ come on this is just ridiculous! They refuse to let me [Recall] them, so they¡¯re soaking up experience on every kill that I get. While also contributing literally nothing of their own! I would¡¯ve been fine if they weren¡¯t listening to me, but they¡¯re just¡­ doing nothing! They follow along closely enough, sure¡­


    But they¡¯re just looking for the best spot to nap in a near vicinity! Well, maybe not nap, but just generally lounge. They get the occasional kill, sure¡­ but that¡¯s only because some poor sap tries to ambush her and ends up getting blasted in a single hit. A few players even tried to attack her, (and a few died) but I could usually ward them off before she tore them to shreds. I didn¡¯t get anything from killing them, so there was really no need to be rude. (Notably though, no penalty for PKing¡­)


    Well I mean, good to know I¡¯m above the power curve, but¡­ is it really my strength if they don¡¯t listen to anything I have to say? Whatever, hopefully they¡¯ll come around sometime soon.


    In the meantime! I, have been hunting. It¡¯s really not that difficult honestly, but it feels good to just run around in this game. I can feel the breeze on my skin and the moonlight illuminates the forest quite nicely. So this isn¡¯t exactly a mechanically challenging experience, but it is refreshingly high quality. The only, well, grating part of it¡­ being that Jasper is a loaf.


    Regardless, these base area monsters don¡¯t seem to be worth much. One experience per kill, meaning they¡¯d only be worth two anyways. Given the experience to level up jumped by over fifty percent in one level, I don¡¯t have high hopes for being able to actually farm this area purely for experience. So, lower exp gain right now isn¡¯t exactly a huge issue¡­


    Lot of wild shrublings around this place, which is a pretty good indicator of the baby difficulty. There¡¯s also the occasional ¡°Resiala Nature Sprite¡± which actually goes for magic attacks, but they¡¯re not tracking or anything, so it¡¯s easy to avoid them. They¡¯re not invulnerable to physical damage either, so it¡¯s not even difficult to take them out. They¡¯re still only two experience a kill though, sooooo, I¡¯ll probably be heading into the deeper forest soon. But I¡¯ll have to see if I can¡¯t somehow get my monster here to play along before then.


    ¡­Somehow.


    Meh, if they really were only an active penalty the option to return them was always around. But I¡¯d rather it not come to that. For now, I could try and build a bond with them, some way or another. I mean, surely the game wouldn¡¯t introduce something like this secret questline or, whatever, without a way to clear it. That¡¯d be stupid.


    ¡°Right Jasper?¡±


    ¡­Where was she?


    ¡°Jasper?¡±


    I could still sense her on the fringes of my consciousness, a neat little unmentioned side effect of the taming system I supposed, but¡­ great. Now they weren¡¯t even following closely. What the hell were they doing, being halfway to the town already?

 C14-A Life

    It doesn¡¯t really take that long to catch up. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s making a break for freedom or anything, she¡¯s just moving at slightly above a¡­ jaunt, yeah that¡¯s about right. Which is relatively quick given her stats¡­ So, a minute or two of unspectated movement got her quite the ways away, but certainly not half way across the world.


    Though by the time I¡¯ve managed to catch up most of the way, she¡¯s already breached the town once again. Somehow, she managed to avoid any detection¡­? Not quite sure how she did that, not like they have any stealth skills. I mean, what, she wouldn¡¯t just so happen to have a part of her skill tree that I just can¡¯t see at all would she? Right? Ahem¡­ I mean¡­ they¡¯re probably experienced with this whole sneaking around thing. But, however they got in it doesn¡¯t really matter. I can still sort of get an idea of where they are, and while I¡¯m in town I can stop by and sell a few of the drops I got from putting trash mobs to the grindstone.


    The real issue here is whether this is going to be a consistent occurrence or not¡­ because if it is then we¡¯re really not getting anything done. Level seven is nice and all, but somehow I don¡¯t think neutering my experience gain permanently is worth that. Even if they¡¯re higher quality when compared to other monsters their level. Which, mind you, I¡¯m not even sure if they are. There¡¯s no reason to waste too much time on them when I could find other similar things.


    No need to think of the worst case scenario yet though. I¡¯m not planning on doing any heavy grinding for at least a day or two, so¡­ there¡¯s time to work out any kinks in my foundations here! I¡¯ll give Jasper some time to do whatever she¡¯s programmed to do, and then check on her later. For now I¡¯ve got some stuff to do in town.


    First off, there¡¯s a few quests that I picked up before heading out. Some of them completed automatically upon filling their requirements, like kill twenty nature sprites, but some of them didn¡¯t. Like a gathering quest I had on me. Obviously it didn¡¯t complete, it wasn¡¯t like I gave the stuff to the requestor yet. I¡¯d been picking up a few herbs for that quest, which had a subtle yellow glow highlighting them. I¡¯m fairly sure that¡¯s just a UI feature and not a natural occurrence though. Anyways, it was a minor detour that didn¡¯t really bear mentioning, but the rewards for the quest involved a very solid (or at least what I think is solid) full silver.


    Pushing the door open to the apothecary that I¡¯d picked the quest up from to begin with, I wave gently in the direction of the old man who ran the place. The place has a homey feel to it, and it¡¯s an active struggle for me to not smile at least a little¡­ but¡­ I do my best¡­!


    ¡°Hello sir, I¡¯m back with what you asked me for.¡± I keep my tone as flat as possible, suppressing a grin as best I could.


    ¡°Ah, is that you young lad? I wasn¡¯t expecting you back tonight! I thought you¡¯d wait until tomorrow with a Bushling likely to be born soon!¡±


    I shrugged impassively and made my way to the desk. He had warned me about some sort of¡­ boss mob, I think? But I figured I¡¯d be able to avoid it even if it did spawn. That was if I didn¡¯t just kill it, seemed like a plausible, good enough challenge, but alas, it didn¡¯t show up, woe is me.


    After coming to a stop, I reached into my pockets (Amusingly enough, that counted for the inventory system. I didn¡¯t need to do this, it was just funnier this way.) and pulled out a few visually leaf-adjacent plants, known as Alvei Herbs.


    ¡°So, what did you need these for?¡± I ask out of courtesy. I assume it¡¯s for health potions, given that the rewards for this quest also happened to involve a ¡°Low grade health potion¡±, but it¡¯s polite to ask, no?


    Smiling brightly, the old man gently stroked at his goatee. ¡°Ah, interested, are we? I¡¯m happy to share with anybody curious. At least as long as they don¡¯t try to drive me out of business, hoho!¡±


    I nod politely, waiting quietly for the man to continue. I can certainly spare the time. Well, probably. It¡¯s not like Jasper is gonna kill anybody, yeah?


    ¡°As you wish! I don¡¯t really have the time to properly teach you anything, business as usual I¡¯m sure you understand, but I can certainly explain what it¡¯s used for!¡±


    He seems a little¡­ overexcited for this, to be honest. I mean I appreciate the enthusiasm, but¡­ actually, a thought occurs, if I was talking to Matthew at the Tamer¡¯s Guild, and he was the gateway into my current class, would this be the gateway into an alchemist class or something similar? It makes sense from a development standpoint that this guy would be so enthusiastic about teaching then. So, on that note¡­


    ¡°Ah, I apologize, but I don¡¯t have too much time.¡± I try my best to smile apologetically, which is, ironically, far less off-putting than what a natural smile would look like in my case. ¡°I¡¯d love to hear all about it, but I do have other things to do. A surface level explanation is fine, thank you.¡±


    It technically wasn¡¯t even a lie, I had to go find my loose monster after all.


    ¡­Actually, now that I¡¯m thinking about it, she really wouldn¡¯t kill anybody, right¡­? I mean there¡¯s been no penalty for it meta-game wise so far, so it doesn¡¯t negatively affect me in a direct way, but I can¡¯t imagine the officials in town or whatever would be too happy about that. It honestly wouldn¡¯t even be a problem if I could claim non-association and just recall Jasper without anybody knowing they¡¯re my monster, unless there was some way to check that¡­ but disregarding that little thought, that idea wouldn¡¯t even work because Jasper wouldn¡¯t listen.


    So about them not killing anybody¡­ they totally would actually. Why would they not? If they¡¯re provoked, they¡¯ll obviously fight back, that¡¯s a fact. And I can¡¯t imagine everybody new to the game has knowledge of monster tamers. They might see tamed monsters in general, but anybody who happens to spot a lone feline just wandering around without any visible owner¡­ Suddenly I feel I might not have as much time as I thought I did¡­


    ¡­


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Really, hate to rush somebody so passionate about their work, even if they¡¯re not an actual person, but I just don¡¯t have the time to spare on hearing a half hour long lecture about the foundation of potion brewing when my practically feral monster is roaming the town¡­ Well, either way I got my quest rewards, so I¡¯ll be just fine.


    While my sense of where Jasper was didn¡¯t exactly point me STRAIGHT to them, it did give me a pretty good idea of where they were. And with the part of town that they¡¯ve led me to, I get the feeling that I¡¯ve already got a pretty good idea of where they are. But just to make sure¡­


    Popping open my menu, I flick around the options for a bit, and finally settle on the map. I haven¡¯t actually opened this up yet, but seeing a solid chunk of the forest surrounding Resin Peak filled in is also pretty nifty. I¡¯ll have to max that out and see if I don¡¯t get any kind of¡­ NO! Back, yee olde completionist syndrome! I mean, I¡¯ll still do it, just¡­ doesn¡¯t take priority right now.


    Anyways, this seems to be a touchscreen operated map. So, after snapping it into place, that being a zoomed in view of my location, my suspicions are confirmed within short order. The cemetery is within close proximity to me, and, oh hey, I can actually see another green dot other than myself on the map. I¡­ assume that¡¯s Jasper!


    She¡¯s not moving any more, she hasn¡¯t been for a few minutes now, but I still don¡¯t feel particularly good about leaving her to her own devices without ANY supervision at all? Even if those devices are mildly offensive at worst.


    The streets are somewhat familiar at this point, easy enough to traverse and no obstacle really slows me down. The edges of the town are a little bit more unkempt, less clean, more cluttered, the whole two and two thirds yards. But with almost all my points dumped into agility, my body glides over minor obstacles with minimal difficulty. Even if my movement is still far below what I¡¯m used to, the minimal physical ability I have right now is enough to maneuver around easily enough, and it¡¯s good practice for getting adjusted to the differential.


    In and out, side to side, and before long, the site is within sight. I get the feeling that I already know what¡¯s going to be awaiting me, but even knowing that, seeing it is a little bit saddening.


    Lying on the same grave that they had visited mere hours ago, there Jasper was, chest slowly rising and falling. I get they¡¯re just an npc, but gosh darnit fiction was always meant to tug at a human¡¯s strings wasn¡¯t it? I¡¯m not gonna break out into tears over it or anything, I barely have any investment in the story after all¡­ but I still feel bad for them. Like, man, Bambi¡¯s mom died, you know? Old example, really old, but still.


    Sighing haphazardly, I strode over to Jasper¡¯s side, before squatting down next to her as she slowly blinked open an eye, gazing at me with an unintelligible expression.


    ¡°Scuse me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Are you doing alright?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm.¡±


    She may not exactly have a wide vocabulary, but what she does have is a wide range of inflection. It¡¯s an interesting enough quirk. And certainly an interesting tidbit of information to know that the npcs of this world have an ingrained variety.


    ¡°I get the feeling I already know what happened here.¡± I start off gently enough, because apparently dealing with emotionally damaged big cats is something you¡¯re doing at level two in this game. ¡°So, I¡¯m not gonna try and force you to come with me or anything. If you wanna stay with your owner, or whoever this was, alright. I¡¯ll have to find a different monster to work with if you won¡¯t listen to anything I ask of you, but that¡¯s fine, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not angry about it. Like I said, if you want to stay here at their grave or at least nearby it in the future, alright, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll give you a day or two to decide on what you want to do, but after that, I¡¯m going to move on from this town. Whether you come with me or not is your choice.¡±


    Standing up, I look away from their almost inquisitive gaze and glance back to the cemetery''s gate. At this point, I¡¯ve done just about all I can. Compromised with her demands on pretty much every turn. If this cat still won¡¯t work with me after all that, it¡¯s not worth the time investment that would come with trying to properly entice them into working with me. I¡¯d rather just go out and get different monsters.


    For now though, I can suffer a few days of experience loss. Because despite everything, I do see some potential in this monster. It might be worth the extra time sink to hold onto her, because well¡­ I already emphasized this, but for level seven, her starts are frankly absurd. I dunno if that¡¯s just a monster trait in general, that a monster¡¯s abilities are just better when compared to a player level wise? But the other monsters offered for me to take were weaker than I was in general, so I don¡¯t know how well that holds.


    On top of that, they¡¯re also, you know, the only monster that fulfilled my criteria? Good enough stats to keep up with me in combat, ergo, good enough to negate the halved experience gain? Double the speed, nix the problem. So, even if they take SOME time to set straight, it¡¯ll still probably be faster than raising a monster from scratch as long as it doesn¡¯t take days on end.


    Eh, no use thinking about it too much though. If they decide to work with me, hurray, strong summon to use! If they don¡¯t? Oh well, they can stay here where they already have a comfortable life, I guess. Well, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d call it comfortable sneaking out of your home at every turn like you¡¯re playing some archaic stealth game as old as Bambi¡­


    But hey, what do I know? Seems like a great life.

 C15-Great Balls Of Buds!

    My return to the forest is uh¡­ I dunno, what would you call it? Not particularly dispirited, not quite enthusiastic either. I mean, I know I resolved myself to take the experience penalty and be the carry for something three times my level. But actually acting on that is a bit different from saying I¡¯ll act on it.


    Halved exp gain¡­ hurts. Like, alot. Youcher oucher yeeeeEEEEEEOUUUUUCH! Even in this low level area, it¡¯s still pretty grating. Like, I¡¯d be level three by now if not for this passive. I¡¯m sure Jasper is real pleased getting ¡°+1 exp!¡± every few minutes, sitting doing nothing¡­ Oh, what¡¯s that? Yeah you heard me right. Yes, every few MINUTES.


    There are very few monsters around, for some reason. Probably something to do with the bunch of players that I keep running into. I don¡¯t really have the gall to just stab anybody who shows up in order to clear the hunting grounds, and that could also go rather poorly for me if I happen to attack any larger groups. Not like I have the specs to deal with something like that right now. Maybe the skills, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m that great¡­


    So, yeah¡­ I don¡¯t really pay them any attention, and just kind of dip whenever the opportunity arises, but I imagine that the total spawns are hurting because of the likely thousands of players currently hunting in this forest. None of them bear any mentioning beyond a simple statement of their existence, but that existence is rather annoying. On that note, I might actually cut down the amount of time I¡¯m willing to wait for Jasper, since staying ahead of the crowd is going to be imperative if I want to get to a higher level in any reasonable amount of time.


    I¡¯m not trying to speed through the game or anything, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m playing for. Buuuuuuuuuut¡­ I really don¡¯t want to be constantly mobbed by thousands and thousands of other people. Not even switching servers will save me from that fate. And that¡¯s a fate I really wanna, y¡¯know, avoid.


    Like, jeeze dude-oh, shit!


    I bobbed towards the ground as a little shrubling went flying overhead. Ambushes like this have happened to me a few times already, but none have actually almost gotten me. I must¡¯ve been a little too lost in thought. Well, it¡¯s a simple enough kill. Once it leaps, it¡¯s vulnerable and takes a few seconds to actually right itself again. So, with a shrill cry, the Shrubling is split in two-73!-and promptly vanishes, leaving nothing behind. As far as I know, shrublings barely have any drops. Just a few rarer herbs that don¡¯t pop up often. And this one dropped nothing at all.


    +1 exp


    Anyways, man, how long have I been playing now? It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve eaten, so I should probably log off for a second to get dinner¡­ Lemme just check the time¡­


    9:59 PM, on the in game clock. As far as I¡¯m aware, it matches up to my time zone in real life, so¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s a good time to get off and get some food. I¡¯ll be back in like twenty or so min-


    ¡°SCRIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAA¡±


    ¡­Alright, nevermind, the hell was that?


    Warning! Field boss: Bushling, has spawned in your location!


    Warning! Field boss: Bushling, has become enraged due to the amount of shrublings killed!


    Warning! Field boss: Bushling, has gained the Nature Essence modifier due to its rage!


    I¡­ wha? A field boss? I mean, nothing unheard of, but in the starter area? I mean, I know there was an npc talking about it, but isn¡¯t that a little bit¡­ Well, I won¡¯t complain, that sounds like free experience! But, to players newer to the whole genre¡­ won¡¯t this kind of, just stomp them? And why is it getting ¡°enraged¡± because of shrublings dying? Is this¡­ is this a newbie trap? Wow. This game¡¯s been pretty spotless so far, didn¡¯t think they¡¯d add in something like that.


    Like, come on. Obvious tutorial npc, easy to get pretty much any class, like, it took me two or so hours to get mine. Tons of easy quests to complete, baby difficulty mobs¡­ I was kind of starting to profile this as a noob friendly game, I mean like, come on, it¡¯s gone the WHOLE nine yards so far.


    Buuuuuut maybe I need to add some uh, sharpie to that profile or whatever. Add on ¡°the friendliness is a lie!¡± in hasty squiggly lines. Or, maybe, just maybe, this ¡°field boss¡± Is also a cake walk like all the other enemies here are. It¡¯s called a ¡°Bushling¡±, so I assume it¡¯s just kind of¡­ a stronger shrubling. That makes sense, right?


    Regardless of my suspicions, there¡¯s only one real way to figure it out. Field boss, here I come!


    So, my hunch is that it¡¯s obviously going to be where the loud ass scream was coming from. Cause like, a-durrrrrr, right? A boss spawns and a huge audio cue plays way off to the right, this isn¡¯t really a theory that needs to be proven.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Instead of doing just that, I began making my way there the instant I came to a decision, at a full sprint. And, for the first time since I started playing¡­ Drumroll please-ratatatatatata! I noticed, well, NOTICEABLE stamina drain! Just out of curiosity I took a look at the number after having sped past a group of five or so who were also heading towards the boss, and sure enough I was at 94/106. I don¡¯t feel winded at all, so clearly nothing major is coming of it, but I hope it¡¯s not too much longer to the boss. I¡¯ve already been running for five or so minutes, so¡­


    Oh, put a pin in that thought! What in the hell is that!?


    Leaping into the air, I latch onto a low hanging branch and use it to propel myself even further upwards, somersaulting to the next and well above a roiling wave of green energy that passed over the ground I¡¯d been running upon a few moments earlier. Carrying that momentum forwards, I continue to swing from branch to branch, staying well above the surging waves of energy that covered the underbrush beneath me, showing up one after the other. Again, and again.


    Ah, so, field bosses aren¡¯t playing around in this game, huh?


    Aiming for what looked to be a particularly sturdy branch, (I wasn¡¯t actually sure if these things could break or not, but I wasn¡¯t looking to chance it at the moment) I swung forward one last time before firmly latching onto it, swinging all the way up and over once in order to kill my momentum, coming to a gradual halt, and finally swinging myself up on top of it.


    Right there, was a ¡°Bushling¡±, with a brrrrrrright red name.


    To be frank, yeah? The boss is just about what I expected. Looks like¡­ a really big shrubling. Like, a walking cabbage, but about ten times bigger? It¡¯s kind of goofy, or that¡¯s what I¡¯d say if it wasn¡¯t blasting that nasty looking aoe attack with every other step it took¡­ I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s the modifier it got or something? But either way I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s wiping out anybody who manages to get anywhere nearby it. I was swinging for a good thirty seconds at the least before getting within eyeshot of the thing, so¡­ if that deals a lot of damage I can¡¯t imagine anybody less technically inclined making it anywhere near the thing.


    That kind of throws a wrench into my plans¡­ as good as I¡¯d like to think I am, I dunno about soloing a buffed boss at uh, level two? I¡¯d been hoping for a bunch of players to soak up aggro and let me get free hits in, then get out of dodge for credit, but if nobody besides actually good players can get close¡­


    Oh, speaking of those good players, I think¡­ yeah! It doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯ve spotted me yet, but it seems as if there¡¯s somebody else hanging out up here on the branches with me. They¡¯ve even got a bow! Alright¡­ I can work with that, totally I can work with that. If they call in a few friends of their own, then we can uh¡­ throw something together, for a strategy. I¡¯m confident in my ability to avoid hits and maintain aggro while they and others pepper it. It might be more difficult, but less people should mean more rewards and¡­ what the hell is he doing?


    No, no¡­ don¡¯t-don¡¯t shoot the boss all on your own, you dolt! OHhhhHHhh my¡­


    ¡°SCCCCRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!¡±


    ¡°Wh, OH F-¡±


    The branch he was hanging out on was, utterly, obliterated by a massive laser beam blast of magic, and this time it¡¯s blue. That¡¯s just¡­ that¡¯s just real jolly. Smart enough to avoid the giant waves of aoe death, but not smart enough to realize that, perhaps maybe, just by the most tiny of possibilities, the enemy producing those waves might not be realistically soloable? Or that it might have other forms of ranged attack?


    I mean, I¡¯d love to try it myself¡­ but I¡¯m basically classless, I¡¯d get reduced rewards even if I DID manage to do it, and I¡¯m not sure what the death penalty looks like for this game, and I¡¯m uh¡­ not exactly inclined to figure it out? So, for now I guess I¡¯m going to have to skidaddle and give up on the boss rewards. It¡¯s fine. Who knows, maybe if it¡¯s still here by tomorrow I¡¯ll take Onesy up on his offer of assistance? They¡¯re somewhat competent, I¡¯m sure they could follow orders well enough.


    With a small stretch, I stand up and-


    crck


    ¡­


    My heart skipped a beat at the unexpected noise. Apparently, the branch I¡¯d chosen wasn¡¯t quite so sturdy, somehow. I dunno. I did a loopydeloop on the damn thing and it didn¡¯t budge, but I stood up funny and it creaked? ...Hate it here. Despite the massive area coverage, the Bushling and its attacks are actually rather quiet, so with this ever so unexpected noise¡­


    I stare deadpan down at the Bushling, its blank face staring back up at me, before it twists into a scowl.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re killing me here-¡±

 C16-Man!

    Leaping to the side just before that same blast of mana wiped me from the face of the server, I aimed for the nearest most solid looking branch, barely catching and hanging onto it as the Bushling once again hobbled its way towards facing me.


    Not quite sure about how fast the boss is, but¡­


    Its scowl deepened at the edges as the air around it shimmered blue once more.


    With the massive amount of aoe that this enemy has, as well as its clear striking power and distance, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d get far if I just turned tail and ran. At best it¡¯d be a fighting retreat, and at that point I might as well just hedge my bets and-


    The destructive beam soared through the air yet again a few seconds after I¡¯d made the transition from branch to branch, erasing the hold that I¡¯d been clinging onto just a moment earlier from existence.


    -Try to win this, yeah!? I was willing to take it easy today, but if the game¡¯s not gonna let me chill out¡­ Well, screw you too game! Give me a faulty class, give me a boss and make me fight it at level two, screw it!


    Hopping twice on each foot, I bounce over the oncoming waves of green energy as I unsheathed my sword, plain and boring, but more than enough to get the job done.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, you overgrown cabbage!¡±


    For now, the Bushling only seems to be throwing out two attacks. Its charged beam, which is relatively easy to avoid as it seems it only shoots at where you are instead of where you¡¯re going, and then its no cooldown wave attack. The latter of those two is way more dangerous overall in my opinion. I still haven¡¯t taken a hit, but I only have a single healing potion to waste right now, so I¡¯m not going to take any freebies to figure out how dangerous a particular attack is. But, if it has other attacks besides that beam, then the area denial this boss has could be really dangerous.


    For now, I just circle around the boss. Sprinting around it and jumping once every few seconds. Watching, waiting, for anything new to happen. At my low level, I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if I got one shotted by an unexpected attack, so if I¡¯m going to win this¡­ then patience is key! Both to figure out patterns, and survive until reinforcements arrive. This is a public space after all!


    There¡¯s a set cooldown to its beam attack, a downtime of seven seconds per use it would seem. But does it have any limited mana? Probably not, or at least it has such a huge amount that it doesn¡¯t matter. A shrubling¡¯s main draw was that they had a lot of mana and the ability to share it, so I assume the same holds true for the boss, except now it has skills to spend its never ending mana on.


    Either way, knowing the downtime on its currently most deadly form of attack known to me is good, but it could always be faking its timings, and instead it has no cooldown¡­ But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the kind of thing that would be programmed into a starter boss. There needs to be a way for new players to realistically defeat it if this was a possible enemy on day one of the game, right?


    Either way, my stamina is ticking down over time. 85, 84¡­ If all I do is just continue observing, then I might as well go with a fighting retreat, and that¡¯s not what I¡¯m doing. If the game¡¯s gonna make me fight, I¡¯m damn well gonna claim my rewards! Whether that be a kill or a tame! ¡­If the game even lets me tame bosses.


    A full minute has passed now, and the boss''s attack pattern has remained stagnant from a distance. I¡¯ve made two full rotations around it, watching as its ginormo beam wipes tree after tree from the map, and no matter where I was relative to the boss, it didn¡¯t react in the slightest. It just continued to scowl and fire off mega doom death lazers every seven seconds, on the dot.


    Welp, no time like the present!


    Three¡­


    Two¡­


    One!


    Kicking off the ground to flip my momentum instead of continuing to sprint forwards, I evade the death ray once again as it sears the air that I¡¯d previously been occupying and whip around to sprint towards the boss at full speed, brandishing my sword as the wind pressed against me. Counting the seconds in between its attacks, I leapt into the air once again, soaring clear over the bosses aoe and staring at it face to face!


    I really didn¡¯t want to get my blade stuck, and I wasn¡¯t quite familiar with this game''s physics yet, so I couldn¡¯t risk going for a stab or too deep of a slash with the risk of an instant retaliation attack or skill. The boss could also have a counter, or a phase switch if somebody dealt damage¡­ Just in general, the first move on my part was risky with my limited health pool. So, instead of taking the prime opportunity currently available to me, I glided past the Bushling, and using my momentum, I carved a glancing blow into its side.


    8!


    Immediately after the fact, I tossed my blade straight up and hit the ground in a roll, springing to my feet a moment later and catching the sword before it could hit the ground. After doing such a¡­ extra maneuver, I pivoted around on my heel, spinning 180 degrees to stare the boss down.


    It¡­ definitely didn¡¯t look happy, the contours of its face had darkened, if I wasn¡¯t wrong? I don¡¯t know how you make a more pronounced scowl from what was already there, but somehow whoever modeled this did it. Well, if that was a phase change or something, it definitely didn¡¯t stop the aoe attacks. Obviously, given I still had to jump the incoming wave. Still on schedule as well, 2.5 seconds between each wave. Now, if nothing changed from it being hit, then the beam should be in¡­ three¡­


    Two, hop the wave inbetween, one, yada yada you know the drill. Just as I thought, no such thing as dramatic as a phase change seemed to have occurred from a proper hit being landed. As threatening as its attacks were, this boss seriously lacked variety. It was simple, very simple. As it should be as a starter boss. So¡­ it was about time I dropped the pretenses and embraced the hack n slash philosophy.


    Go ahead¡­ and HIT IT TILL IT DIES!


    The next wave didn¡¯t even bear mentioning, it¡¯s a simple matter to dodge. As potent as it might be for dealing with crowds, against a smaller number of skilled opponents it¡¯s basically worthless. Well, honestly no it¡¯s not, forcing movement and area denial is still super busted, but it¡¯s useless in this embarrassment of a boss¡¯s proverbial hands.


    Still five seconds until the beam, so I¡¯ve got time to leave a mark. The boss didn¡¯t even bother retaliating when it took a hit beforehand, so I should be good to go in for a more potent attack, and that¡¯s just what I¡¯m gonna do! And, you know, pray that any counters it may have aren¡¯t just activated by sufficient damage instead of any damage.


    Once more soaring forwards, I ready myself to drive my sword into the Bushling like a nail. For all its power, it¡¯s a big, lumbering, slow, trifling mob of a boss. In a way, you could probably say my stats are a hard counter for it. And I¡¯m here to reinforce that idea.


    Landing on top of its¡­ mass? The entire body is kind of its head, so¡­ its mass. I grin wickedly the moment I touch down, because your aoe can¡¯t touch me up here broccodee! The only form of attack you¡¯ve shown is an ability with a solid cooldown and an aoe spread that covers the ground! So, I raised my sword up, and plunged it into the Bushling!


    41!


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°SCRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAA!¡±


    Immediately it started rumbling, but I¡¯ve still got three seconds until its beam is off cooldown, so, as good a time as any to test out the physics!


    Yanking the sword out of the Bushling¡¯s body-3!-I raise it with minimal difficulty! So to me, it would seem losing your weapon clearly isn¡¯t much of a concern within the game''s engine. And as far as I¡¯m concerned, I¡¯ve still got plenty of time to do some damage here!


    36!


    6!


    34!


    4!


    Two more plunging stabs are just about all I have time for, leaving myself only a second before the Bushling burninates everything. Ripping my sword out once again, I kick off from the Bushling¡¯s head with as much force as I can muster, lopping off another 3! health with the movement.


    Despite its predictable pattern, the speed of the beam is actually mildly intimidating, so I need to have at least some distance to reliably dodge. But, I¡¯m confident that at this distance, it¡¯ll be fine-


    ¡°SCRIIIIIIIII!¡±


    Uh¡­ that¡¯s a new one-


    As soon as my feet hit the ground, I reflexively react as my hair stands on end, pushing myself as hard as I can possibly manage in a single movement, sending dirt flying as I put my everything into one dash.


    Beams, fly, everywhere.


    They¡¯re smaller and slower than the one concentrated attack, but against me that¡¯s definitely the more effective attack. The one concentrated death beam had split into six different, weaker beams, in a scatter shot pattern. I probably would¡¯ve gotten minced if I hadn¡¯t moved at all, completely engulfed and obliterated by the attack, but as it stands I only lost¡­!


    HP 14/120


    ¡°...!¡±


    Well, shit.


    My entire body feels numb, even having only been grazed by the edge of one of the beams on a measly 3.5% pain sensitivity, everything is shaking¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ move!


    Launching yet another wave, the Bushling watches on from a distance, still wearing that same scowl the whole time. And I¡¯m just¡­ standing here-MOVE!


    ¡°Ghk!¡±


    Gritting my teeth, I try my best to just grin and bear the ache in my body, but¡­ I still can¡¯t¡­ did-did the beam have a paralyzing effect?!


    Of course I¡¯m not THAT much of a wimp, my entire nervous system didn¡¯t shut down because I got hit a little bit hard, I literally CAN¡¯T move! That¡¯s¡­ really not good! Maybe I should¡¯ve tested how much damage that wave deals earlier, cause at least then I¡¯d know if I¡¯m screwed or not!


    There¡¯s zero way for me to dodge that as it is, I can feel my body shaking free bit by bit, but I¡¯m definitely not gonna be able to move before it hits, so¡­ can I drink my potion right now?!


    Damnit, no good, can¡¯t move my hands enough to even take something out of my inventory!


    Okay, rnjesus please! Let the damage be low, let me live on one health!


    Jasper is rebelling! Forcefully being desummoned!


    ¡­Wait, what?


    Jasper is rebelling! Forcefully being summoned!


    Hold on-hold on! Jasper for the clutch!? I¡¯d put my hands on my head and go ¡®yooooooooo!¡¯ if I wasn¡¯t literally paralyzed!


    Appearing on the field with a growl bordering on a roar, Jasper¡¯s head instantly snapped in my direction, bolting for me faster than I¡¯ve seen her move thus far, by a WIDE margin, outpacing the incoming attack by a similar breadth.


    Now that I think about it, I heard them a moment earlier didn¡¯t I? Just a little huff of shock, but after I got hit they knew from the get gooo-WOAH!


    Snaking under my still shivering legs, Jasper darted forward and leapt into the air, carrying me along with them and over the wave. Soaring clear over the attack and landing gracefully on the ground.


    For my part, I¡¯m only left shocked (and also a little sore, they basically headbutted me in the buttocks, youch.)¡­ My god¡­ they¡¯re¡­ USEFUL!? You know what? I forgive your bumming around totally and completely in this moment, you are absolved of sin.


    A few moments later, the paralyzation ebbs away enough for my hand to dart forward into the open air, pulling the healing potion I¡¯d gotten as a quest reward out of my inventory and bringing it to my lips.


    ¡­You didn¡¯t actually need to drink the entire thing curiously enough, which was fine with me since it was tasteless and just kind of gross¡­ but ¡°downing¡± it restored¡­!


    HP 89/120


    Alright, not bad!


    ¡°Thank you!¡± I pat Jasper on the side as I hop off of their back, though I have to admit, I¡¯m curious as to why they¡¯re here¡­


    ¡°Why did you come to help me?¡±


    The next wave rumbles outwards as I question them, it¡¯s a nonchalant dodge for the both of us.


    ¡°Mmm...¡±


    A lynx of few words, but I think I got the gist of it. That was a very soulful grunt, mind you.


    ¡­Sarcasm? What? No brain, that¡¯s a hundred percent serious. She didn¡¯t want to lose somebody else in the same way that she¡¯d lost whoever her initial partner was. Or whatever that grave was to Jasper. Dead, far far away from her, where she couldn¡¯t possibly help. So¡­ here she was, worried for me.


    ¡°Alright, I appreciate the assist. But we need to move! Will you work with me for at least this fight?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    That¡¯s an affirmative! It is SO go time!

 C17-Fight Alongside

    ¡°Alright, listen up! It¡¯s going to launch a massive attack in the next few seconds, start running in opposite directions! I¡¯ll desummon you when it fires! BREAK!¡±


    ¡­And they just run. You know what? It feels really good for them to just listen. Also a little weird, but hey-NO TIME FOR THAT!


    The telltale sign of the Bushling ready to unleash its power played out before my eyes. Sparks of blue flitted about, but I didn¡¯t need that to know the attack was coming. Despite my order, I wasn¡¯t actually sure if it would shoot at me or Jasper, but I¡¯m confident in my ability to avoid that same attack from this distance if I know it¡¯s coming. So, any moment now¡­!


    NOW!


    [Desummon]!


    Blipping away, the trail that Jasper had left behind was quickly and utterly anhilated by a single beam¡­ a¡­ single beam? Why only one?


    [Summon]!


    ¡°There¡¯s something odd going on with the Boss¡¯s attacks. Stay on guard and be ready for something sudden, but at the moment it''s been repeatedly firing off the same two attacks. Every 2.5 seconds it unleashes the-¡± wave, which we both jumped over again. ¡°wave! And every seven seconds, it fires off that same beam you just avoided! But like I said, something weird is happening, when it last fired at me six different beams were fired instead of one, but I¡¯m not sure if it was only targeted against me or if it was a counter passive for taking damage! So, for now, circle the boss and observe!¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Of course, neither of us had stopped running in the few seconds that the mental conversation had taken place in, but now that the urgency of the situation was on Jasper¡¯s mind, or at least I assumed it was, they sped up just a little bit, keeping pace evenly with me.


    Another few seconds pass, and like clockwork, another projectile is fired. But, curiously¡­ it¡¯s a single beam yet again. The gears in my head continue to turn as we complete another loop around the boss, now having reduced the entirety of the nearby forest into a clearing from the repeated beam fire. But, as the boss, nothing about it has changed, it still seems to be in the same phase, if not slightly more agitated than it was before¡­


    ¡°Jasper, we¡¯re going to go in for an attack the next time it fires its own attack. There¡¯s a theory I need to test.¡±


    ¡°Grhhmm.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, two actually. Be ready to attack when I next summon you, alright?¡±


    [Desummon].


    Jasper is rebelling!


    Wh-hah????????


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Staring bug eyed at the confounding cat, I jump over yet another wave as she leaps counterclockwise, hissing as loudly as she can manage at the same time as she touched down.


    She¡­ wants to draw agro? I mean, alright, but she¡¯s the one who dies permanently! She does know that, right? Ah, whatever! I¡¯ll make sure to react in time for a [Desummon] even if she doesn¡¯t just dodge it herself-


    Oop! Speak of the devil, [Desummon]!


    I¡¯m not sure if that attack would¡¯ve landed or not without my intervention, but either way it doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯re fine. But, just like I thought, only a single beam this time. So, now it¡¯s time to test my second theory!


    Pivoting again, I leaped over the omnipresent waves once, then twice, as I made my way centerward, to the source of it all. With five seconds to spare before the next attack, I [Summon] thee!


    I can¡¯t help but break out into an even wider grin as Jasper appears in the middle of the air above the Bushling. Spot on, the skills description hadn¡¯t mentioned any particular restriction on where a monster could be summoned after all. Just that it costs one MP. You know¡­ I¡¯m actually kind of starting to like this class.


    Landing claws first on top of the Bushling-26!-once again its lack of mobility proves to be a serious detriment to its ability to be a threatening opponent. It¡¯s confined to its station in all circumstances, and because of its limited skill set, it can barely even fight back when something gets close. It relies on its aoe coverage for that, but in a one on one fight, or¡­ in this case, a two on one fight, if something just gets on top of it, then its ability is worthless without the ability to force an enemy into its range!


    ¡°Turn it into salad!¡±


    [Hunter¡¯s Mark]!


    96!


    With the four seconds remaining until the boss unleashed its attack, I still had enough time to get in a hit or two of my own. Sprinting forward at full speed I leapt into the air in a similar manner to what I¡¯d done before, up and over the aoe attack as it screeched in pain from Jasper¡¯s unrelenting assault-


    51!


    4!


    52!


    8!


    55!


    12!


    49!


    14!


    60!


    21!


    ¡­Puts my damage output to shame, but I can¡¯t just let them whale on it all alone! Whipping my sword through the air, I carve a decent chunk through the boss this time around, dealing¡­!


    38 damage!


    ¡­Man. That five level gap hittin.


    Whatever! Looks like Jasper counts as my damage anyways! Now, as I catch myself landing on the ground, I bounce up and over yet another incoming wave, counting down still, and there¡¯s only one second till the bombs get dropped.


    ¡°Move!¡±


    Immediately my monster''s head snapped to attention, leaping off of their prey at my behest. Though, it was far too late for her to avoid the attack. I could feel the concentration of magic in the air for this attack. It was denser than all the others, given I could actually FEEL the hairs on my back rising for this one.


    An innumerable amount of beams were launched in an instant, I, you know, couldn¡¯t count them, they were innumerable. At the least there were two dozen, each of them holding a fraction of the concentrated beam''s power, yet still surely being extremely deadly with each shot. Surely enough to one shot me with a direct hit, but it didn¡¯t matter. It was aiming at Jasper. Of course it was, she¡¯d dealt¡­ what¡­ 400 damage in the span of a few seconds?


    BOOM


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    [Desummon]!


    And you know what¡­? She didn¡¯t take any damage. Not a point of it, not a single graze.


    Aaaaaaaand [Summon]! ¡­Right back to where they were.


    49!


    10!


    53!


    15!


    62!


    22!


    45!


    16!


    ¡ª


    You know¡­ This boss is really exploitable. LIke, criminally so, it¡¯s ridiculous. But¡­ there is one annoying part about it.


    It¡¯s¡­ SO¡­ TANKY!


    We¡¯ve been at this for well over five minutes now! Jasper¡¯s had to have dealt at least five thousand damage at this point, but it still looks no worse for wear! This BEGINNER boss has fifty times my max health are you SERIOUS? I¡¯ve already gone through two thirds of my mana! And while it does seem to recover slowly over time, that¡¯s definitely not going to outpace the speed at which I spend it! The most consistent way for me to get damage is by constantly [Desummoning] and [Summoning] Jasper again and again to avoid damage and keep them on the offense, but hell even my stamina is starting to run out at this point!


    Stamina 45/106


    I know Jasper has a lot in the tank still even without looking at her stats, she had more than my max stamina and she¡¯s been fighting for less time, but I¡¯m literally going to burn out soon enough. There¡¯s also a max range limit to summoning as I figured out about three minutes ago, so it¡¯s not like I can just climb up a tree and hide out as Jasper runs circles around it and wait for my mana to recover¡­ but what the hell do I even do?


    No matter how much we hit it, it doesn¡¯t seem to matter. It was all well and good while Jasper had Hunter¡¯s Mark ready to use, but she ran out of MP way before I even came close to running out of it myself¡­ Well, it¡¯s not all doom and gloom I guess. I mean¡­ at long last the boss¡¯s model is kind of starting to change, I think? They¡¯re a little scratched up, but otherwise¡­


    ¡°HEY, YOU!¡±


    ¡­Eh?


    ¡°HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FIGHTING THE BOSS FOR!?¡±


    Oh yeah¡­ kind of forgot this was a multiplayer game. Uh, sidebar, anybody know some good chiropractors? Cause my back HURTS! Eh whatever, help is better late than never.


    ¡°SEVEN MINUTES!¡± I shouted back as I ran through another desummon-summon loop, spending another point of MP when I was already so dangerously low on it.


    ¡°IT¡¯S EASY ENOUGH REALLY!¡± I continue to call out as I take a quick look around my surroundings, before spotting somebody in¡­ armor a bit heavier than mine sprinting towards me, with a few other players behind them. ¡°THE GREEN AOE ATTACK COMES OUT EVERY TWO AND A HALF SECONDS, AND WATCH OUT FOR THE GIANT BEAM ATTACK THAT IT SHOOTS OUT EVERY SEVEN! IT FIRES MORE-¡± [Desummon] BOOM [Summon] ¡°-THE MORE DAMAGE IT¡¯S TAKEN INBETWEEN SHOTS! I¡¯M NOT SURE IF IT CAN DO ANYTHING ELSE!¡±


    ¡°THANKS!¡± He continues to shout, despite not really being that far away anymore. Eventually though, he makes it all the way as I run yet another loop of my skills.


    ¡°Alright, thanks for getting the boss¡¯s patterns.¡± He grinned widely, lightly bumping my arm like we were friends or something. ¡°We¡¯ll take it from here if you need a moment.¡± He offered nonchalantly, and uh, yeah, I kinda need a moment to be frank. And while he¡¯s not in the wrong for offering it, it does feel a little¡­ kill steal-y? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s from a good place though?


    Eh, whatever, boss isn¡¯t even close to dead yet (probably) and I¡¯m pretty sure I can outmatch any amount of dps from a single person at this stage in the game. Well, probably not EVERYBODY. If I found this cheat of a monster, I¡¯d have to imagine there¡¯s similar, better, even, to be found out in the wide world. I¡¯m probably up there, but nowhere close to the top.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll leave it to you guys for a minute or two.¡±


    You seem to recover a point of MP about once every twenty seconds. So giving myself the time to recover from¡­ how much do I have right now?


    MP 5/51


    ¡­Yikes! From that, is good. Very good, one would say!


    [Desummon]!


    I can communicate with a monster while they¡¯re not summoned, right? Like that¡¯d make perfect sense right?


    ¡°Testing, testing¡­¡±


    ¡°...Mmm?¡±


    ¡°Ah, great.¡±


    Yes, that¡¯d be a yes.


    ¡°You did great Jasper. Seriously, above and beyond my expectations. I almost¡­ uh, nevermind! The important thing, is that you are a very good girl. For now, we¡¯re going to be taking a break while others fight the boss, alright?¡±


    ¡°MmmmM?¡±


    ¡°Good girl? Oh, sorry, is that rude? No offense.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Anyyyyywayyyyys-¡± I drawl as I make my way up a nearby tree, latching onto the solid bark and propelling myself upwards with respectable agility. Not the stat mind you, this is honed gamer skill. The stat alone wouldn¡¯t be able to carry me right now with the little I have of it. ¡°-would you rather stay in¡­ whatever pocket dimension you¡¯re in? Or hang out on a branch with me?¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡±


    ¡°Alright, outside it is.¡±


    My previously mentioned honed gamer instincts scream out as I waste another precious point of MP on a summon that¡­ technically didn¡¯t need to happen, but hey, no need to be rude, right? Even if Jasper¡¯s not actually alive or anything, her ai has the capacity to be upset with me and make things worse so¡­ no real reason to not get along, right? It¡¯s only an extra few seconds or so of being on the sideline, no big deal.


    Jasper isn¡¯t too big, so she just sort of flops down onto a branch that I picked out in eyeshot, scrambling for a moment but quickly locking herself in place with her claws shortly afterwards.


    ¡°We¡¯re not done here yet, but preferably we can wait until half our MP is back. For now¡­¡±


    I adjust a little bit in my wooden seat, inching closer to the tree itself.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got front row seats.¡±

 C18-Tigers Eye View

    I sort of expected it, but you know what? These goobers aren¡¯t half bad. To be exact, it¡¯s a group of five. There¡¯s no support class to be found, they¡¯re all just attacking, but that¡¯s kind of expected at this stage in the game, no? Who¡¯s gonna have already figured out how to build in that way? It¡¯s not like you spawned with the ability to use magic. You probably have to find some sort of mage npc, or maybe a cleric, like I found the tamers guild and an apothecary.


    Well, either way, they¡¯re clearly doing fine.


    One of them is sniping the boss from a little further away, but beams are never fired at them. So, I assume they¡¯re dealing little damage compared to everybody else. Especially the guy weaving in and out, given he¡¯s the one being targeted by the beam pretty much every time. He¡¯s¡­ playing way more aggressively than I¡¯d dare to. Good on him, but even from my distance I could tell him a few things to try and correct. If this boss was a little more attentive, he¡¯d probably have gotten got a dozen times by now. But, it¡¯s not, so such wanton aggression works out for him.


    Then after having dealt enough damage, he dips back and draws the shotgun blast of a half dozen or so beams away from his teammates. None of his teammates have been bold enough to go after the boss while it¡¯s locked onto their main dps, but to me it looks like it always targets the enemy who¡¯s done the most damage to it.


    Like, it never shot at me when Jasper was attacking it, not once. Every time it shot at her, because obviously, she dealt more damage than I did. Ergo, I have a sneaking suspicion here¡­ it¡¯d probably be possible to rotate agro pretty freely by just tearing into the boss for five or so seconds, then backing off with the last few to draw the shotgun while your teammate goes in while you¡¯re away, then your teammate pulls the agro and you go in. Rinse repeat till it¡¯s dead.


    This ragtag group isn¡¯t doing that, which is fine to be fair. They group up and hit it after the beam fires, then they back off. The archer keeps poking it from a distance, and¡­ they¡¯re dealing damage. Five people is five people, and they hit it again and again. Scratches pile up, slowly, but surely. About one for every point of mana that recovers I think? Before long I should have recovered enough resources to head back in.


    A few times while watching I absentmindedly thought about petting my¡­ pet? Monster? Summon? Whatever Jasper is? But then the thought occurred, that they¡¯re on an entirely different branch watching the fight, so that wouldn¡¯t really be possible, but¡­ to be honest this whole fight is just¡­ boring. If I¡¯m assuming they¡¯re getting in about three hundred damage per cycle with each of them landing a few hits and that one dude landing half a dozen, then at this point they¡¯ve probably dealt somewhere close to¡­ I wanna say¡­ twenty seven thousand damage¡­? Somewhere around there? And that just¡­ cannot be right, right?


    The boss didn¡¯t seem to have too much defense compared to the weaker enemies that ran around the place, so it¡¯s either just¡­ super god damn beefy, ooooooor¡­ it¡¯s regenerating. That seems more plausible, right? It is a raid boss. And, if it¡¯s regenerating¡­


    What does that mean for my contribution?


    ¡°Jasper?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­?¡±


    Stamina 89/106


    MP 27/51


    ¡°How much stamina and MP do you have?¡±


    I mean, npcs can mention existing numbers, so these are like, stats that everybody can see right? I don¡¯t like, sound like a lunatic?


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Oh 100 and 21? Alright, that works!¡±


    So I don¡¯t sound like I¡¯m off my rocker. Rrradical.


    ¡°Just asking to make sure, but you¡¯re ready to get back to it, right?¡±


    ¡°...Mmmmm.¡±


    ¡°...No?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about me getting hurt? Awww, don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡±


    ¡°...Whaaat? No, I would¡¯ve been fine if you hadn¡¯t showed up at just the right time to help me, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Mmhmmm.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well¡­ you came to help because you didn¡¯t want me to die, right?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Well, here¡¯s the deal. I¡¯m not going to stop until that boss is dead. So, if you don¡¯t want me to die, you¡¯re better off working with me, and then neither of us will die! Sounds good?¡±


    ¡°Mmgh-mmmm.¡±


    Heh¡­ I don¡¯t exactly feel great about leveraging¡­ whatever their emotional baggage is with this particular subject? But gotta do what I gotta do to move forward. Right now Jasper is my greatest tool, so¡­ is what it is. If they won¡¯t work with me, then my damage goes down the drain. Therefore, I must take any action to make them work with me.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get to it! The sooner we¡¯re done the better, right?¡±


    ¡°...Mm.¡±


    Now, I say that, but¡­ things seem to be getting slightly more complicated. I mean, about time really¡­ no, it¡¯s not the boss finally developing a pattern, it¡¯s people starting to show up. Really, took them long enough! But, still. As I stand up and stretch, balancing precariously on my branch, I spy with my little eye a group of gremlins approaching en masse. And by en masse I mean like, four, but more are surely to follow.


    Therefore(x2)! I¡¯ve got work to put in. A lot of work, unless I¡¯m cool with not getting rewarded for my effort-(spoiler alert, I¡¯m not) in which case I¡¯d do nothing.


    So, I get moving!!!


    ¡ª---


    ¡°Got room for a few more!?¡± I call out as I hardcore parkour my way down from the treetops, arriving on the field of battle a good few seconds before other players could reasonably be affirmed as ¡°on the scene¡±.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t see why not!¡± That same, very social man who initially greeted me I now notice, called right back as I broke my final fall with a roll, springing over the next omnipresent wave of energy with the momentum. ¡°More damage to crack the bastard open couldn¡¯t hurt!¡±


    You know what? I like this guy. I¡¯m not gonna like, seek him out after the fight or anything, but this guy? He gets the Koth seal of approval. He¡¯s A-okay.


    ¡°Same plan as last time Jasper, you ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Well, they¡¯re not exactly enthusiastic about it, but that¡¯s certainly a yah.


    [Desummon].


    In my heart, I hold out some hope that this boss will turn out to be¡­ not so plain and boring?


    [Summon]!


    Jasper latches on and tears into them. Same dance as the last time we got to boxing with the damn thing. She still obviously by far out dpses the motley crew of five, and now the additional few players grouping up on top of us, so just like I assumed, the beam is always fired towards her¡­ but, it doesn¡¯t matter.


    [Desummon].


    I¡­ want to give this some grand description? I really do, don¡¯t get me wrong. My hyperactive brain doesn¡¯t particularly enjoy beating a veritable punching bag? But, after the initial shock factor. This really is just kind of¡­ a newbie boss. It¡¯s really, really simple.


    More wounds pile up, it starts actively bleeding, more players arrive, I eventually lose sight of the original gang. But, that¡¯s fine. Not like we were really cooperating in any way besides group up and HIT IT TILL IT DIES, the tried and true strategy.


    I keep it in my line of sight, summon Jasper again and again, 11 MP, 10 MP¡­


    Oh wait-pfft. There¡¯s something to detail! Lol! Jasper made a silly mistake! Instead of leaping into the air like she usually does, she instead leapt to the side, straight into the path of a dozen or so players¡­ she might have just gotten them all obliterated by a shotgun blast of¡­ I don¡¯t know, six dozen different beams? That is¡­ oops, my bad everybody!


    From here, out on the edge of the battle where I sit¡­ it looks like not all of them died? The power of the beams decreased enough with how many they were split into, but damn, my bad. I¡¯ll have to make sure to tell Jasper to not jump in the direction of anybody in the future¡­


    But, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much future to talk about. The boss is pretty damn damaged from what it looks like to me. If there was ever a time for me to try and do the do¡­


    ¡°Scuse me.¡± I mumble as I slip by and around the hordes of scrambling players, using one last [Desummon]. But, I have no plans of bringing Jasper back out. At least not for a few minutes. That¡¯s because I need this ten percent of my maximum MP thank you very much!


    [Tame]!


    Monster cannot be tamed!


    Oh. Well that¡¯s not very cool game. :(


    ¡°SCCCCCCRIiiiiiiiaaaaaaa¡­..¡±


    And it¡­ falls over. Face first, splat. That was anticlimactic. Though, what did I expect I guess? Yeah I can just tame the monster with the specs to do what that thing was doing, yeah, okay, sure. It¡¯s on me for having hope.


    Enraged Nature Bushling has been killed!


    Contribution:


    #1 Koth (19.7%)


    #2 YSoSerioushuhuhuh (10.3%)


    #3 Anameformyself (8.2%)


    ¡­


    ¡­Twenty percent? Holy crapoly majoly! Thanks for the hard carry Jaspeeeeer!


    Distributing rewards¡­


    +1042 exp!


    +7 silver


    +39 copper


    +59 Alvei Herbs


    +18 Susu Leaves


    +4 Grove Mantis


    ¡­DAYUM!


    Level up!


    Level up!


    Level up!


    +1 skill level!


    Level up!


    And that¡¯s only half, right??? Jasper needed¡­ nine hundred something experience to level up, didn¡¯t she? Did she level up too?


    Jasper-Resiala Forest Lynx


    Level 8


    ¡­Yup! Absolutely wicked.


    You are the first player to kill an enemy with the ¡°Nature Essence¡± modifier!


    You are the player with the highest contribution to the ¡°Bushling¡± field boss!


    You significantly contributed against an enraged ¡°Bushling¡±!


    +500 exp!


    Level up!


    D-dayu-


    +3 Nature Essence!


    Ooooooookaaaaaaaaaay. Laying it on a little thick here game? What even is that?


    ¡°Koth!? Where¡¯s Koth?!¡±


    Oh god that sounds like a random. A complete stranger to be exact. Yeah¡­ I did kind of score at the top, didn¡¯t I¡­? Alright, channel my friends antisocial powers and DIP!


    ¡°Jasper? Stay in the pocket dimension for a little bit, I¡¯ll take you out in a moment.¡±


    And it¡¯s OFF to the races!

 C19-Investment

    Slipping away unnoticed in this crowd? It¡¯s uh¡­ it¡¯s¡­ honestly pretty easy. By the end of it there were¡­ a hundred or so players around? So, when the only real culprit that might lead to me was currently stowed away in some sort of pocket dimension safe and sound, it was kind of impossible to find me when I just, y¡¯know, dipped?


    I don¡¯t really want to do all of this on the fly, you know, investment is supposed to be important and stuff? Buuuuuut, there¡¯s¡­ this calling to me¡­ you know, the usual¡­ I just¡­ LOVE, SPEED. And I have a shiny five new levels to put towards it!


    ¡­I¡¯m level seven, that¡¯s crazy. So much for that level gap that Jasper had over me, ja? I mean, not like it¡¯s much of a problem though. They¡¯ve (presumably) ceased insubordination, so¡­ now I can just take them along with me and they¡¯ll continue to be useful! Awesome! Anyways, what was I thinking about? Putting my points in? Righty-o here we go.


    Koth-Monster Tamer


    Level 7


    HP 120/120


    MP 18/54


    Stamina 121/121


    Core stats


    Vitality-5


    Strength-0


    Intelligence-0


    Agility-20


    Sub stats


    Endurance-7


    Luck-0.7


    Mana-1.4


    Dexterity-3.5


    Unique stats


    Exp-21/611


    ¡­Ain¡¯t that a beut? Level seven with all the stat increases that it entails, how lovely. Kind of getting sidetracked from actually investing but, it¡¯s fiiiiiiiiine¡­


    Actually, I¡¯ve been running for a bit now, I think I¡¯m good to take a break here¡­?


    Looking around for a short moment, I come grinding to a halt on the earth after determining that I am, in fact, clear of the hordes of goobers, kicking up dirt with the sudden level of force placed on the ground. Just another notch in this game''s physics department, I suppose. So! Time to put those points in.


    There¡¯s a primal calling to me to just dump all five levels straight into agility. Twenty to forty five let go, simply ball. Buuuuuuut¡­ a few issues have been brought to my attention with my most recent battle.


    My damage output is¡­ not great? A glancing blow for Jasper is about as worthwhile as me plunging the entirety of my sword''s length into my enemies. Sure, I can hit them a lot, but damage reduction is a thing in this game, and while I have no clue how high it scales¡­ there¡¯s this sinking feeling in my gut that it¡¯ll probably be at least somewhat effective.


    So, for NOW¡­ strength is kind of a necessity. Sort of, you know? It¡¯s important enough for me to set aside some of my twenty five points, anyways. I¡¯ll give it ten, for now, and check out how much it changes the damage of my attacks on mobs around here. Just for reference, I was dealing¡­ fifty something per hit before? Enough to shank most enemies in one or two hits. If it¡¯s an increase of at least ten damage, it¡¯s probably a solid enough option to invest into, yeah?


    So, ten strength as an experiment. What to do with the rest of the fifteen¡­? Well, at first I thought about investing some extra into intelligence or magic, you know, had to take a break mid fight to recover and everything? But then it occurred to me that the lack of MP was only an issue because, you know, massive raid boss going IMA FIRIN MAH LAZARS every seven seconds? I shouldn¡¯t need to spam my summoning loop like that often, and it¡¯s not like I have any other skills that eat up MP, so that¡¯s just not necessary right now.


    So, that just leaves vitality and agility. Ahem. Begrudgingly, five towards vitality. I did almost get one shot earlier, it¡¯s the natural thing to do. Don¡¯t fly too close to the sun, and what not.


    BUT AT LAST!!!!!! TEN!!! AGILITY!!!! LET¡¯S GOOOOOOOoooo, yeah, it¡¯s a pretty solid increase to my mobility.


    Hopping around a bit, my body definitely feels lighter. The movement feels a little easier, less strain on my legs and the like. It¡¯s not a massive difference, but with a few dozen more points into agility, I could definitely see the speed getting pretty up there. It¡¯s¡­ I wanna say¡­ somewhat slower when compared to some of the other games I¡¯ve played? But, a more grounded game isn¡¯t that bad either.


    Didn¡¯t put anything into sub stats for now, because they increase naturally. Endurance already boosts stamina pretty heavily without investing into it, so that¡¯s not a concern¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure by level one fifty I¡¯ll be at¡­ hold on quick maths¡­ one times a hundred fifty is¡­ one hundred fifty endurance! Then it looks like each point of endurance is three stamina, so that¡¯s¡­ four hundred fifty extra by max level, yeah? Not something in need of much investing, unless you intend to get a bunch of damage reduction. And then vitality boosts endurance by itself, so, shouldn¡¯t be a concern.


    Now, let me see my masterpiece!


    Koth-Monster Tamer


    Level 7


    HP 140/140


    MP 18/54


    Stamina 122/122


    Core stats


    Vitality-10


    Strength-10


    Intelligence-0


    Agility-30


    Sub stats


    Endurance-7


    Luck-0.7


    Mana-1.4


    Dexterity-3.5


    ¡­Yeah, pretty solid increases overall. Next, I¡¯ve got some diddly darn skills to go through!


    Skills


    Recall-Desummon any currently active monster of your choice. Monsters not currently summoned will recover 1% of their hp every 3 seconds. Monsters cannot be recalled within 3 seconds of being damaged. DoT status effects do not activate this restriction.


    Summon-Call any currently desummoned monster of your choice to the material plane. Monsters cannot be summoned unless they are at max hp. Consumes 1 MP.


    Tame LVL 1-Attempt to tame a targeted monster. Chances of success scale off of multiple different factors. Successful taming allows either positive interactions with said monster, or the taming of a monster provided the user has slots to spare. Tamed monsters may rebel depending on varying circumstances. Tamed monsters are lost FOREVER upon their death, barring certain situations. Monsters that lose over 20% of their hp from PvP damage will not be lost upon death. Consumes 10% of max MP per use.


    Passives


    Capacity LVL 2-Increases the maximum number of monsters you can tame by 1. (Max 3)


    Communication LVL 1-Increases your ability to understand and communicate with your tamed monsters, as well as wild monsters.


    Efficacy LVL 2-Slightly increases the stats and skill effectiveness of tamed monsters.


    Shared Effort-all experience gained is split between currently summoned monsters.


    Coordination-orders can be shared with subordinated monsters through a limited vocabulary scaling on the level of Communication.


    What to spend my skill level on, hmm, hmm, hmmm¡­ Why am I asking myself like I don¡¯t already know? My. my, now that is the question. Say, sidebar, what do Jasper¡¯s stats look like right now?


    Jasper-Resiala Forest Lynx


    Level 8


    HP 201/201


    MP 50/50


    Stamina 128/128


    Core stats


    Vitality-24


    Strength-26


    Intelligence-0


    Agility-34


    Sub stats


    Endurance-8


    Luck-3


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.Mana-0


    Dexterity-16


    Unique stats


    Grace-2.7


    O-kay, still monstrous, pun not intended, got it. Pretty much everything went up, I think¡­? That¡¯s a little wack, but here¡¯s the real question!


    Upgrade Efficacy.


    Efficacy LVL 2->Efficacy LVL 3!


    Now show me those stats again baby!


    Jasper-Resiala Forest Lynx


    Level 8


    HP 214/214


    MP 50/50


    Stamina 131/131


    Core stats


    Vitality-24


    Strength-26


    Intelligence-0


    Agility-34


    Sub stats


    Endurance-8


    Luck-3


    Mana-0


    Dexterity-16


    Unique stats


    Grace-2.7


    AAAAAAaaaaaand they¡¯re the exact same. Oh, wait wait wait, EXCEPT for their health and stamina. So, it just increases my monsters health stats and what not? That¡¯s kinda¡­ trash¡­? Only thirteen¡­? Ooor-wait wait wait wait. If that¡¯s what it does, how come her MP didn¡¯t increase? Maybe efficacy isn¡¯t a baseline increase, but instead it¡¯s some kinda¡­ multiplier to their stats in general?


    Like¡­ if a monster has 30 strength, and the monster tamer has Efficacy LVL 2, then their strength is still 30¡­ but their effective damage is around 36 strength instead? That¡¯d line up with their MP not increasing, but their health and stamina increasing instead? I mean, seems probable to me? I¡¯m just gonna go with that, or something along those lines, because I¡¯d rather believe I didn¡¯t pretty much waste two skill points on that one? Oh yeah, good to know monsters put in their points automatically as well. Now I just need to get a test subject to compare against Jasper¡¯s bonkers stats!


    LAST THING ON THE AGENDA!


    ¡°Mmmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Just give me a minute or two, alright?¡±


    Can¡¯t keep the kitten waiting too long now, can I? Now¡­ the heck are these Nature Essences that I got?


    Pulling one out of my inventory, I looked at the green¡­ energy, thing? It was a swirling orb, deep green, bright green, somewhere inbetween. All the colors of the not rainbow. Well, it certainly looks interesting enough? But the question still remains, the hell does it do?


    Nature Essence X3 (Rare)


    Applies nature aligned positive modifiers to equipment.


    Uh¡­ huh¡­ how enlightening. I¡¯m half tempted to just chuck one onto my sword right now and see what it does, buuuuuut, at the same time, I don¡¯t want to waste it? It¡¯s an early game thingy, so it¡¯s probably not gonna hurt me too badly in the long run if I were to do so, but I also don¡¯t want to waste something potentially really useful for my progression? You know, common sense and what not.


    I¡¯ll keep it for later, but not TOO later, just¡­ whenever I get something better than what I have right now.


    Longsword (Common LVL 1)


    Blade of standard make.


    Well, that¡¯s just about everything now. Only a feeeeeeew more things for me to check out.


    ¡°Jasper, you can come out now.¡± I notify her as I stretch and get ready to move once more.


    [Summon]!


    Alongside me languidly, Jasper too stretches in the moment. Maybe the pocket dimension thingy is cramped or something I dunno.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a few things left to do. There shouldn¡¯t be too many people around this part of the forest right now, so howzabout we find a shrubling to slap half to death?¡±


    ¡ª---


    As I indeed suspected, yes, Jasper¡¯s stats are quite busted. Shrublings, Nature Sprites, both of them were under the point average that I myself would have at their level. Twenty three at two and nineteen at one respectively. Meanwhile Jasper is out here with¡­ lemme count, about ninety at eight? Without even counting the presumed Efficacy bonuses mind you. Makes sense, thank you very much game, I¡¯ll take my gift horse without looking it in the mouth!


    Well, take it if said gift horse lets me.


    ¡°Maps covering the entirety of the Aishan province, one silver a piece!¡±


    That sounds like a good deal, yeah? I was never much of a haggler, so the reward of a single quests worth of cash for a map of the area doesn¡¯t sound half bad.


    I could just strike out on my own and see where it leads, but at the same time, I¡¯m not trying to stroll into, like, a level fifty area and get my buttocks handed to me upon thine finest silver platter. There¡¯s also the added risk of Jasper getting killed and leaving me in a hole after having already gone out, so¡­ yeah, just gonna grab a map to head on over to the nearest town! And, therein lies the problem. Actually leaving this town.


    ¡°Thank you for your business, good sir!¡±


    Updating map¡­


    Ooo, very nice. Guess I don¡¯t have to go out and explore the entire world myself to fill it out, huh? Well, I¡¯m probably missing some secrets, but that¡¯s not too much of a price to pay. You¡¯ll probably be able to tell where some secrets are on the map just by virtue of them looking out of place, but that¡¯s not my focus right now.


    Strolling through the town, it¡¯s honestly a little off-putting to see how many players there are. I mean, I¡¯m used to big crowds, but only like, at big events, you know? There¡¯s hundreds just hanging out here in this town, WITHIN EYESHOT, and there¡¯s presumably thousands and more out and about in the environment around here.


    All of them getting adjusted, exploring the game, finding classes, ah¡­ I¡¯ve gotta get the hell out of here, teehee! If I don¡¯t leave real soon, I¡¯m getting caught up in the wave of progressing players. I¡¯ve got a solid head start because of Jasper and my massive experience reward from doing a fifth of the boss¡¯s health, so if there¡¯s a time to go and move onto bigger and better things, it¡¯s now.


    Therefore, there¡¯s no more time to attempt to persuade my big cat. They either come with me, or they don¡¯t. I can likely make due without her, and it probably won¡¯t hit me too hard progression wise. Maybe, just maybe in the long run it¡¯d be worth it to keep her with me, but in the short term-god is it going to SUCK if I get swept up in the horde! And I don¡¯t play games for the long term!


    ¡°Jasper? We need to talk for a moment.¡± I gently start off as I walk away from the stand I¡¯d purchased my map from. I don¡¯t have any real need to purchase equipment given it¡¯s all level one common rank stuff, so I¡¯ll see what¡¯s available at the next town over, or maybe see if I can¡¯t get some quest rewards on the way? Either way, no reason to stay here.


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time for me to leave this town. A little earlier than I expected, but still there¡¯s no reason for me to be here any longer. But¡­ I know you have reason to stay, so this is what I¡¯m asking. Will you come with me, or will you stay here? If you want to stay in town, I¡¯ll go return you to the Guild right now, and we can go our separate ways. So¡­ what¡¯ll it be?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a moment.¡±


    I need to go eat something anyways.


    Log out.

 C20-Wild Hunts Faith

    And¡­ we¡¯re back. Ended up being a liiiiiiiittle longer than a moment? I actually ended up just doing some Untitled Battlegrounds gaming till the night passed, since, y¡¯know, the thought occurred, the Tamer¡¯s Guild would in fact, be closed during the time I¡¯d intended to show up! Buuuut, we¡¯re back in business now! Now¡­ Jasper, Jasper, Jasper.


    I¡¯ll give her just a little longer to decide on what she¡¯s gonna do. I¡¯ve got to actually head over to the Tamer¡¯s Guild either way, so I can wait for her answer until we actually arrive and I get back down to¡­ what was his name? Oliver? Mason? Matthew? Matthew, right? Definitely. From the top now. Ahem, back down to business with Matthew! I¡¯ve got two monsters to sell after all.


    ¡°MmmMmm.¡±


    Or maybe I should keep one, keep some conversation for Jasper?


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Or maybe not? I can probably pick up some other monster on the way? Nature Sprite doesn¡¯t sound like too terrible of an option given, but it¡¯s clearly a lower quality monster than Jasper to begin with. It¡¯s got some healing ability, but that¡¯s¡­ about it. Once again, that¡¯s not much of a concern for me at the moment when it comes to the early game. Maybe later, once I¡¯m more progressed? But right now it¡¯d just be an experience deficit. Also known as, I¡¯m not doin, allat.


    So, yeah, probably selling them. It¡¯ll be good to figure out how much money monsters are generally worth so I can know if it¡¯s a good way to farm or not. Now on that note, onwards! Towards the Guild!


    ¡ª


    The front of the Tamer¡¯s Guild looms overhead, within lies the eye of the storm, the moment of truth, the¡­ Ehhh I don¡¯t got one for this, I¡¯m a let down. It¡¯s where the big important event will occur. Is that good enough? Yes? Okay, cool.


    Pushing open the doors, I clear my throat as I begin to put on my best bargaining face, that being the most unbelievably fake smile I could possibly manage. You know, one that doesn¡¯t inspire fear in the hearts of the masses.


    Nobody is at the front desk as of the moment oddly enough. Not quite sure what¡¯s going on there? But I¡¯m sure somebody will be here soon enough.


    ¡°So¡­¡± I haphazardly mumble through the mind connection thingy this class has going on as I lean against the front counter. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    There was really no more time for her to put it off. I¡¯d avoided speaking to Jasper for about as long as I could to give her as much space as I could, but, the time¡¯s come. I need an answer.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you say nothing, I¡¯ll leave you here.¡± I lay down that simple fact right out of the gates. If her heart isn¡¯t in it with cooperating with me, then I might as well be going off on my own. She might not be operating at peak condition, or listening to me very well, and if worst comes to worst she might very well get herself killed. I honestly don¡¯t think she¡¯ll manage that, but I¡¯d rather not take risks on that front. Even if they¡¯re only an npc, their death will be permanent.


    ¡°You have until somebody gets here to answer.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    That¡­ was a new face in the conversation. The¡­ Nature Sprite, I do believe? They¡¯d been speaking with Jasper earlier. Well, ¡°speaking¡± as best you can with her anyways. I¡¯d be selling them in a moment, but if they had anything to add to the conversation¡­ I suppose that¡¯s fine?


    In a deep rumbling voice not unlike that of a stereotypical wise old man, the Sprite began to speak.


    ¡°I believe you should go.¡±


    ¡°...Mmm?¡±


    Yeah, right? Who the heck is this random giving you advice? This is a complicated emotional problem of grief and longing here. What the hell?


    ¡°It is natural for the creatures of the forest to seek growth. Their destinations are bound to the world outside the forested walls. Do not allow yourself to be constrained to the ground beneath your paws.¡±


    ¡­So did I like, pick up the wise sage just in the middle of the forest? Is that just a sprite thing? Didn¡¯t me and Jasper literally beat this thing half to death about thirty minutes ago? Why is it just spouting sagely advice now?


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    And she¡¯s hearing it out??? Alright, what do I know about common logic? Go argue to my benefit nature spirit thingamajig. Godspeed!


    ¡°Seek new lands, leave your old roots behind.¡±


    And¡­ they shut right up. Really? You¡¯re just gonna go all Grand Forest Tree wise man and then be silent? That¡¯s really all you had to say?


    ¡­Alright Nature Sprite, you do you. Still selling you though.


    ¡°Not to rush¡­¡± I interjected once more as I craned my neck over the counter after hearing a door creaking. ¡°But it¡¯s time to choose, for realsies this time.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Mr. Koth, how good to see you. What can I help you with this morning?¡±


    You know, he doesn¡¯t say it, but it reeeeeeeally feels like he¡¯s expecting me to return Jasper. I¡¯d love, if for nothing else, to be able to tell him ¡°no actually I¡¯m not they¡¯re staying with me¡± but that¡¯s not really my decision to make here. Just gonna have to hope, I guess! Let me be petty, please, Jasper?


    ¡°I¡¯m here to sell some monsters before I leave town.¡± I nod curtly as I raise an arm to the air. I don¡¯t actually¡­ need to do that to [Summon] them and everything, but doing it with a movement feels more natural. You know, add a little flair.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    And speaking of [Summon]ing, here we are!


    [Summon], [Summon], aaaaaaand [Summon].


    A Shrubling, Nature Sprite, and Jasper appear one after the other. The small cabbage creature plops onto the floor quietly, the sprite hovers above the ground with ease, and Jasper touches down on the hardwood floor with grace, as per usual. Is¡­ is that why she has a stat called grace? Cats always landing on their feet and what not? That¡¯s¡­ kind of a lazy joke¡­ eh whatever.


    The Shrubling hasn¡¯t even made a peep since I initially tamed it, it simply seemed to be content waiting around, the Nature Sprite got along well enough with Jasper, but it¡¯s quiet for the most part as well. Jasper is quiet in the verbal sense as per usual, but¡­ her body language is much more¡­ subdued.


    Every time I¡¯d laid eyes on her before, she was always rolling with each step. Her entire body bounced with whatever she was doing, her movements now in comparison seemed¡­ much more subdued. Slowly she paced towards me, moving forwards with what I¡¯d describe as a nigh limp.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Ah, if you intend to sell Jasper, I only offered to take her back should she prove to be too much trouble¡­¡± Matthew immediately began to explain with an apologetic smile, but for my part I was much more fixated on the rather pitiful sight before me.


    ¡°What will you do?¡± I ask one final time, continuing to look down upon my hesitant monster. I¡¯m not trying to force them to come with me or anything, because I have a feeling that if there''s no sincerity on her end then things won¡¯t end well, but¡­ I RRRRRREALLY want them to come with me. So ppplease please please please please please please puhleeeeease, please decide to not stay?


    ¡°Mr. Koth? Is there some sort of problem?¡±


    Still no response from Jasper¡­ I suppose it can¡¯t be helped.


    With a sigh, I turn to face Matthew once more, the utterly fake smile fading from my face, replaced by a barely repressed scowl.


    God damnit. Even as understanding as I tried to be, I guess it just wasn¡¯t enough¡­ She can¡¯t come to a proper decision, and with the way she¡¯s been acting prior to this, I¡¯m almost certain that¡¯s going to end up in unfortunate occurrences. I need her to be ready to listen to me no matter what, and if she can¡¯t decide on something like this¡­ then there¡¯s no point.


    ¡°Not Jasper.¡± I shake my head slowly. ¡°I¡¯m not here to sell her, just the other two. How much would I get for a level one Shrubling and level two Nature Sprite?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I see, in that case, I can offer you fifty copper for the Shrubling, and a silver for the Nature Sprite!¡±


    You have lost: Resiala Forest Shrubling (LVL 1)


    +50 copper!


    You have lost Resiala Forest Nature Sprite (LVL 1)


    +1 silver!


    Immediately, it felt like some sort of connection snapped. It wasn¡¯t painful or anything of the sort, just¡­ one moment, something was there, the next it vanished and scattered into a million pieces. My monsters didn¡¯t vanish or anything, they still had to be actually moved away, but the previously quiet yet still omnipresent rumblings of the two monsters had vanished.


    So¡­ earlier on he was going to sell me three Shrublings for two silvers¡­ and I got to sell one for fifty copper. That¡¯s¡­ actually not that bad of an exchange rate is it? Huh¡­ that¡¯s¡­ pretty nice actually. The whole trip took me like thirty minutes to go from the forest to the guild (not counting ¡°side quests¡±) so I could probably repeat it a few times in a day at a higher level and make big bucks real fast with better monsters, do it even faster when I get more agility with more monster capacity¡­ yeah, that¡¯s not bad! Now¡­


    Time to rip that bandaid off.


    ¡°Anyways¡­ I did come here to settle one other matter before I left.¡± I continue with that same miffed scowl. Even the prior good news doesn¡¯t do much to lift my mood here. This¡¯ll be a hit to my progression, but oh well¡­ There''s not much I can do about it. I could try to hold onto Jasper all I want, but if she takes too long to get along with, she¡¯ll end up getting me swamped by players and progressing will be a genuine nightmare. So¡­ it¡¯s time to bid her adieu.


    ¡°Oh? What would that be?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ hm?¡±


    Before I could properly word my thoughts, a furry head brushed against my leather leggings. Obviously¡­ It was Jasper. Pressing herself against my leg much like you¡¯d expect from a common housecat. Obviously as in it was Jasper, not that she was doing¡­ that.


    I dare not jinx it, I dare not! So, I don¡¯t rush it, I don¡¯t raise any flags, I simply ask¡­


    ¡°...Yes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A moment later, they sit down on the floor maintaining the same contact, and to my further surprise!


    Exclusive quest (1/1000), Wild Hunt¡¯s Faith-complete!


    +???


    Determining rewards.


    Wait, what?


    You are the first player of server 64 to complete an exclusive quest!


    +5 Luck!


    You are the first player to complete exclusive quest ¡°Wild Hunt¡¯s Faith¡±!


    +1 Jasper skill level!


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡­ :D


    Wait, oops-


    ¡°M-Mr¡­ Mr. Koth¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± I lightly rap my chest as I attempt to recompose myself, forcing down the wide grin that had quickly replaced my previous scowl. ¡°What I meant to say¡­ was I¡¯ll be letting you know that Jasper will be staying with me. No need for her to return, she¡¯s fine with where she is.¡±


    Even still, I can barely prevent a twitch from breaking through the proverbial mask I¡¯d put on. And as I struggle, the good news just keeps on coming!


    Rewards determined!


    +1/3 Exclusive Class (Unique) requirements fulfilled.


    +Class change opportunity for Jasper!


    +Communication LVL 1->Communication LVL 2!


    Wild Hunt (Epic)


    Usage difficulty: * * * *


    Note! The more stars a class is rated, the harsher its use conditions and skill requirements are considered to be! The maximum number of stars is ten!


    Manifest phantom attacks and summons that pack a punch in order to quickly defeat your opponents! Lay armies of enemies to waste in tandem through an unrelenting offense.


    Holeh moleh-I actually can¡¯t I¡¯m gonna freak out-


    Turning away and covering my face with a gloved hand, I try my very best to not let the corners of my smile curve past my fingers, giggling madly to myself much to the confusion of Matthew, who at this point is, in my professional opinion, weirded out.


    ¡°Just-khmhmhmmm¡­ give me¡­ a momehe-he-he-hent.¡± I manage out through my fits of manic laughter.


    I might need a little more than a moment.

 C21-RNJesuss Faith

    After a¡­ admittedly rather awkward few minutes, I finally managed to quell the darkness in my heart somewhat. Something, something, big numbers make achievement hunter brain go AWOOGA!!!!! And, you know, what not. But, having done everything I had left to do here, besides buying a few health potions before I leave, it¡¯s about time to get going!


    But, uhhh, one thing first.


    Mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE WHERE IS IT!?


    WHERE¡¯S THE CLASS CHANGE? THAT SHIT¡¯S EPIC!


    WHY IS THE BUTTON NOT HERE??? Oh dear god please tell me I didn¡¯t miss out on it.


    I read up a little bit about the game before loading in and everything. And out of curiosity, I picked up on the rarity system. It¡¯s fairly simple, standard fare really. It¡¯s just¡­ one little detail ellipses other games.


    Rare stuff is, allegedly, actually supposed to be RARE. It goes from common, to uncommon, and then that¡¯s going to, ALLEGEDLY, be the far majority of whatever you find. From there, there¡¯s rare, epic, unique, and lastly, legendary. Six rarity tiers, with epic being the fourth on the ladder. Now, while that doesn¡¯t sound amazing or anything, launch information promised a mere few dozen legendaries in each category. Consumables, items, classes, and everything else inbetween. So from there, you could assume there¡¯s only a few hundred, maybe few thousand uniques for each category. And with an estimated playerbase of, you know, over three billion, you could see how that could get stretched thin, yeah???


    Then you take a step down from that, and you¡¯ve got epics. Perhaps not as unbelievably rare as the other two, but if it¡¯s the next logical step down, then there¡¯s going to be a few thousand, maybe a few dozen thousand epic things people could reasonably get. But, at a certain point, I also have to imagine there are less epic classes than there are epic items. Cause like, realistically, you don¡¯t have a few dozen thousand classes, cause, no shit? That¡¯d be a genuine nightmare to balance.


    And, here I am at level seven, with an epic C L A S S being handed to me on a silver platter. Or, more accurately, handed to Jasper. So, here¡¯s my question; WHERE IS IT??? WHY. IS. THE. OPTION. GGGGGOOOOOOONE??????


    ¡°Mmmmmhmm.¡±


    ¡°Jasper, do you know what the heck happened to your class?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you always had it-wait, wait a minute.¡±


    Jasper-Wild Hunt


    Level 8


    HP 214/214


    MP 50/50


    Stamina 131/131


    Core stats


    Vitality-24


    Strength-26


    Intelligence-0


    Agility-34


    Sub stats


    Endurance-8


    Luck-3


    Mana-0


    Dexterity-16


    Unique stats


    Grace-2.7


    Skills


    Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark LVL 2-Strike an enemy with a powerful blow dealing 250% of the users base physical damage. Apply the debuff ¡°Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark¡±, which increases damage received from the user and their party members by 25% for 15 seconds. Every time an individual deals 10% of the casters max HP to an enemy afflicted with Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark, the individual recovers 1 MP. Costs 10 MP.


    Phantom Assailant-Conjure an identical copy of the user within 15 meters of themselves. The copy acts according to the users will and is capable of using any of their skills at double the MP of the user themselves, barring Phantom Assailant. The copy remains for thirty seconds, but remains for an extra second for every 10% of the clones max HP dealt as damage to any target. Any MP gained by the copy from either ¡°Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark¡± or ¡°Wild Hunt¡¯s Call¡± returns to the original caster. Only one copy may exist at a time. Costs 15 MP.


    Wild Hunt¡¯s Call LVL 2-If an enemy has been killed within the past five minutes and the caster dealt at least 30% of the enemies max HP, the enemy can be summoned as a mindless phantom under the command of the caster retaining 45% of its original stats, 17% if the enemy was a ¡°boss¡± enemy. Every 27% of the casters max HP that a phantom deals to any enemy will grant 1 MP to the caster. Any phantoms will be lost after thirty minutes of existence. Phantoms do not count as ¡°unique individuals¡±. Costs 5 MP.


    Hunter¡¯s Pursuit-Instantly teleport a short distance of up to five meters in any direction. Alternatively, switch places with a summoned phantom or a phantom assailant copy. Costs 10 MP.


    Passives


    Echoes of The Wild Hunt-Enemies struck by any skills related to the ¡°Wild Hunt¡± class will be afflicted with ¡°Echoing Pursuit¡±, which lasts for three seconds. Once afflicted with Echoing Pursuit, any attack will deal 5% more damage and extend the timer of the skill by one second, as well as increasing damage vulnerability by another 5%, up to a maximum of 50%. Echoing Pursuit is 90% less effective against ¡°boss¡± enemies.


    Reality Shift-If the user would otherwise be killed by an attack, automatically activate Phantom Assailant in place of themselves and Hunter¡¯s Pursuit a short distance away. If the user does not have enough MP to activate both skills, Reality Shift will not activate. If the maximum amount of Phantom Assailants are already active, bypass the maximum cap and create another. 24 Hour cooldown.


    ¡°I¡­ What the f-¡±


    ¡ª


    So that¡¯s broken, cool. Cool, glad we got that out of the way. Thank you for that game, we¡¯re balling. Apparently the ¡°class change opportunity¡± was just fanfare, given I couldn¡¯t even pick it. This was always Jasper¡¯s class, it just¡­ wasn¡¯t shown to me? I dunno, maybe she picked it herself somehow. Either way it¡¯s on her menu now. All works out. Gotta say, I miiiight¡¯ve been a little too hasty deciding to leave her if need be if this whole thing was what I¡¯d be working with, but it all worked out so who cares?


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Anyways¡­ I don¡¯t even have all that much to say about her class. It¡¯s just¡­ busted busted, honestly. Infinite mana sustain, she can spawn clones of herself with the same damage output, necromancy, apparently. Not like actual necromancy, but along the same lines.


    I mean hey I¡¯m not complaining, if she can spawn an army in the middle of the field and they just run around killing stuff, giving her more mana, to keep spawning more stuff to go kill stuff, aye, free experience. Just¡­ where did this all come from?


    Then you¡¯ve got a short distance teleport¡­ kind of not that great given I can just [Recall] and [Summon] her anywhere like¡­ up to fifty meters away from me for the cost of one MP? But, given she¡¯s got practical infinite mana sustain now, I guess the more costly short distance teleport could be helpful if it was something that needed to be done on reaction on her part?


    Aftercut got turned into ¡°Echoes of The Wild Hunt¡±, which is just¡­ that but on steroids, since it says ¡°ANY skills related¡± to her class, meaning her clone and phantoms also apply it on hit, and the damage boost also caps out at a higher amount. It can¡¯t level up though, so that¡¯s all she gets. Not that it¡¯s¡­ uh¡­ a weak passive.


    And lastly, ignore death. Provided she has half her maximum MP, she just¡­ doesn¡¯t die. And given her only weakness is that she technically needs to be a glass cannon for maximum effectiveness on all her abilities, that just so happens to work out nicely! Though I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to get her min-maxed given I can¡¯t decide her stat spread. Ideally I¡¯d want her to have like, zero vitality with maximized agility and strength so she can keep spamming Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark then recovering all her MP in about two hits. And if she ¡°dies¡±, she just spawns another clone that keeps whaling on her enemy, while she can retreat and do whatever else since she isn¡¯t immortal anymore¡­


    HEuwghuawhg, anyways, GOD! I¡¯ve spent so much time looking at stats recently! I mean, I wanna KEEP looking, big numbers make brain go WOWOGHAW*GHGAHHHHHHAGHWAUGH, buuuuut I¡¯ve got stuff to do.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna be leaving the Forest for the first time in a long while, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m glad you decided to come with me, you know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Can¡¯t get much clearer than that. And coincidentally I also think that¡¯s the closest I¡¯m ever going to get to Jasper saying a real word. Never know though, got a whole hundred forty three levels ahead of us. So maybe I¡¯ll be able to coax something out at some point.


    ¡ª


    Like I mentioned earlier, there really wasn¡¯t much left for me at Resin Peak. No equipment to be had, no quests worth doing, or at least, I THINK no quests worth doing, never know where I could find another Jasper??? But at least at the moment, I¡¯m not planning to stick around. So, having already bought a map, there¡¯s only one thing left for me to do¡­


    Leave? Pfft, no. I guess if you count that as something I need to do, it¡¯s actually two things left.


    ¡°Hello sir!¡± I call as cheerily as I can manage as I stroll into the apothecary. I¡¯ve got potions to buy, you see. Y¡¯know, setting out on what looks like a pretty lengthy journey to the next major town on this map and everything, so, stock up! If the map isn¡¯t wrong, then the journey should take¡­ at least a day of straight trekking? And that¡¯s not counting any, uh¡­ detours I happen to take.


    ¡°Hmm¡­? Ah, it¡¯s good to see you young lad!¡± The old man smiled in response, and once more I did my best to not smile right back. It¡¯s a nice place, but it¡¯d actively be much less nice if I really smiled. So¡­ none of that for me.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to buy some potions, and maybe trade in some herbs for cheaper prices?¡± I inquire gingerly, uncertain as to if that¡¯ll actually work or not. The npcs in this game are smart, but I¡¯m not sure whether this particular one will find the offer appealing or insulting¡­


    ¡°Certainly, just go ahead and let me know what you have and I¡¯m sure we can come to a deal.¡±


    Ah, appealing it is. Good to know! Now, let¡¯s see here¡­


    ¡ª


    In the end¡­ I ended up trading literally all of the Alvei and Susu herbs I¡¯d gotten from the Bushling boss. For a, mind you, gnarly 80% total discount. And in the end of the end, you know what I got for it?


    Lesser healing potion X60 (Common)


    Lesser MP potion X20 (Common)


    Wiiiiiiiiith, 2 Silver and 54 Copper to spare!


    I didn¡¯t trade in any of my ¡°Grove Mantis¡±, because that obviously feels like a rarer drop that I could probably find a use for at some point beyond a bunch of low tier potions. But otherwise I didn¡¯t really need any of the other herbs I had. There¡¯s probably some way to like, level up alchemy or the like to make your own potions, maybe without a class for it? So maybe I¡¯m a shitter for using that many herbs on a discount? But eh, I can¡¯t be bothered to power level it right now (if it even exists). That¡¯ll cost me precious time that¡¯s currently ticking down with each second I spend still in town. I know I¡¯ve been saying it again and again, but I really DO need to stay ahead of the crowd.


    So, on that note¡­ it really is finally time, this time. Time to leave the starter area is what time it is. Grossly overpowered and probably overleveled, it is indeed time to dip.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm.¡±


    Nodding to nobody in particular, I slip into the ever flowing crowd walking to and fro the gate leading to the forest outside of town.


    It¡¯s tiiiiime, to go, to the Great Crossing!

 C22-P.K

    The forest gradually grows thinner the further and further that I walk. The pale light that bleeds through the canopy gaining more and more color the deeper, or, in this case, farther I go from the forest? Either way, the path through the place, likewise, grows more and more pronounced the further I walk away.


    I¡¯ve been running into fewer monsters than I had been in the forest yesterday, but whether that was because I was on the path or if players had just been slaughtering them all, I wasn¡¯t quite sure. Or at least, I hadn¡¯t been quite sure. When the trail cleared up about ten minutes ago, every monster just kinda¡­ vanished. It¡¯s been really quiet, almost too quiet, if you don¡¯t count the birdsong.


    I half expected an ambush by now! But, despite being ready to spring into action at a moment¡¯s notice¡­ nada. There isn¡¯t even anybody in the way through the forest right now either. Not a single wagon to be found! The best I¡¯ve gotten is a passing glimpse of random people moving through the forest, which I¡¯m currently assuming to be players. Buuuut, I can¡¯t help but jump every time something slips into my field of view.


    Like I said, I do expect SOME sort of trouble¡­ it just¡­ that¡¯s kind of how things go, right? I¡¯m literally ALWAYS getting ambushed¡­ Maybe not in the literal sense, but it¡¯s commonplace for me. Farming experience? Goon squad jumping me. Reaping the souls of the masses in UB? Here comes the ranker fodder! Gonna log out and eat dinner, boom, surprise raid boss!


    It¡¯s just¡­ how it do indeed be. I¡¯ve gotten used to it by now, so if you were me, you¡¯d be a fool to assume anything else could end up happening. There¡¯s¡­ GOING to be an ambush of some sort, the question is just when and how. I know it!!! I¡¯m not crazy, I swear! Paranoia is only paranoia if there¡¯s actually nothing there.


    ¡°...Ahem.¡± I clear my throat and rap my knuckles against the leather of my chestplate. I might be a little bit too worried about this. Whatever happens, happens, I¡¯ll deal with it as it may be. No halfwit is going to get me with an unplanned attack, so there¡¯s no need to stress out about it.


    ¡°Jasper?¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    Opening my map from the menu, I swipe my fingers across the invisible surface, glazing across the nearby landscape. It seems to be a pretty big stretch of land given the dot representing me is like¡­ maybe half way out of the forest now, and the distance between said forest and the nearest town is at least a dozen of these forests¡­ and then the total map is at least a few hundred of these forests, and it probably stretches on¡­ where was I going with this? Oh, right, gotta ask Jasper if there¡¯s anywhere she¡¯d like to go.


    ¡°Is there any place you particularly want to see? We¡¯ve got a few different options from here. There¡¯s Fort Es-ehs-ecki-how do you pronounce that? Eh-si-ah-go? FORT¡­ Eciago, Blackrock Keep, Skeirune, Allacian Peak¡­ any of those pique your interest?¡±


    ¡°Mmmmm¡­ Mm.¡±


    ¡°Yeah me neither.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s like, a half dozen more options. I¡¯m sure one of those names will sound interesting, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    With an exaggerated tilt of my eyes to nothing in particular, I stare at open space. ¡°Okay, no need to be a downer.¡±


    ¡°MmMRgh.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see here. Mireswept Landing¡­ that¡­ doesn¡¯t sound great. Uh, Kierie¡¯s Ruins, that¡¯s not a town, but interesting enough. Miner¡¯s Refuge, uh huh, not very interested¡­ Pierre¡¯s Karst¡­¡±


    I blink once or twice in the moment, before reading that over again.


    ¡°Pierre¡¯s¡­ Pierre¡¯s Karst? ¡­What now?¡±


    Fuck¡¯s a Karst?


    ¡°Jasper, do you have any idea what that is?¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    ¡°Well who else am I gonna ask???¡±


    ¡°Mmm-a-mm.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, hold on, give me a second.¡±


    Log out.


    ¡ª


    So¡­ okay¡­


    ¡°So, apparently, a Karst is a, and I quote, ¡®landscape underlain by limestone which has been eroded by dissolution, producing ridges, towers, fissures, sinkholes and other characteristic landforms.¡¯ and, I¡¯ll be honest¡­ being so curious about this, now I kinda wanna see it.¡±


    ¡°...Mmm?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean I quote? You know, I looked¡­ uhm¡­ you know what? Nevermind.¡±


    While I was at it, I also took a look at ¡°Wild Hunt¡±. That kind of like, felt like a reference to something, and lo and behold¡­ something something, Norse mythology? Odd motif¡­ but like, alright honestly, I¡¯ll take it either way. Now¡­ Jasper, Jasper, Jasper¡­


    You know, just now thinking about it, but what the heck goes on with Jasper while I¡¯m logged out? Is she just¡­ left alone in the pocket dimension? Surely not, right? She¡¯d have made mention of it by now if that were the case. So, I have to assume that time moves for them as it does me in game, that being that they simply¡­ cease to be if I¡¯m not logged in and they¡¯re stored away.


    That¡¯s actually¡­ kind of uh... mildly distressing? Or it would be at least. They¡¯re not really alive in the first place, so, y¡¯know. Now¡­ with a destination in mind¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    I know I just heard something, that was definitely not my mind playing tricks on me. I keep walking, just in case, but now my senses are back on full alert. I¡¯d¡­ uh¡­ admittedly been doing a mite bit of selling whilst flabbergasted about a particular word, only enough to make a silver on the side, but clearly not enough to completely lose track of my surroundings. And now, here we are, back at the precipice once again.


    Wait, what¡¯s the precipice in this scenario? Uhhhm, of dying? Of dying, back at the precipice of dying. Or in this case, avoiding dying.


    Ahem, ahem¡­ what am I doing?


    My toes curl in my boots as I frown at my own lack of urgency. I don¡¯t get bitten in the ass for messing around very often, but when it happens, it sucks. It¡¯s sucked pretty damn hard in the past, and I have no intention to stick my hand over the proverbial stove more than once. You don¡¯t burn yourself a second time.


    Preparing to [Summon] Jasper, I shoot her an ¡°order¡± as I pick out an appropriate spawn for her. ¡°Stay on full alert, eyes on our surroundings, keep yourself under cover, understood?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Good, then, stay safe.¡±


    Manifesting my pocket nuke off to the side within the shrubbery off the beaten path I find myself walking down, I do my best to keep my face narrow. Continuing down the aforementioned path, I do my best to act like I don¡¯t hear the occasional crcks and pops off in the distant trees.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    If I¡¯m not wrong¡­ it sounds like at least¡­ three people? Probably more. They¡¯re not exactly¡­ graceful, but at the very least if they¡¯re not hurtling to the ground in the current stage of the game, then they¡¯ve got some level of skill, being able to parkour without the raw stats to carry them through it. They¡¯re at the very least not incompetent¡­


    Given that, it¡¯d probably be in my best interest to avoid fighting them. Players seem to be extremely squishy in the early game, so even if I¡¯m better, one mistake could cost me a lot. Though, if they don¡¯t intend to give me a choice, then I¡¯ll square up, but¡­ it could go either way. If it really is only three though, I¡¯ll probably be fine.


    It gets harder to keep my face straight by the second, mostly because I find it exceedingly funny that they haven¡¯t realized I know they¡¯re there yet. My steps before were easy, light, practically stumbling right off the path of my own free will while I was joking around with Jasper. As opposed to now, they¡¯ve¡­ hardened somewhat. Straight and narrow as the expression I¡¯m currently bending into place.


    Or maybe they do know I know, and because they know I know, they¡¯ve decided that because they know, they¡¯d try to trick me into thinking that I know that they know, when in reality they already know that I know, so knowing that they decided to divert my attention to a few of them whilst the rest sneak up on me on the ground?


    ¡­Nahhhhhh. Probably not. If I¡¯m really dealing with that competent of a group here and they want me dead, I¡¯m probably screwed and the best I¡¯ll be able to do is make sure Jasper doesn¡¯t die. But, hope for the best. Let¡¯s hope they¡¯re not all god gamers, yeah?


    ¡°Noticed anybody around?¡± I ask Jasper as my eyes flick to a shadow just out of view. I wish they¡¯d just get whatever they¡¯re doing done and over with already.


    ¡°Mm-mm.¡±


    An affirmative, no. So¡­ they¡¯re either avoiding Jasper, whose effective level comes out to about 17 right now with her base stats alone, or there¡¯s nobody on the ground. Yeah, I think nobodies there.


    Oh, hey, scratch that, I actually see somebody in the distance for once! Not a wagon or somebody moving around, but somebody standing stock still, with¡­ leather armor, I think? But it¡¯s dyed a little darker¡­ alright, sure, whaddya got for me?


    ¡°Hello.¡± I called out first, maintaining my stride as I approached the smirking man. Y¡¯know¡­ that¡¯s like¡­ a REALLY punchable face¡­ kind of like my own¡­ but, no, no, maybe he¡¯s here on good will!


    ¡°Heya.¡± He replied with that same smarm purveying through even his voice, his general seeming cockiness really grating at the edges of my restraint. For just a moment, a small one, one he probably didn¡¯t notice. The corner of my cheek tugged upwards.


    Tilting my head to the side with a fake smile, I ask; ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°In fact, that¡¯cha can.¡± Holding that same smirk, he took a step forward as his hand drifted to his side, grasping the handle of a blade seemingly similar to my own.


    Oh¡­ oh we¡¯re really doing this, huh? Y¡¯know, I¡¯m just gonna go out on a limb and say they¡¯re not great at this. If he was gonna attack me, no clue why he dropped the element of surprise. But, maybe he¡¯s just trying to draw my attention to himself instead of his allies?


    With my resolve quickly shattering, I barely hold back the rising edges of my smile, taking a look around in case anybody else just so happens to be sneaking up on me, the man before me takes notice of it and lets out a barking laugh, clearly getting the wrong idea.


    ¡°Nobodies gonna come to help ¡®ya lad. Just turn your pain settings down and I¡¯ll make it quick.¡±


    ¡°Khm¡­hmhmhm¡­¡± I finally break as a little giggle manages to make its way through, much to the confusion of the now blade wielding thug before me. ¡°oh, no, no, sorry, it¡¯s just¡­ could you not act like an npc? I was honestly kind of worried about you for a second there, but, if you¡¯re just gonna be a glorified clown¡­¡±


    His face quickly darkens, the smirk replaced with a grimace within moments. That¡¯s his cool shattered instantly, with, barely any provocation. You know I didn¡¯t REALLY mean what I said just now, but like, now I kind of do? This is a little bit¡­


    ¡°Fine, then, turn it up to a hundred percent for all I care you little shit.¡± He growled, and then brandished his sword, before bringing two fingers up to his lips.


    So, is he gonna whistle for his backup? Kind of an uh, obvious tell-


    Oh, I stand corrected.


    Bringing flame from his lips, the man presses the tips of his fingers to the surface of his steel, setting the entire blade alight as he slid them down its heft.


    ¡°Interesting party trick.¡± I tilt my head again, this time actually genuinely kind of curious. That was like, kind of sick. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to get much magic like that early game, what is he¡­?


    THUMP-THUMP


    So that WAS the signal, okay, got it.


    Weaving inbetween two men falling from the trees, I graze each of their vertical strikes as I pivot on the spot twice back to back, leaving both of them rather bamboozled as to why there was no flesh parred by their blades. And a moment later, there¡¯s another impact of confusion. This time, in the form of my boots planted firmly somewhere around both of their colons, having leapt into the air, launching a blow into one''s gut, using that same momentum to rock the other one even harder than the first.


    8!


    15!


    Alright, I~ can¡¯t~ help it.


    As both of them topple to the floor in momentary shock, my hand flashes to my blade, heaving it from its sheath just as my smile truly breaks free of its proverbial binds.


    Before I have the chance to stab down and plunge it into one of their prone forms, both of the cloaked assailants roll away and jump back to their feet, one behind me, and the other in front, closer to the man who¡¯d initially accosted me.


    Letting out a small sigh, my body sags for a moment as I leave myself defenseless, knowing full well none of them are eager to charge in after that display. ¡°You know¡­ I¡¯d ask why¡­ maybe you have some kind of quest, maybe you¡¯re trying to get my loot, somehow, like I¡¯d have any? Maybe you know what I did to the Bushling? Maybe you¡¯re just like me and you wanted to test out PKing somehow¡­? It¡­ doesn¡¯t matter.¡± I continue to grin wickedly as I bring a hand to my scalp, trying my best not to laugh like a madman.


    Letting my hand slide down my face as I fight down the giggles, all that remains is my smile, wide and as threatening as it need be. Opening my eyes with a slow ease, knowing I¡¯m already putting the fear of god into these plebs, I finish my monologue off without a single feature budging an inch.


    ¡°You chose the wrong target, so you¡¯d better start praying. Because I hold no ill will against any of you, I hope the death penalty isn¡¯t too severe, because none of you are making it out of here in one piece. But more specifically, I sure do hope your pain settings are minimized.¡±


    That last one had a bit of spite in it, and I sure hope they realized why.


    After a short silence, one of them rose to the task of responding against allat ego. ¡°Bah! I¡¯ll wipe that shit eating grin right off your face!¡±


    The original man brandished his flaming blade right at me, clearly fighting off the intimidation I¡¯d done my best to instill. Or at least, trying. But, at the very least, his two accomplices seemed to be emboldened by it, righting their swords to a proper posture once again.


    ¡°Hah! Alright then!¡± I beckon him in with my free hand before gripping my sword with it as well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can leave so much as a scratch shithead.¡±

 C23-A Crucial Element

    You know what? I¡¯ll give it to the three of them. At the very least, they¡¯re coordinated. Despite knocking one of them off guard, in order to capitalize on it I¡¯d have to put myself in harm''s way within reach of one of the others. And while I could probably get a fatal blow (or at least like, 60, 70 something damage) in for¡­ a solid amount of damage against myself, after basically declaring they wouldn¡¯t even do a point of damage to me? We can¡¯t have that! This has gotta be a soul crushing beating.


    Why, you ask?


    Oh well it¡¯s because they¡¯re a bunch of little shits that¡¯s why! ¡°Oh blehh, turn your pain settings down and I¡¯ll make it quick-JUMP OFF THE HEIGHTS OF RESIN PEAK! I hope they have their pain settings up HIGH, in fact.


    CLANG-I set one of them off course, sending one of my latter two assailants stumbling.


    ¡°MmMMMrGhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Not yet, not while they¡¯re so closely packed together. So far they don¡¯t know you¡¯re-¡±


    BANG-Deflecting a strike aimed for my torso, I take another step back, another notch on the long list of kiting that this fight has so far been.


    ¡°here yet. If you can get a good hit in, you should be able to kill one of them right off the bat, and with one less target, we can end this in a flash.¡±


    FWOOM-A wave of bright red comes flashing forward as the man¡¯s allies duck down beneath the attack, leaving me to deal with the result. Fire sword guy¡¯s done this a few times now, but this one¡¯s a little bit different.The flame is aimed lower, too low to reasonably duck under. But at the same time, any extravagant movement would leave me open to follow up from his currently recovering allies, who look just about ready to dash forward and take a piece out of me¡­


    What to do, what to do¡­ Eh you know what, what¡¯s a fight without some tension?


    Instead of leaping back or diving below, I lean forward and build as much momentum as I can in that short moment before the impact, stamping my foot into the ground I launch myself just barely over the blast-


    1!


    ¡­


    I barely G R A Z E the blast as it singes the edge of a finger, rolling through the air as the flames roil past. As my body spins, the caster¡¯s and my eyes making contact, there is both shock, yet also, that same smugness he¡¯d lost nearly a minute ago.


    ¡­


    I¡¯m killing him. I¡¯m killing him expeditiously. So happy over what? A single goddamn point of damage?


    My blade flashed outwards midair, just barely blocked in a last second reaction by that very same blazing blade. Using every advantage granted to me by the laws of physics, I push down, and with that same force, launch myself clear over the entire group, leaving two out of three of them baffled as to where I¡¯d gone, shortly thereafter corrected to zero out of three as the fire guy barked out directions.


    I¡¯m calling him the fire guy now, by the way. Cool? Cool.


    ¡°Jasper, be ready to act.¡±


    [Recall].


    Almost smashing into the floor with the force I¡¯d built up, my legs nearly buckle as I touch down from an almost ten foot fall, but I stand tall. Quickly recovering as the trio turned to face me, I changed my grip and prepared to charge, ready to carve one of them up like a pumpkin! Y¡¯know, rip out the guts and everything, standard Halloween prep.


    Just as they all acclimated to the sudden shift in direction, I was already on top of them, my sword flashing forward in a stab as they all tried their best to respond to the sudden assault. After all, I hadn¡¯t been the aggressor thus far, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I took literally one point of damage or anything, nothing at all. I just wanna get this over with and move on, you know, just that.


    Uh¡­ maybe I shouldn¡¯t have told them to start praying? Because somehow, their prayers might¡¯ve actually gone through. Because SOMEHOW, despite having less than a tenth of a second to react, this guy who¡¯s obviously worse at the game than I am, managed to just BARELY knock my sword off course, bashing my blade to the side with his own with an amount of grace that would¡¯ve made a slobbering drunkard cringe hard enough to sober up, resulting in a graze with his side-5!-as opposed to a proper blow which would¡¯ve knocked him out of commission, or at the very least, done at least half of his health.


    And¡­ it¡¯s left me vulnerable. A stab is inherently more dangerous to have countered, so by my design, my two free opponents immediately attempted to capitalize!


    Letting go of my blade, I drop straight to the floor as two simultaneous attacks go flying overhead, both normal attacks. And how shall I counter, here on the floor, prone and vulnerable to all three with my blade knocked to the side?


    [Summon]!


    Sur~prise!


    ¡°Pick a target!¡±


    [Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark]!


    141!


    ¡°KHAHK!¡± Fire Guy almost immediately drops his weapon, the flames instantly burning out the moment the attack made contact. And to me¡­ looks like he had his pain up to at least ten percent or so. Good, screw him!


    A moment later, he shimmers¡­ and then he vanishes.


    Oh yeah, he just got one shot. That¡¯s wicked work. Aaaaaaaand¡­ nothing! Literally nothing, wow. There¡¯s nothing that happens when you PK? So why are these goobers even trying it?


    ¡°What the hell is that!?¡± One of the other nearly identical men call out, their only defining trait being an odd lick in their hair. LIke¡­ something something, blotch villain? Some old anime. Hair like that.


    In the momentary confusion, I plant a hand into the dirt road, giving myself a point of leverage to exert force from. Force for what exactly? Force to kick both of their legs out that¡¯s what. Reaching for my sword with my free hand in the same movement, I grip the handle as both of them come crashing down.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°MmmRMmm.¡±


    [Wild Hunt¡¯s Call]


    [Phantom Assailant]


    Ooo, that¡¯s a little overkill isn¡¯t it?


    A purplish-black copy of the Fire Guy shimmered into being along with a copy of Jasper with the same hues, much to the mounting shock of the two dazed dinguses lying on the ground. I half expect them to dig through their proverbial bags and do¡­ something? Use some kind of skill? But there¡¯s no fanfare here, they just¡­ try to get up, and then the guy with the villain hair gets¡­


    [Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark]ed¡­


    146!


    And the other just gets, oh jeeze, ouch.


    65!


    21!


    His throat raked by the Jasper clone¡¯s claws, and stabbed in the gut by the phantom Fire Guy¡¯s blade.Though, no more fire. The quintessential ¡°guy¡± in this situation is still alive, so, doing my due diligence¡­


    39!


    I drive my own blade right into his chest as he chokes out, ¡°W-wait¡­!¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    And twist it right on in.


    16!


    ¡ª


    ¡­Man! That was¡­ surprisingly easy, I guess it didn¡¯t really dawn on me just how wack Jasper was until about¡­ ten minutes ago? But hey, what¡¯s done is done. Even if I could¡¯ve eviscerated all of them with Jasper at my side from the get go, unironically wiping their entire team in about five seconds was pretty funny.


    Deserved it, too! The smugness that mmmMMMMMMonkey had on his face after dealing literally a single point of damage was about enough to have me waving my fist at the air, so it¡¯s a good thing he died a few seconds after the fact!


    Aaaaaaaaaaaanyways¡­ monster appearances have pretty much just completely stopped now. I haven¡¯t had a single encounter ever since I ran into that group of three, which is fine, it¡¯s not like I get much from fights in this forest at my current level, but it is curious.


    I don¡¯t really get why this is the way it is? Why would you have more monsters closer by the town instead of further out? That¡¯s kind of¡­ counterintuitive, isn¡¯t it? Unless this is like, some kind of warning for heading this far out? I suppose no monsters would certainly serve as an indicator that you¡¯re leaving the previous area¡­


    Well either way, it doesn¡¯t really matter. I¡¯m heading on out either way! I¡¯ve got a¡­ Karst or whatever the hell that is to reach! Couldn¡¯t tell you how high the average level is for there, but compared to other towns, if there¡¯s a scale from one to ten, ten being a five day trip and one being like a short walk from the forest, then Pierre¡¯s Karst is about a four? So I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s going to be too difficult to handle.


    Probably. It¡¯ll be fine.


    Definitely.


    Welp, the tree line is starting to thin, so I suppose that¡¯s about it for this place huh? I don¡¯t imagine I¡¯ll be coming back for any reason, so¡­


    Rapping a fist against my chest, I start backpedaling as I reach the edge of the trees, nodding once and turning my focus to Jasper.


    ¡°Do you want to say goodbye?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm.¡±


    I nod again, and [Summon] her.


    ¡°Take as long as you need.¡±


    I mean, I say that, but if they actually sit here for like, longer than ten minutes I¡¯m going to have to retract that statement-


    ¡­Hm.


    Jasper closes her eyes and bows her head in the direction of the forest.


    I said I had a general idea of what happened with my big cat here¡­ and I still think I do, but¡­ I definitely don¡¯t have any exacts. Something odd is going on here, because surely they don¡¯t have a class rooted in, uh, literal mythology, for no reason at all, like there¡¯s gotta be something deeper¡­ but¡­ at the same time¡­ it¡¯s not really my place to pry right now.


    Maybe someday in the future, but for now¡­ I¡¯ll drop it. This has been an interesting experience so far, not anything like what I expected, but¡­ it wasn¡¯t bad either. As for promising different gameplay¡­ yeah, alright, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had to go through the five stages of grief with a sentient monster at the very start of the game before in any other game¡­ so uniqueness certainly holds true!


    So, Omniscient¡­ I¡¯ll give you a chance, show me a good time.


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Are you ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Alright, great, then let¡¯s get goi-¡±


    ¡°MmmmM.¡±


    ¡°You want to walk?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°...Nothing¡¯s stopping you.¡±


    ¡°M.¡±


    ¡°Well then, shall we?¡±

 C24-Marathon

    ¡°Alright, gonna be honest, I¡¯m already bored of walking.¡± I confide in my closest confidant, otherwise known as Jasper, as I lean back and yawn a mighty yawn.


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    And she responds with a basic huff, a tragedy.


    It¡¯s been about an hour by now since we left Resin Peak, or in other words, twenty minutes of just walking on¡­ this path. This¡­ bland, boring path. With absolutely nothing to do on it. The plains sprawl out way, way off into the distance. And while I can see SOME stuff on distant horizons, hills, towns, and whatnot.., there¡¯s¡­ nothing near us.


    No monsters¡­ no people¡­ no¡­ nothing.


    Was travel supposed to be this boring, or am I just going about it the wrong way¡­?


    You have exited your starting town!


    Uh huh? What about it?


    Noob protection has been disabled!


    Wait wuh? What about it?


    You will now lose 10% of your total currency and one level upon dying!


    Oh nuh? What about it?


    When killing players, based on their karma, gain a percentage of the experience and currency they lose from dying, as well as a chance to steal a certain amount of items that they do not have equipped!-


    Real shit.


    The same rules apply to yourself.


    Of course.


    The Karma system has been unlocked!


    Right, and can I read up on that?


    Pressing the little info button next to ¡°Karma¡±, I blinked in mild surprise as the¡­ not quite modest menu popped up in front of me. There¡¯s¡­ a lot to this. But, I think I already get the general idea¡­? Give me a moment here.


    ¡­


    Alright, Koth speed-read complete, peep the deets. In my words, this is my summary. Change your alignment by completing certain quests, or killing individuals of a certain alignment. Though, it gets much harder to change your alignment the further down a path you go. There¡¯s a whole bunch of math for the equations on it included in the information, but my brain already hurts having read over that, so I am absolutely not going to summarize it.


    Different alignment levels unlock different types of content, and you get more from killing players on opposing alignments. With killing your own ¡°teammates¡± netting you way less. Certain alignment types also¡­ lock off existing content though, like, being chaotic evil doesn¡¯t let you uh¡­ go into most normal towns¡­? Kinda shitty¡­


    Anyways¡­ after that whole info dump, kind of surprised Jasper hasn¡¯t tried to like, stoke any kind of conversation. Also, doubly pissed because WHY COULDN¡¯T THAT PREVIOUS GAGGLE OF GOOBERS HAVE WAITED LIKE TEN MINUTES FOR THE FIGHT, COME ON! Or maybe they wanted to fight somebody without karma activated, so that even if they died, they wouldn¡¯t lose items¡­? I dunflubbinknow¡­ whatever. What¡¯s done is done.


    So! Now that I¡¯m ¡°out of the starting town¡±, even though the town itself was like¡­ a long way away by now, will any monsters show up??? It¡¯s so boring man¡­ I wanna talk to Jasper, but at the same time, about what?


    Wait¡­ wait wait wait, what is that I spy with my little eye? Kinda¡­ kinda looks like a¡­ wagon¡­ way off there in the distance¡­ like, like it¡¯s kinda¡­ going in the direction I wanna go¡­


    Are hitch-hikers a thing in Omniscient? And can I get a sub-class in being one? Are SUB-CLASSES a thing that¡¯s a question for the ages, but, perhaps not one for right now. Well, I suppose I¡¯ll go figure out that first one.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna pick up the pace a little bit.¡± I notify Jasper, whom merely tilts her head at me. She has a little more agility than me, so I¡¯m sure she could catch up either way, but hey no need to be rude. We can run together and I¡¯ll be the one who has to catch up. At least until we reach that wagon anyways¡­


    And so, we go to war.


    ¡ª


    The wagon itself wasn¡¯t moving TOO fast, but with the distance it already had on us by a long, long margin, it stayed pretty far out of reach for the time being. We¡¯ll catch up in due time, but the main issue here¡­


    Stamina 99/122


    Sprinting full speed without taking a break really starts to wear on you. Another thing¡­ I¡¯ve noticed here, is that once your stamina starts to fall, it starts falling faster¡­


    Stamina 98/122


    And faster¡­


    Stamina 97/122


    And you know, to the point where if you don¡¯t stop for at least a little bit¡­


    Stamina 94/122


    It starts to drop.


    That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen that number move in any more than an increment of one, and that¡¯s not exactly promising. I was never the greatest at math or anything, but at this pace, I¡¯m not sure we¡¯ll actually be able to catch up with that wagon¡­ Jasper¡¯s faster than me and she has more stamina, but she¡¯s not uh¡­ big enough to ride, so that¡¯s kind of pointless. She might be able to catch up by herself, but a rogue monster running up to a wagon of strangers certainly has no possible way to go wrong. Definitely.


    So, I continue onwards. Moving perhaps twice as fast as the wagon itself, but¡­


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    Stamina 90/122


    Losing steam, and fast. From where I am right now, I think three minutes of a full sprint could get me to the wagon, but that¡¯s if it doesn¡¯t move. So it¡¯d be more apt to say five. I¡¯ve already been running for five minutes, but if the stamina drain becomes multiplicative¡­ then I¡¯ll run out waaaaaaaaaay before I reach the thing.


    Good god, why am I being forced to think so hard about this? I just wanna catch up to a wagon man! What kind of work horse is dragging this thing anyways? It¡¯s basically moving at the speed of a jog! DRAGGING ALONG A FEW HUNDRED POUNDS WITH IT???


    Now¡­ pain settings don¡¯t exactly refer to exclusively actual pain, more so whatever is perceived by the designer as a negative reaction your body has, something that doesn¡¯t feel good to have happen. And, you know what? Being short of breath is one of those things. So, when I can finally start to properly feel my chest heaving, my breath seizing¡­


    Stamina 79/122


    I know I¡¯m¡­ not gonna make this sprint. So, begrudgingly, I slow my gait, to the point of a mild jog. Jasper matches her pace accordingly, bless her heart, but I¡¯m sure she was also starting to get winded. She might have me beat in strength and vitality, but our stats in agility and stamina are fairly close. She was probably a little better off than me, but certainly not by much.


    ¡°M¡­Mmmm.¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ I wanna catch up¡­ to the wagon!¡± I heave through the mental connection. And while I may not be actively gaining by a solid amount any more, at the very least we¡¯re now matching the wagons''s pace, if not slightly outpacing it. At this rate it should certainly be possible to¡­


    Stamina 78/122


    Wait wuh?


    That¡¯s¡­ weird. My stamina has only ever dropped before when sprinting like I just did, or pulling off wacky maneuvers. Not from¡­ mildly exercising. Unless, the cumulative effect of losing stamina starts to stack up and apply to other forms of effort until you take a rest¡­? That¡¯s¡­ kind of¡­


    I mean it makes SENSE, but that doesn¡¯t mean I need to like it.


    Stamina 77/122


    ¡­Well, shit.


    Ever so gradually, my steps begin to slow in frequency as my body heaves with a sensation usually alien to these kinds of games. Exhaustion was a¡­ interesting system, to say the least. Interesting enough to keep it out of most games that involved combat, anyways. But then again, it wasn¡¯t like you¡¯d be sprinting five minutes straight in the middle of a fight. Battles would in all honesty, probably last about a minute tops between two equal competitors.


    So¡­ it was a limiting factor for¡­ what? Even longer fights probably wouldn¡¯t drain your entire reserve. Running away, then? Maybe add more use to vitality¡­? Some kind of, burst speed versus endurance runner archetype between tanking and dps¡­? Either way, I can¡¯t imagine it was designed with THIS kind of situation in mind!


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think¡­¡± I pause for a moment, sucking in another breath¡­ ¡°We can catch up to them.¡±


    ¡°Mm-mm-m!¡±


    ¡°I do¡­ in fact¡­ say.¡±


    ¡°Mmmmgh.¡±


    Fuh-INALLY, my stamina stops dropping as I rub at my temples, continuing to hobble forward I take another glance up at the rapidly¡­ advancing¡­ wait, wait wait wait, did they¡­?


    ¡°Hold on, Jasper, do mine eyes deceiveth me? Hath that wagon ceased its momentum!?¡±


    They stopped! But why? Did they see me taking such great pains to reach them, and they decided that my determination was worth rewarding?! Yeah, probably not. What¡¯s going on here?


    ¡°Mmm¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the accent.¡± I scoffed as I playfully waved in her direction. ¡°Anyways, do mine eyes deceiveth me or¡­¡±


    ¡°mmm.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine, do MY eyes DECIEVE me¡­ or is there a little, uh, commotion going on over there?¡±


    I don¡¯t start sprinting again or anything, I can still feel my lungs trying to strangle me on 3%, so¡­ not doing that, but I keep walking forward toward the stilled object, and as I get closer and closer¡­ I think I do indeed spy with my little eye, a fight occurring. That¡¯s odd, not sure where the monsters are for me, but it looks like¡­ a bunch of¡­ animals that I can¡¯t quite make out from here.


    What are they fighting? Well, obviously the group with the wagon. Bunch of dudes fighting them off. Can¡¯t tell if they¡¯re doing all that well at it from here, but it certainly doesn¡¯t look like any of them are getting figuratively and or literally ripped apart¡­ So, yeah, probably doing fine!


    But, more importantly¡­


    ¡°We need to catch up before they finish up over there.¡±


    ¡°Mmmh¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, do you really wanna walk the entire way?¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    ¡°Who says I¡¯ll let you stay in the pocket realm the entire time? I ain¡¯t going miles without any company.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So on that note, let¡¯s get going!¡±

 C25-The Muscle In Question

    Now that the wagon has actually stopped moving, it¡¯s relatively easy to gain ground on it. I think I was about right with my earlier guesstimation of how long it would take to reach, so even at a jog now, I guess it¡¯ll take about¡­ five minutes?


    Oh, and about that jog, some more clarification has been achieved on this stamina system! At least, I think so. After walking for a little bit, the stamina drain definitely slowed down at least somewhat. I¡¯m still LOSING it, but it¡¯s staying static now. The rate of decay isn¡¯t increasing, unlike when I was full on sprinting. But it¡¯s also not increasing, so¡­ It could be getting worse and I¡¯m wrong, just, not as noticeably when I was exerting myself completely.


    How much do I have right now again?


    Stamina 61/122


    Right¡­ That should take me to the finish line, yeah. Still panting pretty badly, can¡¯t feel that much of it, but being able to feel it at all is a pretty good indicator that I¡¯m messed up right¡¯about now. But I spared Jasper the struggle of having to run by simply [Recall]ing her for now, despite my earlier threat. No need to make her suffer for no real reason, I¡¯m pretty sure she actually feels things unlike me, though I¡¯m not sure if npcs are designed to suffer inordinate levels of pain.


    Maybe the devs are sadists and they do, but either way, no need to test that theory on her of all creatures.


    This just in; we have officially reached the halfway point! And from here, I¡¯d say my vantage point on the fighting has gotten significantly better! But on the flipside, it also significantly died down in those two minutes. I¡¯d say the monsters circling them bear most of their similarity to some kind of wolf. Though they''re obviously monstrous varieties, their proportions of vicious applications seem¡­ unnatural. I¡¯m pretty sure I can catch a glimmer of sunlight flashing from their claws, even at this distance.


    Speaking of circling them, things have gone from an all out brawl, to a slower paced slugfest, but the wolves seem to be on the back paw here. They¡¯re slowly getting out of dodge, likely having realized they¡¯re outmatched. That¡¯s¡­ kind of threatening, knowing that monsters have the intelligence to make sound decisions and what not¡­ but no matter.


    Either way, the people defending have gone from, as aforementioned; defenders, to attackers. Stepping out further than they likely should if they value their lives, striking out at the wolves, which seemed reluctant to capitalize on the aggressive maneuvers despite their clear ability to do so.


    So¡­ perhaps they¡¯re not stupid, but perhaps not all that smart either.


    Well, either way, they¡¯re just about ready to dip entirely it seems, so, I¡¯ll probably have to pick up the pace and hurry up before the wagon gets on the move again. Good job defender men, defending the¡­ whatever that wagon  is with style!


    Or at least, that¡¯s what I thought at first. Just barely out of eyeshot, A large bird off in the distance, way up above, seemingly¡­ screeches. That¡¯s all it does from my point of view. It¡¯s loud, annoying, kind of hurts my ears, but otherwise does nothing else.


    Or well, does nothing else to me. At the painful sound, everybody in my gaze seems to freeze up for a moment, but after the fact, the wolves lunge in with a renewed frenzy, abandoning their previous retreat and attacking with reckless abandon.


    Though, as for my part¡­ I¡¯m more interested in the bird here. What the hell was that? Some kind of tamed monster, summon, something, that somebody over there used to draw the monsters in to wipe them out ahead of time? Or, maybe¡­


    Or maybe it¡¯s none of those things, because as my attention finally landed on it, it simply¡­ soared away, shrinking from view as it got further, and¡­ wait, no it literally shrunk. It¡¯s in fact, doing both of those things.


    ¡­Huh.


    That¡¯s neat. Welp, better hurry on up before they hurry on up and clear out the monsters!


    Hup to it!


    ¡ª


    I can¡¯t help but wince at the dying whine of a wolf as I finally get within range, close enough to see the name and level of said wolf right before it vanishes anyways.


    Great Crossing¡¯s Feng-LVL 6


    It¡¯s name is¡­ sorry, was, white, so I assume that just means it was around my level and also hostile. God-WAS, hostile, I can¡¯t get these tenses right, huh? Heh, haaaah, haaaaaah¡­


    ¡°Halt! State your name and purpose!¡±


    ¡­Oh, right, there are people here besides the wolves that just got murderized.


    ¡°Can-¡± Ooo, god, lack of breath¡¯s hitting me. ¡°Hm-Ahem! Can do! Name¡¯s Koth, I wanted to catch up to catch a ride because you¡¯re heading in the direction of the town I was heading to!¡±


    I smile as best as I can, and by that I mean as fake as I can, though my forthrightness seems to unnerve the man who¡¯s been pointing a sword at my personage from a distance.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Easy, they¡¯re not in any position to hurt me.¡±


    That silence is dangerous, please don¡¯t maul them Jasper, thank you.


    ¡°Are you¡­ serious?¡± His stone cold gaze cracked at my disarming smile, their sword held all the same as a few other men of similar stature approached his side.


    ¡°Certainly so! You¡¯ll have to forgive me for being so blunt, I¡¯d rather not walk all the way to Pierre¡¯s Karst.¡± Looking over the baffled, growing group, I take a glance over each of them individually, and while they certainly don¡¯t look too battered as a whole¡­


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t just come tagging along for no reason either, I¡¯m perfectly capable of fending for myself, and I¡¯m sure you could use some extra help.¡± I continue to smile gently as my eyes flicker across the blood stains upon the chain and leather of the¡­ I¡¯m gonna call them guardsmen for now.


    They don¡¯t say anything to me in particular, just muttering amongst themselves. However, those who were pointing pointy sticks at me, note the past tense, are no longer pointing pointy sticks at me! That practiced suave comes in handy, yuh huh.


    ¡°You all seem to be a little out of it, so I¡¯ll back off and give you a moment. I promise I don¡¯t mean any harm, I¡¯m just here for a ride, and I¡¯m more than willing to pay off my presence, be it through money or combat. If that whole shabang earlier is common in any way, you could probably use the help.¡±


    Taking a few paces back, I watch as the wary gazes melt away from me, finally letting my fake smile loose a little bit, replaced by an even neutrality.


    ¡°Hey Jasper, wanna hang out for a second?¡±


    Couldn¡¯t hurt to make myself look more valuable beyond simple composure, monster tamers are probably helpful, right?


    ¡°Mmmm¡­ Mmhm.¡±


    ¡°Radical.¡±


    [Summon]!


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Gently stroking Jasper as she stretches out across my lap, I simply sit criss-cross applesauce and look at the wagon from a distance as I continue to catch my breath.


    It¡¯s only a matter of time¡­..


    ¡ª


    ¡­


    Alright, what the hell¡¯s taking these guys so long? It¡¯s been like four minutes! Four whole minutes, can you believe it? Come on, I''m literally right here offering my services for fuhREE! No strings attached!


    Ugh¡­ I guess I should¡¯ve expected it given their hostility was so readily apparent from the start. But like, why though? I get they were on edge cause of some monsters and everything, and that could lead to them to be a bit abrasive, but if they¡¯re a bunch of calm and logical people, they¡¯d surely understand that I meant no harm, right? Apologies aplenty should be coming my way.


    So¡­ why aren¡¯t they? Well¡­ I was a little straightforward, maybe too much, but they should still want to speak to me¡­ wait, wait hold on. There was some kind of monster like, heading the attack on them from what I saw. It drew agro back towards the wagon, and¡­


    What am I doing right now?


    ¡­Petting a monster that I summoned. And¡­ they were just¡­ attacked¡­ by monsters. Uhhhhhh, would it be more or less incriminating for me to [Recall] Jasper now? Probably more, right? I think the proper thing to do here is to uh, just wait until they speak to me. I think I can tolerate that, for a few minutes.


    ¡ª


    After a solid fifteen or so minutes, one man finally approaches me. I couldn¡¯t put a name to the face, or even a distinct feature that sets them apart from the other men I¡¯ve seen so far, they¡¯re kind of uh¡­ dime a dozen, but that¡¯s beside the point!


    Though, just before he¡¯s about to say something, I raise a hand and motion for him to pause.


    ¡°First things first, I¡¯d like to apologize for my prior advance. I should¡¯ve given you and your¡­¡± Uh¡­ his allies? His allies. ¡°allies some time to recover from the fight, I was just tired and wanted to make sure you didn¡¯t leave without noticing me.¡±


    Letting my hand fall back down to Jasper, who was basically now half asleep, I nod for him to continue.


    ¡°...Very well, your forwardness was off putting, but not too much of an issue. There is¡­ no need to apologize.¡± He nodded back, eyeing me with a neutral expression. ¡°However, that¡¯s not what we were speaking about. You asked to come with us, all the ways to Pierre¡¯s Karst. Lucky for you, our stop is nearby, so we debated allowing you to do so.¡±


    ¡­Why is he pausing? Aye? Speak up ja!?


    ¡°...And?¡±


    ¡°Whether you can or can¡¯t depends on a few things, namely, a few questions. Would you mind answering a few?¡±


    Tilting my head, I force down an annoyed smile and forge a fake one in its place.


    ¡°Certainly, ask away.¡±


    ¡°Right, what level are you?¡±


    For my part, I simply take a glance at my menu. It¡¯s not exactly a difficult task.


    Koth-Monster Tamer


    Level 7


    Though¡­ why are they asking me? They can just see my level, can¡¯t they? Just like I can¡­ wait, hold on a minute, actually, why can¡¯t I see their levels? Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t really been able to read the information of any human, only monsters¡­


    Y¡¯know what? I¡¯m taking a little too long to answer this question.


    ¡°Nine,¡± I lie effortlessly.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ and you are a Monster Tamer, yes?


    Nodding, I continue to smile as ¡°best¡± I can, no need to lie to make myself look better this time around.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ alright, that about matches up with what we thought about you. Very well, you¡¯ll be allowed to come with us on three conditions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening, alright?¡±


    Eyeing me with a¡­ look, he sighed before continuing. ¡°First, do not ask any questions about what we¡¯re transporting.¡±


    ¡°Simple enough,¡± I butt in before he has the chance to continue, earning a bit more of that previous glare. Raising my hands placatingly, Jasper rumbles with discontent as she is left unattended.


    ¡°As I was saying¡­ second, deal with as many monsters as you can-¡± and before I could interject ¡°-and third, attempt to subdue the creature that you no doubt saw earlier.¡±


    ¡°The bird, yes?¡± I nod with awareness. ¡°But why would it come back?¡±


    ¡°...No asking questions about what we¡¯re transporting.¡± He huffed and rolled his neck a bit. ¡°Do you agree or not?¡±


    Tamers Escort


    500 exp


    ???


    Escort the wagon¡¯s cargo safely to its destination.


    Accept?


    Y/N


    ¡°Well, why not?¡±


    If that monster would be coming back, might as well see if I could get my mitts on the thing, seems interesting! And also, you know, don¡¯t need to walk the entire way to the place. Ha, ha, haaaah¡­ Yeah I¡¯m kind of pinned on this not gonna lie, what do I do, say no and jog the whole way? No way, lol!


    ¡ª


    Kicking my legs over each other, I yawn as I [Summon] Jasper once more, who had priorly been rudely awakened through a [Recall] born of necessity.


    ¡°Hmmmmm.¡±


    ¡°Aw don¡¯t be too angry, we were never going to just sit in one place the entire day. You know that.¡±


    ¡°Mmmmm.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, look, wanna play a game instead of being angry?¡±


    ¡°Mmmm¡­ Mmm?¡±


    ¡°Ever heard of Monkey¡¯s Paw?¡±

 C26-Monkeys Paw

    ¡°Okay, so¡­ I wish for a billion experience.¡±


    ¡°...Mmm? Mmm¡­ m m Mmm.¡±


    ¡°No-you can¡¯t just say I explode, that''s not how the game works. You need to come up with a loophole that you could realistically argue in the wish that I make-Here, here. You make a wish, I¡¯ll give you an example.¡±


    ¡°Mmmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mmm! Mmmmmmmmm.¡±


    ¡°Granted! You can now run super fast, but your body isn¡¯t any more durable. You tear yourself to shreds in the wind just by running.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°Mmmm.¡±


    ¡°It is not stupid!¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll just sit here in silence then!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...Actually, do you know how to play twenty questions?¡±


    ¡°Mmh?¡±


    ¡°...Never mind. You¡¯re boring, Jasper.¡±


    ¡°Wordlessly¡±, her head tilted back, a silent offense evident in her eyes.


    Without a word, Jasper let out a low growl as she stared me down, her demands clear.


    ¡°Give me a reason to take it back.¡± I crossed my arms and stuck my tongue out, blowing raspberry at a literal npc. Oh, how far I¡¯ve come in life.


    God¡­ I wish something exciting would happen! This ride has been such a bore, I can barely even-


    ¡°Look alive! Monsters, dead ahead!¡±


    Bolting upwards, I take a look around as my head peeks over the wagon''s borders. Don¡¯t know why, they already said they¡¯re dead ahead! And what would you know? That they are.


    A group of passing creatures about yae high are crossing the plains a solid distance away from us. They don¡¯t seem particularly interested in us, but the fact that they are in our way is mildly concerning. Mildly concerning? Who am I worried for? It¡¯ll be fine.


    Upon closer inspection, I ring such abominations to mind as¡­ uh¡­ like, mini griffins? That¡¯s kind of what they look like from my point of view way over yonder. The wagon gradually slows down as we get closer and closer, and while we¡¯re not coming to a complete stop, it seems that whoever¡¯s actually driving this thing (I didn¡¯t bother to look, I was ¡°tired¡±, alright?) doesn¡¯t really want to barrel straight into the crowd of mini monsters.


    An uneasy silence descends upon the vicinity of the vehicle, and for a moment, I just stretch and contemplate lying back down. It doesn¡¯t actually seem like we¡¯re going to be attacked in the moment¡­ The horde of mini-griffs are currently en route to some mountains off in the middle of nowhere that are in my peripherals, so clearly they have no investment in me, anybody else, or any of the things on this wagon.


    ¡°...Hold!¡± A weary voice finally calls out after a long few seconds of silence, and shortly after, the wagon comes grinding to a halt. The large, buff, oxen adjacent creature pulling it coming to a stop. Actually, the thought just occurred, I haven¡¯t even inspected this thing have I?


    Fierra¡¯s Falls Ox-LVL 11


    ¡­Jeeze. That¡¯s high level, huh? Or well maybe not, but still. Higher level than everything else around here. Well, the things whose levels I can see anyways. Certainly explains why this wagon was and has been moving so ding darned quickly. Well, the tide is just about passing-AUGH, ¡°FUCK!¡±


    I can¡¯t even begin to describe it in the instant that was given to me, even with my pain settings on the low end at 3.5% as they usually are, it feels like my entire being reverberates with an unknown ache. My hands race up to my ears before I can even register what happened, and the pain quickly registers itself thereafter. My ears ring fervently, like somebody had shoved a gong right up them and smashed the thing to bits. The sudden noise that had ripped into my eardrums disorienting me in that short moment.


    Grumbling to myself for a moment, the shock passes over me and¡­No, it¡¯s not quite pain, it was just so sudden¡­ ughhh, my ears hurt. Really, more so shock than anything else, but¡­ what the hell happened?


    ¡°Ghhhh¡­¡± I groan as I rub at my temples, the raucous cries from the rest of my current company slowly bleed into recognition as my ears cleared out.


    Is my health fine¡­?


    130/140


    Okay, so that was actually an attack, what the hell was it though? What¡­ what did that? Is Jasper alright? Oh¡­ right¡­ I kind of pocketed her at the end of our little incident. She looked about ready to tear me to bits¡­ Eh, she¡¯d have been fine either way! No need to worry.


    ¡°Hey¡­!¡±


    Oh, little bit dizzy, no worries, I¡¯ll be right up¡­


    Stumbling to my feet on the wagon that had now ground to a complete halt, I blink as I work through the disorientation, looking confusedly at a man seemingly mouthing something at me.


    ¡°Aye!¡±


    ¡­Alright, all straightened out¡­ what¡¯s going on¡­


    ¡°AYE! YA RIGHT DULLARD, UPHOLD YOUR END OF THE BARGAIN! THE DAMN THING¡¯S FLYING AWAY!¡±


    Huh? Wuh? Oh nuh? Oh, wait, shit, okay now¡¯s not the time to mess around, focus up, come on, I know I¡¯m still almost falling over but can you listen to me brain? Take in the situation, get up to¡­


    ¡­Speed.


    That previously mentioned, massive horde, is now¡­ approaching. A large, large, chunk of it.


    That¡¯s uh¡­ that¡¯s not good. Probably drawn over here by the noise, but¡­ what the heck caused¡­ that¡­


    Out of the corner of my eyes, I catch a glimpse of shimmering feathers, an odd bird off in the distance shedding its form and zipping off into the sunset.


    ¡­That little shit. I¡­ don¡¯t have anything to deal with that right now. What I can however deal with!


    ¡°Hey Jasper¡­¡±


    ¡°mmm.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not actually boring.¡±


    ¡°mHMm.¡±


    ¡°No, really, I was just messing with you.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This game¡¯s weird.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making fun of you, I didn¡¯t realize that would upset you so badly, my intention was in good fun.¡±


    There¡¯s no time to argue semantics or whatever, I need her help in the now. If she wants an apology, she can get an apology.


    ¡°Mmm, mm.¡±


    Oh thank god.


    [Summon]!


    Now¡­ what are we dealing with here?


    Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 5


    Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 4


    Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 6


    Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 5


    Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 5


    Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 7


    Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 3


    Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 4


    Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn-LVL 5


    Right then! And then multiply their numbers by like, I dunno, a hundred from what I Just counted? Well, I¡¯ll either be dead, or I¡¯ll be a good few levels higher. Let¡¯s get to it!


    ¡ª


    The horde crashes forward without mercy, as if it were a raging tide conjured from some non-existent ocean in the vicinity. Like, I mean this as literally as I possibly can, the little ankle biters are approaching like a damn tsunami. There are HUNDREDS of them strolling up, if I¡¯d seen a level over seven, I might¡¯ve started praying, but frankly I think it¡¯ll be fine.


    Interestingly enough, most of the other, I assume, hired guards sprint out to meet them before they can get close to the wagon, with a solemn few staying behind, likely just in case something else were to happen. Though, they are giving me a few odd glances now that I think about it¡­


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Oh well! I¡¯ll go right ahead and knock their socks off, because that¡¯s what heroes do, right? Not that I¡¯m a hero or anything. I¡¯m being paid with free transportation, so good enough for me! I am a ¡°bought¡± and ¡°paid¡± for agent of burnination!


    ¡°Jasper, you¡¯re going to be doing most of the work here. Your abilities are pretty much tailor designed for a horde like this, a bunch of fodder is perfect for your MP sustain, and if you kill a few high level spawns, even with halved stats they can still go around killing other lower levels. So, you¡¯re ready to get to it, yes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Aw don¡¯t give me that, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll actually be doing it alone! I¡¯m here to support you the whole way through. You¡¯ve got higher baseline stats than I do by a pretty wide margin, so it¡¯s just how it is. It¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯m here to teleport you around as much as needed!¡±


    ¡°...Mm-mm.¡±


    ¡°See that¡¯s what we like to hear. Alright, kill as many as you can as fast as possible, then come back to me, alright?¡±


    With her tail flicking as a sign of acquiescence, Jasper strode forward as her eyes locked onto her first target, though¡­ now that I think about it, she does have a habit of throwing out her Mark skill as her first attack¡­


    ¡°And don¡¯t use any MP until I give you the go ahead!¡±


    For a short moment, she stopped in place to turn and give me an incredulous look, but without grumbling she turned back around and continued on her way, her tail lashing once more, this time in what I believe to be¡­ moderate annoyance. Eh, she¡¯ll be fine.


    Moments later, she quickly joins the ongoing brawl, cleaving into-65!-a priorly unsuspecting spawn. Whom is now likely quite suspecting of subsequent assault, given the mini-griff things¡¯ head snapped in her direction. With a screech that was easily lost within the cacophony, it lunged for her in retaliation, but missed with what could affably be described as a moderate margin of error.


    Having ducked under the sweeping claws of the Spawn, Jasper quickly followed up with her own strike, tearing through the throat of the wide open monster for another massive shot of 71! damage. Though it wasn¡¯t quite dead yet, given it attempted to bite at Jasper who had, admittedly, somewhat displaced herself in the aggressive maneuver. She would certainly win the battle regardless of the outcome, but at the moment, this is a war of attrition, and unnecessary damage is UNACCEPTABLE!


    [Recall]! Into, you guessed it, [Summon]!


    Blipping out of existence for a moment, she shortly reappeared positioned to the side of where the attack had been aimed, avoiding the dying nip that had been diving for her neck.


    56!


    With another sickeningly silent slash of her claws, Jasper rended through the spawn for a final time as it collapsed and shortly afterwards, faded into nothingness.


    +11 exp!


    ...That one was level seven though. You mean to tell me a whole gap of six levels is there, and the experience gained from a monster only increased twenty fold? ¡­Bro? How much experience did I need to level up right now¡­?


    Exp-32/611


    Oh good lord. And this is only level seven??? I get I get half experience but that¡¯s cuhrayzee.


    ¡ª


    +7 exp!


    +5 exp!


    +11 exp!


    +11 exp!


    Jasper rips through spawn after spawn in quick succession, taking each of them out in similar fashion, and completely forgoing any level of defense given she has me in her proverbial pocket. I¡¯ve got the reaction speed to keep her unharmed, so what¡¯s to be worried about? Clearly, Jasper thinks the same. As long as all agro¡¯s on her, there¡¯s no issue. I must admit, it¡¯s¡­ a little weird to just be sitting on the sidelines, but I guess what works, works.


    ¡­Is this how Cassie feels?


    Ah, wait a minute, she¡¯s actually kind of starting to get swarmed. Tis to be expected, you can only two and or three shot your way through so many enemies before the rest start to catch on, even with other enemies present and a questionable average IQ. Despite being on the frontlines for the least time, Jasper has certainly done the most damage in the least amount of time. Given she¡¯s killed eight separate monsters in about a minute.


    She¡¯s still-55!-fighting back just fine and what not, but-67!-one does have to exercise a slight amount of caution when your, one death and they¡¯re gone, summon is surrounded by¡­ I count nine right now, all staring her down?


    61!


    +11 exp!


    Okay, wow, that¡¯s some laser like precision, how do you eat through their pack tactics like that and hit the same enemy thrice over the span of three seconds? She¡¯s also been mostly targeting the level sevens, which I didn¡¯t exactly order her to do, but that is what I wanted her to do! Either way, she¡¯s done enough now, so even though she could probably handle it¡­


    I [Recall] her as her legs tense and half a dozen spawn¡¯s all converge on where she¡¯d been a moment ago, leading to an almost comical pile up as they¡¯re all suddenly met with thin air.


    That whole thing didn¡¯t exactly work wonders on my MP reserves¡­ buuut, it should be fine. Now, to execute my grand pl-


    ¡°KRIIIAH!¡±


    Ooo, that¡¯s one lunging at me. Level six, alright, no biggie. I know Jasper could obliterate it, but like, I¡¯m also kinda itching for some action here¡­ ah to hell with it!


    11!


    Drawing my broadsword with practiced ease, I practically slap the spawns¡¯ claws away, clearly, with enough force to deal damage, given it was so disoriented by the maneuver that it was sent sprawling to the ground.


    The strike was technically aimed for its neck, but these mountain lord thingamajig spawns might not be as generically dumb as I¡¯d figured they¡¯d be, because it actually shifted its mass mid leap to position its claws in between my blade and itself. Actually, you know what? This seems like a fairly apt opportunity to me!


    Capitalizing on the knockdown, even as it scrambles to its paws, its stomach is firmly met with my boot-22!-launching it a solid foot up into the air, in which its skull is then met by the pommel of my sword. Youch.


    33!


    Oh, hey, perfect progression of numbers, neat.


    Anyways!


    WHA-BAM!


    25!


    Another kick to its body after it found itself knocked to the floor is what follows the prior assault, and by now it should be pretty low on health. I haven¡¯t actually done much experimenting with [Tame] but I figure getting a monster low on health is a pretty good way to do it, though given how temperamental Jasper can be, I don¡¯t suppose it¡¯s a good way to keep them loyal if personality like that exists in these monsters.


    No matter, this is a pretty standard monster and I¡¯m not really planning on keeping it!


    Taming successful!


    Would you like to name your Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn?


    ¡­Why not? Welcome aboard Jerry, for however long you¡¯re here anyways.


    Jerry-Great Crossing¡¯s Mountain Lord Spawn


    Level 6


    HP 98/189


    MP 50/50


    Stamina 119/222


    Core stats


    Vitality-12


    Strength-15


    Intelligence-6


    Agility-10


    Sub stats


    Endurance-37


    Luck-0.7


    Mana-0


    Dexterity-3.5


    Unique stats


    Potential-0.1


    Skills


    Passives


    Empowered Constitution-Each point of strength and vitality is 1.4x more effective.


    In Search, Roaming-Gain Potential by feasting on the flesh of powerful monsters.


    ¡­That¡¯s kind of interesting, I¡¯ll look into that later. For now, ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET.


    [Recall]


    [Summon]


    ¡°Jasper. Let¡¯s get down to business, to defeat, the horde.¡±

 C27-The Hunts Shade

    ¡°...Mmm?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we were already doing that, but like, now we¡¯re going to do it better! Surely you have some idea of why I asked you to not use any MP, right?¡±


    ¡°...Mhm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. You killed nine of them, so as long as we get to doing it right now, you should be able to respawn all of them right now, right?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm.¡±


    Wait, they¡¯re upset about that idea? It¡¯s literally part of their class though? Or, maybe upset isn¡¯t the right interpretation¡­ or at least not upset at me for asking?


    ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t want to? Why?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    More than anything, it feels like a sense of anxiety to me, which is¡­ odd coming from her. Didn¡¯t exactly strike me as the type to get apprehensive over things like this. Maybe a little bit melodramatic at times, but¡­not outright hesitant to do something?


    ¡°Is there any particular reason that you absolutely CAN¡¯T use your skill?¡±


    Cause it¡¯d sure suck if this was one of those ¡°you see their full power but can¡¯t actually use it!!!¡± kind of situations. I mean, she LITERALLY used it not two hours ago when we were showing 3 buffoons the bite of virtual reality! So she better be able to!


    Eyeing up the location instead of giving a ¡°proper¡± response, my own sight is naturally drawn to the trail of her own. I figure there¡¯s some kind of point to it, so might as well follow along¡­?


    The numbers of the horde have certainly significantly diminished by now, but there are also still a lot of them. Most of which are currently engaged in combat against one of the guards that had accompanied the wagon insofar in groups of five or more per individual. The wagon itself remains unmarred by the rest of the battle, and those who remained stationed around the thing seem to be more focused on every other direction besides our particular locale, what not given the possibility of attack from other directions. I get it, I didn¡¯t like having my ears blown out either.


    Eventually, Jasper stops glancing around, bringing my gaze to the horde before me once again. Sagging with a characteristically characterized nigh-sigh, she gives me one final grumble.


    ¡°...Mmh.¡±


    Am I¡­ sure? Well shit, she¡¯s doing the most to make sure I¡¯m not! But at the same time, I really don¡¯t see a reason to not have her use it. So¡­ with a nod¡­


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    [Wild Hunt¡¯s Call-X9].


    I hadn¡¯t noticed it the last time Jasper used the skill, but the shadows forming the summoned phantoms practically amalgamated into existence, darkness creeping and encroaching from out of sight despite the sun high in the sky on a cloudless day, what felt like a claw raking through my ear and a chill crawling through my entire being¡­ Twas¡­ twas rad as hell to be perfectly frank. That¡¯s a cool ass skill Jasper.


    Nine pitch black, yet otherwise identical copies of the spawn manifest in the wake of the bright sun, their forms eerily still without a command to guide them, though, not left to rot for too long, Jasper quickly takes a step toward the burgeoning horde, some of the monsters now pushing towards us and the wagon as the group is gradually trimmed down.


    ¡°Oh, right, wait a sec,¡± I snap as I recall the last thing I¡¯d wanted to do in this particular instant!


    Not wanting to slow the inevitable, I shuffle right up to Jasper and pop open a MP potion fresh out of the inventory. Without room for protest, I hold it up to her muzzle and tilt it. Having already realized what the potion was before it even got within a foot of her, she had obviously been ready. Though, that didn¡¯t stop her from sticking her tongue out afterwards.


    Probably bitter or something, I¡¯ll figure it out myself if my MP gets low enough. Speaking of MP, given she should¡¯ve used up forty five on her summoning, how much did she recover?


    MP 35/50


    Yeah, that¡¯s about right. 30 MP for a basic potion, ja, ja, pretty much figured, just wanted to see.


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re actually good to go this time! Sorry about all the delays.¡±


    ¡°...MmMm.¡±


    Jasper emphatically shakes her head, seemingly having changed her mind about something. Dipping to the left of my side, she quickly takes off running from her summoned creatures as I near stumble over her sudden movements.


    Alright, what the heck gives with all of this? What¡¯s the big deal with some shadow monsters?


    Not a moment later, she turned just to hiss at me, her tail lashing in impatience. At the same time, the monsters that Jasper had conjured began to advance forward, their forms trudging forward with an uncanny valley feel to them, so frankly, despite the skill itself being cool¡­? Yeah I guess I could do with some distance.


    I follow suit after Jasper without much hesitation, sprinting off of the beaten path and to her side much to her relief, given the falling of her previously subtly raised hackles. A moment later, she activates another one of her skills as the priorly summoned phantoms crash into the advancing horde.


    [Phantom Assailant]


    This time, there¡¯s none of that same, well, darkness accompanying the creation of her copy. The inky black simply takes shape, and then runs off to the side of the rest of the summoned phantoms. Whereas the previous summons had screamed into reality, this one just went¡­ pop! and boom, it was there.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    +6 exp!


    Okay, so¡­ don¡¯t get damage notifications at a distance, but do get exp notifications? That¡¯s mildly convenient. Anyways, why the heck are we leaving them to fight on their own?


    ¡°Jasper, why did we run over here?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but I do expect at least some level of an explanation later.¡±


    But if it really was for nothing I¡¯m gonna tuh-huh-weak!


    ¡ª


    45!


    72!


    76!


    56!


    46!


    After some deliberating, I figured it couldn¡¯t really hurt to go into the frenzy with Jasper, of course, a healthy twenty something meters away from the group of phantom summons according to Jasper¡¯s whims. Every time we kill something, or at least almost every time, you know, as long as Jasper deals enough damage, another one is conjured over in the distance, adding to the now ever expanding horde, thirty something strong at this point.


    Despite their heavily weakened stats, Jasper¡¯s [Phantom Assailant] consistently maintains heavy dps, covering for the lack of damage output the other summons have and also keeping itself alive by consistently landing attacks, given each hit is worth about 60 damage from it, and thus an extra two seconds on its lifetime.


    Frankly, I¡¯m pretty satisfied with the display. Jasper¡¯s MP stays at near tip top condition despite the doubled cost of her clone having to use her skills on her part given our distance from the group, and they¡¯re constantly cutting down more and more enemies. Though, the rate of MP lost definitely outpaces the MP Jasper recovers without [Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark] active.


    Well, bottom line, things are dying really fast now! Yeah? Like, really really fast.


    +7 exp!


    +5 exp!


    Two kills just off handedly, a claw and a sword parring flesh and a goon overwhelmed by the horde over in the distance. It¡¯s great, really, nothing could ruin this for me right now. Absolutely nothing.


    Yet despite that not being a challenge¡­


    As the horde thins even further, the entire thing almost completely chopped, with some stragglers running away and the last few dozen quickly falling with their numbers depleted, somebody¡¯s voice cuts through the crowd and calls¡­


    ¡°HUNT¡¯S SHADE!¡±


    Immediately, Jasper flinches, at a rather inopportune time given the pair of claws aiming to split her muzzle. Though, not realizing anything wrong, I unfortunately fail to react on that front, cringing as a rather nasty-41!-cleaves its way through her, sending her stumbling back with a grunt of pain.


    Eyes widening, I instantly cast a [Recall] and dispel Jasper to prevent any further assault. Having done so, the initial assailant was left rather awkwardly positioned and completely open to a downwards chop,-141!-cleaving the thing in two from the face onwards. Also, holy shit, critical hit!? I didn¡¯t even know you could hit those, good lord, they¡¯re rare! But also, deserved!


    Not quite one shotting it, but certainly leaving it disoriented from having over two thirds of its health annihilated in one hit, the next blow is easy to land, finishing it off with a crisp 45!


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Mmmmrghhh¡­ Mmmm.¡±


    A grumbling retort at best, it¡¯s not even all that coherent, but speaking immediately after the fact at all is good. I don¡¯t think Jasper has any kind of pain reduction like a player would, so a direct blow to the face has to hurt¡­ if it¡¯s even programmed for her to feel pain, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was.


    Now, what was that about a¡­ hunt¡¯s shade?


    Despite the existence of a few remaining Spawn, multiple individuals, some battered and some bruised, already find themselves sprinting towards the blackened summons, brandishing blood and blade to the unresponsive phantoms. Out of the corner of my eye, I can spot the copy of Jasper fading into nothingness before anything else can happen, leaving the rest of the weak copies on their own to fend against the clearly aggressive attackers.


    And for my part¡­? Lol, haha, I¡¯m not getting in the way of that, lmao! I think I¡¯m actually starting to uh, see, Jasper¡¯s reasoning for being a little hesitant to use this skill? Cause why the hell did they scream ¡°hunt¡¯s shade!¡± and a dozen people started charging the group of now rapidly dwindling summons, their ranks hacked to bits by those present whilst the rest of the spawn slip away for the most part.


    Before long, it¡¯s just about over in rather anticlimactic fashion. Most spawn already far off into the distance and the shadows of the Wild Hunt cut down, leaving nothing in the way of the wagon. Of course, I now find myself asking; why did those need to get murderized exactly?


    ¡°Mmmnn¡­¡±

 C28-Lore Hunting

    Breathing in deeply, I close my eyes for a short moment as I lean back, before opening them once more. The constant bumping of the wagon isn¡¯t exactly pleasant to be honest, but this is what I chose over running the whole way, thus it¡¯s what we¡¯re sticking with. However, I do have ways to distract myself! Specifically, Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, is that too many J¡¯s? One more for good measure, Jasper.


    ¡°Alright seriously, what the heck is going on with you? You¡¯ve been very avoidant of this question for the past ten or so minutes! Why did I just watch your group of summons get mauled for existing? That was quite strange, I¡¯ll have you know. I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s unrelated and they mistook them for something else, because somebody shouted ¡°hunt¡¯s shade¡± before running after your shtuff.¡±


    ¡°...Mmm.¡±


    ¡­Non committal.


    ¡°Hmmmgh¡­ alright, I get it, you have things you don¡¯t want to talk about. But given this is something that could clearly result in conflict, I need at least SOME information on this. What, are you like, the Anti Christ? Surely it can¡¯t be THAT bad.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Surely.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You jest.¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    ¡°Okay, well the Anti Christ is like the antithesis of Jesus or something, do you even know what Christianity is? Cause gonna be honest, I don¡¯t really either.¡±


    ¡°Mm-Mm.¡±


    ¡°Yeah okay cool, but like, surely you aren¡¯t some kind of reincarnation of some sort of god of destruction that destroyed half the world or something, like it can¡¯t be THAT bad.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It cannot.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Okay, good. But, like, what is it?¡±


    ¡°...Hm. Mmm, mMmMm¡­-


    -Some years ago, there was a conflict of immense proportion between a man and the Kingdom governing this land¡­ With his abilities, he stood alone against the full might of Astraea, fighting on his own principle. What he used was an unknown magic, separate from necromancy or resurrection and separate from traditional sorcery.


    The battle raged for years, why it started eventually no longer mattered, and all that was left were the consequences of its course. Despite his best efforts, the full weight of the world eventually came crashing down on The Wild Hunt. His power branded a heresy, and every aspect of it expunged from society. It was spread between hundreds, some willing and others not, but the command of his armies descended nonetheless¡­ It is believed that a fragment of that man lies within every user of Wild Hunt magic, and thus¡­ they are destroyed. So that The Wild Hunt shall never rise-


    -again, could you say that again please? I don¡¯t think I caught all of that.¡±


    ¡°...MMmmmMm. MmHmhmhmhm. MMMmmmmM, MmmMMm. Mmm.¡±


    ¡°...Right. And why are you telling me all of this then? Aren¡¯t I a resident of this Kingdom as far as you¡¯re concerned?¡±


    ¡°...MmMm.¡±


    ¡°That is true, you kind of already threw in your lot with me. Well, you were right either way, I¡¯m not gonna sell you out, but I wish you¡¯d have told me about all of this a little earlier.¡±


    ¡°MmM!¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know what The Wild Hunt is you ask? Uhhhhh, you do know I only came to this world like a few days ago right?¡±


    ¡°MMM???¡±


    ¡°Where do you think the thousands of new people in your old town came from?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm¡­ mmm?¡±


    ¡°...Yes? That would mean I have no affiliation with Astraea, you¡¯d be correct. That¡¯s certainly a way to interpret this should be world changing information.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, M-M.¡±


    Shut up?? How dare she! I¡¯d send her to the pocket realm and everything, but she¡¯s kind of already there¡­ Alright, fine I¡¯ll give her that moment to think. In the meantime¡­


    Think it¡¯s about time to pick up a hobby to pass the time by! I can¡¯t just sit here in this wagon all day, speaking to nobody as my only chatting companion sits in silence. I mean, I could talk to Jerry, but they¡¯re still dead silent and I¡¯m not gonna break that tenuous barrier myself. So, hobby it is!


    Which one to pick, which one could it be? What will the activity be that gets me through this stretch of time?!


    Bird watching.


    You know, a tried and true classic and everything, right? Except we¡¯re not watching for just any birds at all here, no, we have a very specific birdy in mind this time around!


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.With my eyes locked on the sky, I stare almost unblinkingly up into the cloudless skies, eyes peeled for one very slippery avian. How do I plan to catch it? I¡¯m not really sure, but getting my mitts on it starts with actually seeing the damn thing, right?


    So, here I sit, under the proverbial stars, watching and waiting.


    ¡ª


    It doesn¡¯t actually take all that long for the stars to become less proverbial and more so a real thing actually¡­ and this is mildly inconvenient, because I just have to wonder, how the heck am I supposed to see the thing coming if it¡¯s at dark of night?


    ¡°Mmmmh¡­¡±


    Eugh, that is NOT Jasper!


    Unceremoniously rocketing to my feet, a head belonging to an unconscious man falls from my arm to the blanketed wagon¡¯s surface. Slipping away a moment later, I latch onto higher ground, pulling myself onto the roof of the wagon. You know, the bit covering the cargo they don¡¯t want me to look at.


    ¡°What are you doing up there?¡± A nondescript voice calls to me from the ground below.


    ¡°...Keeping an eye out for the bird? It¡¯s distracting to have half a dozen people snoring in circles around me.¡±


    That¡¯s not even a lie either, even if it¡¯s not THAT distracting. Either way, they don¡¯t respond to my defense, so clearly, it¡¯s airtight.


    ¡­


    I¡¯d say I¡¯m bored but¡­


    The stars are kind of pretty. I might not have meant to actually pick up a new hobby, but at the moment¡­ this one doesn¡¯t sound too bad.


    The stars in the sky have long since gone out back in the real world. Their light harvested for grand machinations far beyond any understanding that I¡¯d claim to have. Hell, some of that same light likely resulted in the creation of these very same stars above my head in the now. The Arrays were created for a reason, after all.


    Stars were always an interesting feature in any game ever since The Arrays came around. Once the night sky stopped shining¡­ nostalgia recurved almost immediately. But, such a grand thing is hard to capture in its true glory. And not many games had reason to try to begin with.


    Yet this one¡­


    It¡¯s nice. Their soft glow is nice, unexpected even. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve forgotten what stars look like¡­ but I wasn¡¯t exactly old when the lights went out. And I can¡¯t recall a single moment that¡¯s ever resonated with me so much before¡­ erm, star related moments, not moments in general.


    ¡­Long story short, it¡¯s nice.


    This silence is fine, the tedium of this ride is alright, if only for this one thing, I suppose Omniscient lives up to its promise of a unique experience.


    The stars weave patterns in their own right now that I think about it. Each of them connect to the other, each brilliant point of light is interconnected to the wider web, a tapestry borne of their own being.


    Running a hand through my hair, I sigh as I lie flat on my back, adjusting the scabbard of my sword so as to not push it out of the belt in my equipment. I don¡¯t know how that interacts, and frankly, don¡¯t want to bother right now.


    And so¡­ I just lay there. Connecting dots in my mind as time passes by.


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Six stars zig-zagging in close proximity¡­ I¡¯ll call this one Wave.


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    ¡°...Yes? Of course I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Mmh.¡±


    What is she talking about¡­? No shit I¡¯m fine, bringing a hand to my eye, I wipe at the condensation taking form, culling any possible droplets well before they have the chance to form.


    It glistens in the pale moonlight, the residue on my gloved finger. Almost as brightly as the very stars that drew it out to begin with.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ beautiful, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Jasper is rebelling! Forcefully being summoned!


    Tilting my head at her none too amused, I raise a single eyebrow.


    ¡°Whatcha doin.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°...That I suppose it is.¡±


    I did say it myself after all, it¡¯s beautiful. Why wouldn¡¯t she want to see it for herself?


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s not like I had any particular reason to keep you pocketed. You can watch the stars with me instead. Maybe Jerry can as well if he feels like adding anything to the conversation while he¡¯s here.¡± I comically tilt my eyes to nothing in particular, knowing full well that he should be capable of listening in.


    ¡°Mmh.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and you know, watch for that one bird as well.¡± I add on haphazardly.

 C29-That Bird That I Hate

    ¡­I think I¡¯ll call those five The Bender.


    ¡°Do you have any stars you like?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    I think I could name about a dozen by now. And by that I mean a dozen different groups.


    ¡°Mmh!¡±


    ¡°...Oh, really? Alright, show them to me then.¡±


    I¡¯m curious as to which ones she actually likes, is it some big fish or something?


    ¡°Mmh-hmm-hmm.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh¡­ I see it, group of five stars off in the distance way off to the left, one of them was¡­ flickering you say?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Well that can¡¯t be right. Stars don¡¯t flicker, they¡¯re millions of light years away, their light is a constant unbroken stream. Unless they were obstructed long, long ago, we¡¯d still see them¡­ Unless stars are something entirely different in this world, but I don¡¯t think they are.


    ¡°...You¡¯re sure it was?¡±


    Cause I don¡¯t see those diddly darn things moving!


    ¡°Mmmhh¡­¡±


    And then, out of the corner of my eye, a light goes out for just the shortest of moments¡­


    That¡¯s¡­ not right? Stars don¡¯t flicker. Especially not in a chain like they are right now¡­ That one just went out, that one went out¡­ wait a minute.


    The Llama, King Of The Hill V2, Flying Raijin, stars in each self-assigned constellation blip out one after the other, almost as if¡­


    Something¡¯s¡­


    Covering them¡­


    Uh huh¡­


    I sit up, eyes squinted in the direction of the flickering stars, watching as something carves a trail through the starry night sky. Okay, so, surely this could just be a coincidence.


    ¡­


    ¡­Said absolutely nobody. I know how video games work! Nothing happens for no reason, the observant are rewarded! That¡¯s just how it goes, that¡¯s game logic bruh. For instance, now that I see these stars constantly vanishing, with the trail carving ever closer to this wagon, obviously, that BIRD resides within!


    Or, you know not ¡°within¡± there¡¯s no actual physical object to hide in, but, like, ffs, FOUND IT! Found the bird. Found the damn thing, caught it red winged even. Now, my question, is how the hell am I going to catch it without actually having any method of flying myself¡­?


    Well it¡¯s getting closer by the second¡­


    ¡°Heeeeey, Jasper?¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    ¡°About those stars. That¡¯s uh, that¡¯s not a star causing that blinking¡­¡±


    ¡°...Mmm?¡±


    ¡°Get ready. It¡¯s getting closer.¡±


    ¡ª


    Standing at full mast now, I filter the night-light as best as I can via way of the hand in order to get as great a view of the bird as feasibly possible. I haven¡¯t made any noise or caused any alarm yet, because I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯d cause it to potentially flee, or if somebody would somehow mess up my plans¡­ I don¡¯t think these npcs would do it, but they could. And that¡¯s enough reason to not trust them with anything at all, teehee!


    It¡¯s gotten closer now, and I can actually make out the outline of its feathers. At a distance, it¡¯s¡­ quite large to be frank. I see how it was blocking out whole stars, kind of crazy really. I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s too physically powerful though despite its size, otherwise, why hasn¡¯t it made any actual attempt to raid this wagon if it has something it so desperately wants? Its¡­ eggs, maybe? I duhflubbin know. Would seem kind of cliche to be honest, but this is a game, and the people allowing me on board were, like, suspiciously defensive about whatever they¡¯re transporting.


    Meh, maybe it¡¯s an endangered species hunting for its young and I¡¯m the bad guy, but who cares? Helping it out doesn¡¯t give me jack shit, so why would I? There could perhaps be some sort of secret quest for doing that and it would suddenly love me and voluntarily become my monster which I¡¯m not even sure I¡¯d want! Yeah, no. We¡¯re opps, D1 from the gates, ur done buddy. When I get my paws on you it¡¯s so over.


    Anyways¡­ enough rambling! I mean, not much else to do while I just¡­ wait here¡­ but hey, stay frosty, right? Don¡¯t let your guard down around the ene-I¡¯m doing it AGAIN oh my GOD.


    I stand up just a little straighter, blink a few times and lean forward. Seriously, enough games¡­ Well¡­ NO! ENOUGH GAMES! IN THE METAPHORICAL SENSE!


    As it gets closer and closer, the make of its build becomes more apparent to me. It¡¯s, as mentioned prior, absolutely massive. Like good lord, this thing is practically too big for its own good. It¡¯s like, dinosaur level size. Which is absolutely crazy work mind you, it looks about the size of Jasper right up in front of me from the distance it¡¯s at.


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    ¡­You know, the thought occurs that if I¡¯m standing up looking for it, it might get a little cautious given it¡¯s displayed the intelligence to go with hit and run tactics so far. So¡­ I lay right back down, feigning perfectly subtle ignorance. No possible way it could figure me out¡­ unless it has some kind of mind reading ability that works at a long distance¡­


    ¡­


    Tap-tap-tap


    Knock on wood. We make no further mention of this.


    Anyways, carrying on, it kind of reminds me of something. I used to do some bird watching back before I started really getting into gaming as a whole. Though, the city I grew up in was pretty bland unfortunately, so I kind of lost interest. Though, from that interest spouted another one, given I never saw any cool birds¡­ I just kind of looked some up. One thing led to another, yada yada, got into reading about a few mythological birds, you know¡­ standard fare.


    This one¡¯s¡­ really ticking a few boxes on that list. Like, a few real specific ones. It looks like¡­ Ah what¡¯s it called¡­ It looks like¡­ Ah what¡¯s it called¡­ It looks like¡­ Ah what¡¯s it called¡­ It looks like¡­ Ah what¡¯s it called¡­ It looks like¡­ Ah what¡¯s it called¡­ It looks like¡­ sunnuvua bitch! Right on the tip of my tongue here, come on!


    Rrrrrrrrrrr~ra! Rrrrrrrrrrr~ra! It¡¯s an R come on! R-r-r-r-r-r-r, rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr¡­ ROC! ROC BIRD! HAHA GOT IT! Right! The thingamig looks like a Roc Bird, giant bird of prey from¡­ somewhere I can¡¯t remember, in some¡­ what mythos was it from?


    ¡­How do I recall the name of the creature, but not any of the surrounding context? Do I just have selective memory loss all of a sudden what the hell?


    Wait, wuh-wuh-wait when did it get so close? Shieeeet, alright, got distracted again, no biggie, at least I have an idea of what it does now. If it¡¯s a Roc bird, IF, then¡­ it¡¯d likely be a physical fighter, perhaps reliant on its voice to make sonic attacks like earlier? So, I have that to look forward to after knocking it down¡­ great.


    Welp, it¡¯s about go time, the thing¡¯s starting to slow down now, and I think it¡¯s¡­ almost within range. O-kay¡­ this is a little risky, but it should work out without issue. As long as she doesn¡¯t take any damage¡­


    ¡°Alright Jasper, you ready for this?¡±


    ¡°Mmmm¡­ M-m-M.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. You know what you need to do, yes? No need for a refresher?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°...Alright. It¡¯ll be within range any second now, brace¡­ brace¡­!¡±


    ¡­I might¡¯ve started calling brace a little too early, but I can¡¯t just say that can I¡­?


    ¡°Brace a little longer¡­!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°M-¡±


    ¡°NOW!¡±


    ¡°M! MmmMmM!¡±


    [Summon]!


    First things first, Monster Tamer has a WIDE area of effect. Not in that it has skills that damage AoE-wise, but that, [Summon] is basically line of sight. With a maximum distance of course, but that distance is loooooooooooooooong. About¡­ fifty meters I¡¯d estimate? Maybe a little longer than that.


    So, let¡¯s say that an enemy happens to enter that theoretical maximum distance, what is a Tamer to do? This enemy is out of reach, and unable to be attacked through conventional means! So clearly, we simply think outside of the box, aaaaaaaand!


    Appearing out of thin air, Jasper flails for a moment in front of the slow-to-react monster bird, before their neck snaps forward, latching onto the body of the bird with a monstrous bite force.


    32!


    Similarly, the bird flails around for a bit, clearly not expecting to have been assailed as it is currently being 32.8084 yards off the ground! Unfortunately, this is the reality of the fool¡¯s situation. Doubly unfortunately, the worst has yet to have come.


    Winding back one of her claws as Jasper hangs onto the monster¡¯s torso with her jaw strength alone, she thrusts the appendage forward in one, MIGHTY, [Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark]!


    118!


    And you know what? For the first time, I think something actually survives a [Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark] ala, not dying instantly from the attack. In fact, it doesn¡¯t even deal that much dama!-31!


    ¡­?


    Did¡­ did it just kick Jasper mid air? HOW??? How did it even contort its body like that? Its leg practically folded into its chest! That was un-friggin-NATURAL! In fa-wait, wait, wait, shit, fubbernuck-


    JasPER IS FALLING!

 C30-Crash Out

    And falling fast. Because somehow, the bird practically folded itself, kicked her in the goddamn JAW, and shook itself forward along with her! It¡­ dislodged her! It tore a chunk of its own flesh out with her, but that didn¡¯t register as damage on our part apparently. But more importantly, JASPER IS FALLING TO HER DEATH!


    Or at least her plausible death-WE DON¡¯T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! Think, think, what can I do right now to keep her alive!? I don¡¯t have any kind of damage nullification or any sort of ability that could recall her before the three seconds are up¡­ will she just not hit the ground fast enough? No, she got launched with momentum, fuck, fuck, fuck!


    Tick¡­


    There¡¯s no possible way I could get there fast enough to catch her, I¡¯m not fast enough to reach that and it¡¯s not like I can just¡­ teleport¡­ myself¡­ JERRY!


    What can Jerry do? We haven¡¯t talked, but¡­ but¡­ god dammit Jerry can¡¯t do anything! Even if he could I¡¯d have to communicate that in under a second, teleport him into place and, fuck don¡¯t have the time!


    Tock¡­


    Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, Jasper-TELEPORTATION! THAT¡¯S RIGHT!


    ¡°[Hunter¡¯s Pursuit]! USE [Hunter¡¯s Pursuit]! SPAM IT!¡±


    Without even responding, I can feel her react to the command, instantly casting [Hunter¡¯s Pursuit] straight up four times in a row, gaining herself an extra twenty meters of distance before she hits the ground. The skill didn¡¯t cancel her momentum, but that¡¯s enough. That¡¯s absolutely enough!


    [RECALL]!


    About another ten meters before she hits the ground, the mandatory three second period before I can [Recall] my summons passes, and Jasper harmlessly pops out of existence. The world speeds up before my eyes once more, the panicking bird off in the distance falling to the ground, my hand racing to my chest, grasping at my beating heart beneath my equipment.


    HhhhhhhhhhhhhhAaaaaaaaaaahhHHHH, fucking hell¡­ Oh my god.


    That¡­ would have been¡­ the stupidest way to lose something¡­ ever. LITERALLY, EVER! No, no, not stupid¡­ I took a gamble, it was a risk I was willing to take, I just¡­ didn¡¯t have the information I do now. That the bird could make a statistically impossible attack with its body and cause a near fatal situation.


    Well¡­ well, shit, she¡¯s alive isn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Jasper, are you¡­ alright?¡±


    ¡°Mhhh¡­ mmmhmm.¡±


    Shaky¡­ but she¡¯s perfectly alive, took minimal damage as well, she¡¯ll be ready to summon in another forty or so seconds.


    ¡°STOP THE WAGON! THE BIRD IS HERE!¡±


    Not the most elegant way of putting it, but¡­ For now¡­ I¡¯ve got a bone to pick.


    ¡ª


    I don¡¯t believe my prior observations did the thing justice to be frank. So allow me to reiterate; it is utterly gargantuan. So massive that I¡¯m, frankly, baffled when I see its level.


    Morrigala Adept-LVL 12


    ¡­And also its class, given ¡°adept¡± is strictly a magical title as far as I¡¯m concerned, but¡­ I¡¯m gonna be honest, I don¡¯t know why, but I expected¡­ at least level twenty? It seemed apt given the thing is about two stories tall, give or take.


    I¡¯m kind of surprised it¡¯s still on the ground as well. I know Jasper did¡­ what¡­ a hundred fifty something damage? But she didn¡¯t exactly damage its wings in any way. She just¡­ hit it really hard. Well, either way, I¡¯m not exactly keen to ask it why myself. In fact, given it¡¯s been about¡­ fifteen seconds since it fell I¡¯d say? It¡¯s about time to deal some extra damage before the thing takes off, given it seems damage somehow prevents it from doing so!


    My boots pitter-patter-ing against the ground, I close the distance between myself and the mob as fast as I can manage, given I¡¯m currently holding stealth in precisely zero regard, it notices me basically immediately once I break away from the rest of the crowd and approach it in proper.


    And immediately after that, even through the dark of night, I can tell when its eyes lock onto me. A lump forms in the back of my throat as its crushing gaze lingers on me, but regardless my legs don¡¯t stop moving. I ain¡¯t getting stopped by anything less than a direct stun, thank you very much. I¡¯m no WUSS!!!


    The humongous beast rises from its priorly curled up position, and at this point I think I¡¯m starting to run out of descriptors for how¡­ just large this thing is. IN FACT, I¡¯d say up this close, it now looks even bigger than before. Like¡­ I¡¯m literally looking up at a skyscraper??? And that can¡¯t be right, and also why isn¡¯t it attacking me if it¡¯s that large?


    ¡­Something¡¯s wrong here. It was big before, but¡­


    I stop in my tracks, my blade falling to my side as my eyes trail up the massive figure, shrouded by night.


    Is it some kind of illusion? It was called a Morrigala ¡°Adept¡±, so magic is sort of implied¡­ but what kind!? Would¡¯ve been just grand if the class was something normal like ¡°Illusion Adept¡± instead of MORRIGALA! Like, what even is that? An adept can be sort of religious I guess, so maybe some sort of god in this world? Gee, if only I knew if gods existed or not in this game!


    And then it moves. And thereafter, I¡¯m quite sure it¡¯s not an illusion. The entire earth trembles as the massive figure adjusts itself, my feet almost being taken out from beneath me as the ground threatens to give way. Its form still seemingly growing larger, its eyes boring into me with apparent malice, a silent threat to leave, or else.


    Now¡­ I know I said I¡¯m not a coward¡­ but facing down a figurative mountain without any skills and mildly superhuman abilities¡­ I might be doomed here. However, there¡¯s still one thing I must question. Given it¡¯s clearly aggressive with its prior actions, and also only LEVEL TWELVE. Is this¡­ really its true front? One would¡¯ve thought if it had the ability, it would¡¯ve flattened us by now, no?


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    So¡­ stop pounding out of my chest!


    I rap my fist against my chestplate one singular time, rap it hard. So hard in fact, 1! is done.


    Self inflicted damage is a thing, huh, neat.


    And in doing so, the false paralysis that had slowly been creeping through me is banished for just a moment. If it hasn¡¯t attacked yet, that means it can¡¯t¡­ If it hasn¡¯t attacked yet, that, means, it, CAN¡¯T. So, grit your teeth, and eat, that, bird!


    Planting another foot forward, my hands tighten around the handle of my blade, and with one final inhalation, I charge once more, bringing my blade to bear against the heap of flesh before me, like a toothpick to a double triple decker pie.


    And so, I strike out¡­!


    19!


    And suddenly¡­ the mound vanishes, replaced with¡­ nothing.


    54!


    And then something flashes, and before I can comprehend what, I¡¯ve been slammed into the dirt with a bang. Not like, a forceful blow, but literally a big BOOM. The night lights up with the flash of an explosion, and turning my body before I crash-back-of-the-head-first into the dirt is about all I can do, bashing my shoulder into the ground-7!-with a sickening crunch.


    First thought¡­Ow. Even with my pain settings on a measly 3.5%, that one actually kind of hurt. Second though, oh shit, that¡¯s a second fireball!


    Rolling with the momentum that I¡¯d been tossed into the ground with, I narrowly roll out of the direct path of an incoming (seemingly) magical attack, barely rolling out of the way before it makes contact with the earth, producing yet another deafening BOOM. Even still, I don¡¯t get out of the way unscathed, and instead take another 16! damage as my body gets sent flying away from the force of the blast.


    ¡­Alright, hurt (literally) less, but¡­ ouch, that¡¯s, what, half my health gone already?


    Twisting mid-air, in a feat of what could only be called god-gamerism, I actually manage to come to a halt STANDING, planting my feet on the ground as I somehow convert my prior momentum into a spiral, allowing myself a more favorable reaction to the third installation to the series.


    ¡­Which series you ask? Why, a little thing called death by expeditious fireballing, that series of course!


    Diving out of the way, I avoid contact with the third fireball outright this time around, though I do wince at the blast off in the distance. Even from here, it¡¯s loud, obviously not an attack to be trifled with.


    Say, how long has it been? Because JESUS CHRIST!-7!-I AM GETTING FARMED OUT HERE! HOW MANY OF THESE CAN THIS THING LAUNCH IN RAPID SUCCESSION??? Was it not a physical attacker? Surely it can¡¯t chunk almost 40 hp from jasper with a single kick and then launch multiple different magical attacks of this caliber from¡­ where exactly? Where did it even go?


    Bah, I can worry about that when I¡¯m not at 60 hp getting battered by constant fiREBALLS OH MY GOD!


    Any one of these could kill me at this point, so the attack that goes flying overhead is just another reminder of my current mortality. Anyways, that marks five¡­ this isn¡¯t a boss enemy, right? Surely, SURELY it can¡¯t go for a dozen of these in a row without any kind of drawback, there¡¯s gotta be some kind of trick to it, right?


    11!


    Another shockwave sends me rolling, but I¡¯m quickly back up on my feet again. I¡¯m actually about to die to this, has it been long enough yet?


    214/214


    And the answer to that question is yes! JASPER! HEEE-EELP, HE-E-EELP, HELP ME! HEEELP, HELP MEEEE! JASPE-12!


    Bah!


    Okay, wait, I''m ACTUALLY going to die here if I don¡¯t stop taking hits¡­


    33/140


    ¡°Jasper, listen up and listen closely, we¡¯re not going to have long to make this work! I¡¯m about to die from built up damage, I need you to buy me at least three seconds to use a potion, find the opponent as quickly as you can and attack them with everything you have!¡±


    [Summon]!


    Without a word of reply, Jasper hits the ground and immediately starts sprinting forward, hopefully in the direction of my assailant, though after I summoned her no more fireballs came flying forward, so¡­ don¡¯t mind me¡­


    108/140


    140/140


    Alrighty then, lovely day ain¡¯t it? How¡¯s Jasper doin?


    Squinting over at my monster, things¡­ actually seem to be going fairly well for her? Perhaps the bird already burnt itself out with its attacks?


    But¡­ it¡¯s not exactly a one sided beatdown either. Even in the dark, I can at least get an alright view of the fight from here. Jasper¡¯s claws trail through the darkness, gleaming whites chasing after a shadowy figure that blips through the night. Almost as if it were a dance¡­


    Mesmerizing fight aside, that thing is¡­ quite small actually! I¡¯m not sure if it was an illusion, or some kind of transformation skill earlier? But this seems to be its actual true form, maybe? I dunno I could be wrong, but given this is how it¡¯s choosing to fight¡­


    Oh, right, Jasper is kind of putting the literal paws on the thing despite the level difference, but I probably shouldn¡¯t just stand here and watch, huh?


    Let¡¯s wrap this up.

 C31-Whirlwind

    This feels familiar, as if it happened not a minute ago or something¡­ but once more I find myself sprinting towards the very same opponent that had been raining hell on me just a moment earlier. Jasper¡¯s been buying me precious few seconds with her offense, and from what I can see she¡¯s still going strong on that front, but her attacks are being evaded with relative ease.


    The bird zips around, their movements are fast enough to be difficult to track for me, and made even more so by the darkness of the night. Long story short, the little bugger¡¯s an evasive monster. I frankly have no idea how I¡¯m supposed to touch this thing, but, hey gotta give it a try at the least, right?


    The way I see it, I have about thirty seconds to put on my best offensive. It would seem it doesn¡¯t have the MP to keep spamming whatever it was doing earlier, so it can¡¯t retaliate with life ending fireballs out the wazoo, and off in the distance is the crowd from the wagon. Once they approach, I can¡¯t imagine the bird would be too keen to fight a¡­ twenty versus one or something like that? And given it is significantly faster than both me and Jasper by a wide margin it would seem¡­


    11!


    Oh, point taken, it just tore a gash through Jasper¡¯s side. A glancing blow, but still enough to prevent the usual strategy¡­ it¡¯s simply too fast for me to feasibly react to at the moment, so the best thing I can do¡­


    Woosh!


    Is to fight side by side with her.


    My blade cleaves through the open air where the brown blur had been not moments ago, its wings having pushed it back in a mid-air maneuver, flying clear of the sweeping attack. I pull my sword back before it makes contact with the ground, ready to swing once more, but almost flinch as the thing is inches away from my face when I blink.


    Dipping to the side, I narrowly avoid a talon through the eye as it glides through where my head formerly had been, instead drawing a shallow cut-6!- into my cheek. This thing is ridiculously fast now. Which frankly just doesn¡¯t feel right to me. How could something at such a low level, have so many different stat points to distribute? There has to be some sort of catch to whatever it¡¯s doing, but whatever it IS-


    Once again I narrowly avoid a critical blow, raising my arm to cover my eyes before my enemy takes them out. Instead of landing true, its talons dig into the bare skin-16!-in between my gloves and tunic¡­ and given the rather raw landing of the attack, even if it¡¯s NOT my eyes, the damage is¡­ kind of low, no?


    For a short moment, it struggles to break away from my arm, causing me to wince as it tears a chunk of flesh-10!-out of my arm. Given the nature of our current reality, the attack doesn¡¯t leave any actual wounds, and is instead immediately recovered, but the sensation of having your own flesh torn out isn¡¯t quite that pleasant.


    With another swoosh my blade goes flying through the air, though it doesn¡¯t connect as the monster simply dodges around it once again. Its speed is overpowering, and basically incontestable as it is. There¡¯s no way I can land a hit and no way to defend¡­ myself¡­


    ¡°Jasper! How much MP do you have?¡±


    Even with the speed of communication between us being boosted with the link between me and my tamed monsters, even trading a sentence or two is enough time for the bird to reset its offense and come flying at me again. And once more, it¡¯s a narrow ¡°dodge¡±, leaving a glancing cut on my chest for another 6! chip damage.


    ¡°Mmm!¡±


    Three? Damnit, they need more than that. At least ten for one shot at taking this thing out.


    7!


    Another hit lands, and as the seconds tick past, the damage starts to build up. Even if it only deals one per hit, if it hits me multiple times a second I¡¯ll still die in timely fashion. So¡­ this fight needs to end fast.


    5!


    Fortunately, it seems to be focused on me for some reason or another. Which leaves Jasper ample opportunity to hopefully¡­


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    ¡°Eat this!¡±


    After ¡°deflecting¡± (8!) another shot, I reach into my inventory as fast as I can manage, pulling an MP potion from out of thin air and chucking it as hard as I can at Jasper. Doubly fortunately, it also buys me an extra moment of reprieve from the storm swirling around me, perhaps mistaking the potion to be some sort of attack.


    Not questioning my orders in that split second, Jasper crunches into the potion, shattering glass with her jaws and therefore acquiring the liquid within. Her face instantly turns sour, and-1!-and uh¡­-1!-broken glass-1!-but she got the potion nonetheless!


    My prospective allies get closer by the moment, but they¡¯re not really going to be of much help in this fight as far as I¡¯m concerned. It¡¯s either going to be over soon, or I¡¯ll be dead before they get here to scare it o-1!


    ¡­I¡¯m sorry Jasper.


    Spitting out the shards of glass as the bird comes flying in at me for another swipe, Jasper with now, hopefully, THIRTY three whole MP should be ready.


    I¡¯ve noticed a bit of a pattern. This thing, LOVES, to aim for the face. It doesn¡¯t do it every time, so it¡¯s not as if I can predict it, given I¡¯d risk taking far more damage if I did so, but when it does, I can at least somewhat react, raising my arm to block the damage for the most part, while also not making the mistake of exposing bare skin and taking far more damage.


    But, comparatively my armor is much easier to tear its way out of, but when it landed on my arm proper¡­


    There was a brief window where it was vulnerable, not one I could take advantage of, but Jasper, with an instant teleportation ability¡­


    ¡°When I tell you to activate [Hunter¡¯s Pursuit], do it immediately! Once you do so, hit your target as hard as you possibly can!¡±


    5!


    Another shot at the chest¡­


    4!


    One at the legs¡­


    3!


    Jasper waits patiently, growling with apparent fury for each blow that lands. If blood and guts existed in this game, I imagine I¡¯d be quite the mess right about now, but thankfully, they don¡¯t! So I don¡¯t look like a horror movie pi?ata!


    16!


    And, FINALLY! It takes another shot at my face, its talons burrowing into my arm once more, but this time around, it doesn¡¯t even immediately attempt to escape, instead, it burrows even further in-4!-trying to force as much damage as it possibly can¡­


    Alright then, dig your own grave.


    ¡°NOW!¡±


    Activating [Hunter¡¯s Pursuit] right on cue, from her position a moment¡¯s dash away from the fight, she appears in an instant, paw raised to come sweeping down on the small figure lodged into my arm, tearing away at my body.


    And the moment after, it comes crashing down.


    It reacts instantly, flailing as hard as it can, but having dug itself so deep into my arm, more so than ever it¡¯s practically impossible to get away without delay. So, even as it struggles with all that annoying goddamn speed¡­


    [Hunter¡¯s Mark]!


    154!


    It gets smashed into the dirt with all the fury of a wrathful predator.

 C32-To The Wind

    23!


    It hits the dirt with a resounding thud, absolute music to my ears given what happened just now! Fortunately enough it doesn¡¯t die on impact, so it¡¯s either healed itself somehow or just has really high max health, but that¡¯s quite besides the point right now!


    It twitches for a few solitary moments as I take a step back and Jasper¡¯s paw hits the ground, likely from the shock of probably having two thirds or more of its health lopped off in a single shot. Unless it actually just has that much max health as a ¡°normal¡± monster¡­ hold that thought, why is it getting bigger again?


    As it twitches, it once again grows in size like it had done moments ago. Though, not nearly to the same degree this time. More so it doubles from what was already a fairly small size. So¡­ like a third of the size of Jasper, or around there. Well, whatever, what¡¯s stunned is stunned!


    Shaking my arm out as I raise it to the monster splayed out on the ground before me, with a single thought I unleash one of my few skills.


    [Tame]!


    For all the trouble this thing just caused me¡­ welcome aboard! I graciously accept you!


    Taming failed!


    ¡­Wait wha?


    Even in the darkness of the night, I can make out the shiver that races through its body as it rises once again. Clearly it just resisted the attempt, and we can¡¯t have that!


    ¡°Jasper, hit it again!¡±


    ¡°MM!¡±


    ¡°WAIT NOT WITH HUNTERS M-¡±


    [Hunter¡¯s Mark]!


    But, the skill is, regardless of intention, completely wasted as it crashes into the dirt, scattering grass as it upends the earth with the force of the blow. As for why it missed?


    Despite the no doubt grievous wound inflicted prior to this moment, something seemingly shocked the bird into action, a cloud of feathers being all that remained of it where Jasper had struck. But, the bird itself had already managed a fair distance!


    Before I even really registered it, my feet were already moving again. After all of that, I¡¯m not just going to let it get away, what!? HELL NO! Give me exp or give me summons, not mobs running away from me!


    Despite seemingly having slowed down, it was still at the very least significantly faster than me. Jasper followed suit not long after I started running, but given we¡¯re of similar top speeds, even she still gets easily overtaken by the thing.


    And then¡­ it lifts off.


    Right, last chance then!


    [Recall] ¡°Hit it WITHOUT [Hunter¡¯s Mark] alright!?¡±


    ¡°M-mm!¡±


    [Summon]!


    Appearing in the air directly in front of the bird as it flies straight up, Jasper strikes out at the enemy almost immediately, yet despite that¡­


    With a narrow dodge, Jasper¡¯s claws slash through feathers alone, sailing harmleslly through the air without their target in tow.


    [Recall]


    [Summon]


    And another attempt¡­! Dodged again, literally HOW!?


    [Recall]


    [Summon]!


    At last, with the strikes being made in quick succession, one glancing blow FINALLY lands! Dealing a measly 8! Damage, but still! Every time this monster¡¯s taken damage, it¡¯s been¡­ adversely affected somehow. Changed sizes, stopped flying, something! So¡­ surely¡­!


    It¡­ just keeps flying, its wings flapping sporadically for a short moment before it continues to ascend.


    ¡°H-[Hunter¡¯s Pursuit] and hit it again¡­!¡±


    But¡­


    Jasper was out of MP.


    God¡­ DAMNIT!


    Ascending into the night sky like one of the many stars, it vanishes into darkness.


    ¡ª


    I¡­ kind of just have to sit and hold that one I suppose. I got overconfident and thought that it was pretty much out for the count after that absolutely massive [Hunter¡¯s Mark] landed combined with the damage it had taken earlier.


    Evidently¡­ it was not. So, here I sit, lamenting my failure as I lay upon my chariot. The chariot otherwise known as the wagon.


    It¡¯s dusk now, and most of the goobers here are up and attem again. I do still get a few odd glances just hanging out on the roof of the thing, but also a lot more neutral looks. I can¡¯t imagine any of them got too good of a view of the fight given it was rather dark, but perhaps some took a liking to me, eh?


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    Not much of a consolation for losing out on that behemoth of a monster, but OH WELL! Maybe it¡¯ll come back at some point¡­ though I doubt it. I can¡¯t imagine that fight was particularly pleasant for it. If it does in fact have the brain power that I assume it to have, running back to a place where it took over three hundred damage couldn¡¯t possibly be enticing. UNless whatever¡¯s here is really that appealing to it¡­


    Actually, that¡¯s the working theory, isn¡¯t it? That it has something it wants to take from this thingy? Hm¡­ so in that case, maybe I will have another shot at it. If its instinct for self preservation doesn¡¯t win out anyways.


    But, until then¡­ what exactly am I to do?


    ¡°Hey Jerry?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He has been silent for like, half a day now¡­ I don¡¯t even know if they¡¯re a he or not actually! In fact, I don¡¯t know anything about le mans! I can¡¯t imagine they¡¯ll be particularly helpful, but if they¡¯re going to be in my bag of tricks for now I might as well be able to use them.


    Anyways speaking of them, that would seem to me, a very distinct sense of paranoia in their silence.


    ¡°MmmM.¡± Jasper chimes in, yapping their own boredom into the conversation, though their added presence doesn¡¯t really seem to help with the silence.


    ¡°...Are you even able to speak?¡±


    Jasper is an interesting case, in that she speaks in exclusively mumbles and grumbles, but is somehow still quite legible. Perhaps only to me. I dunno if an outside observer could make heads or tails of her speech patterns or not. Perhaps somebody shall lay an oracle upon me one day. But either way, she¡¯s clearly quite intelligent, so I have to wonder if this monster is just dumb if it can¡¯t speak? Or does Jasper have an accent of some kind? I know that sprite I had the other day could speak, but that was like, a wizened nature sage or something you know?


    ¡°Hello? Mars to Jerry? Do you have conscious thought yes or no?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...You know Jasper¡¯s been feeling peckish I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Mmm? ¡­Mmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°...Meep.¡±


    ¡­Was that them actually saying something or was it a grunt?


    ¡°Care to repeat that?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    ¡°So you do know how to use your words! That¡¯s radical.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Alright Jerry, I simply wish to come to an understanding here, that¡¯s all!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Man got a real talker here, anyways, if I ask you to do something, I expect you to do it. If I ask you to do something, it¡¯s because I believe you¡¯re capable of doing it without issue. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Great! We¡¯ll find you something to eat as well then if you cooperate, oki doki?¡±


    ¡°...Okay?¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    You know the thought hadn¡¯t crossed my mind until now, but like, food!! Eating it! Wow! Jasper hasn¡¯t eaten anything since yesterday probably, neither have I! They haven¡¯t voiced any complaints, so it¡¯s either not strictly necessary, or they just can go longer without eating, but either way they¡¯d probably enjoy it? Therefore we shall do that when the opportunity presents itself.


    However, this is not the opportunity. Or, maybe it is.


    ¡°5-o-clock! Group of monsters in the distance!¡±


    Another patch of monsters, first one in a few hours, and there hasn¡¯t been any bird agitation since we literally beat the feathers off of it¡­ so this is kind of our first kerfuffle in a while. I have to wonder if the monsters are even going to end up coming over here though¡­ I kind of REALLY want them to though, for one simple reason.


    I need levels. Like, really badly. I simply got stat diffed in my fight with that bird earlier, which¡­ wasn¡¯t that fun. Getting speed blitzed isn¡¯t a great experience to be frank. Therefore, there is a need for MORE speed! Speed is key, some would say. And for more speed, I need more levels. And given I have¡­ how much exp do I have right now?


    Exp-304/611


    That much. Sooooo, I need a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot. Like, at least eighty something kills to go up maybe two levels if Jasper is out, probably more given lower level enemies don¡¯t even give double digit levels of experience¡­ so, how can I force those monsters to come over here without seeming like it¡¯s me forcing them to come over here, so I can stab them¡­?


    ¡°...Hey Jerry!¡±

 C33-The Screech

    ¡°Why me¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, you could¡¯ve just died along with the rest of the horde you were with?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course my little man had already gone through with what I¡¯d asked of him, so it was a little late to complain now.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if the monsters off in the distance would take offense to a member of their group being harmed or not, but it was worth a shot! They looked to be wolves or canines of some sort though, so I figured pack loyalty was kind of a given and¡­ hey whaddya know!


    Currently, I think that¡¯s like¡­ thirty of them running after Jerry? And they¡¯re definitely gaining ground on the poor lad pretty quickly. What exactly did he do to piss them off, my dear proverbial viewers? Well you see it¡¯s pretty simple actually! He just stabbed one of them and ran, snuck up on them real nicely!


    That¡¯s it really, no fanfare to add onto that. It was kind of boring honestly. I can¡¯t [Recall] him until he leads them close enough to be able to fight them, but we¡¯re certainly almost there¡­


    ¡°Raise your weapons!¡±


    Aaaand, the wagon grinds to a halt. Epic gamer moment right here indeed!


    ¡ª


    44!


    It takes about four hits to take out each of these myself, and that¡¯s not really that difficult given they¡¯re just wolves, Crossing¡¯s Feng¡¯s again, to be specific. But their aggression is¡­ mildly off-putting. Definitely on the backfoot here, but that isn¡¯t too much of a problem, still landing hits, just¡­


    Weren¡¯t they supposed to be more cautious than this? Last I saw of them they were pretty reluctant to go running in against the full forces of the wagon and its two dozen or so npcs. Maybe it¡¯s just because the numbers are less even this time around? There are only like five or six guys here besides me¡­


    Oh, wait a minute, 51!


    +9 exp!


    And another one bites the dust. Lunged in and ate a slash through the everything. Now that another one¡¯s dead¡­ there are like¡­ two dozen left? Another issue that hadn¡¯t quite settled prior dawns on me. There aren¡¯t enough of them! And on top of there already only having been like two and a half dozen to stab, as mentioned prior, npcs from the wagon came to kill them as well!


    I¡¯m still getting the majority here, already being like¡­ ten kills deep I think? But at the same time the npcs have eaten up a solid chunk as well¡­ I can¡¯t just very well tell them to go away and let me deal with it, can I? ¡­Can I? Questions for later.


    160!


    +5 exp!


    Well, at least Jasper can one shot with [Hunter¡¯s Mark], but it¡¯s also not like she can use literally any of her other abilities either. Maybe her teleport is fine, but there¡¯s no point to that here! They¡¯re just¡­ it¡¯s frustrating. I could feasibly clear out this horde myself in a few minutes if I could just go at it with full force, but all these npcs really limit me more than they help.


    Well, anyways¡­ Oh, oh dearie me, you know, I know Jasper technically isn¡¯t wrong in her chosen offense, but if I¡¯m not able to [Recall] her for some reason she is so going to get swarmed one of these days. Speaking of [Recall] however, [Recall]! Get the heck back here Jasper.


    What remained of the fifteen or so enemies left had kind of completely encircled her after the killing blow she¡¯d landed earlier. I know she¡¯s individually much more powerful than any of these Feng¡¯s combined, but the power of jumping is a scary thing. If one does not possess the ability to simply crush your enemy with stats, then coordination can always be a killer.


    +7 exp!


    +11 exp!


    More and more feng¡¯s go down, and it doesn¡¯t take much longer for the horde to become a crowd. As I take a step back, expecting yet another lunging attack, the Feng before me decides to defy my expectations and actually take a step back this time around! As does the rest of the crowd in fact.


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    And then another, and another, both in quick succession. This¡­ would seem to be that prior instinct to get out of dodge I mentioned earlier. I wasn¡¯t sure if they were just gonna keep going to their death, or like¡­? But hey, guess not! Always neat to see some interesting AI for the enemies. On the other hand, GET BACK HERE!


    [Summon]ing Jasper in front of the retreating crowd, I slip her a command to one shot as many as possible. Which, should be two, if I¡¯m not wrong about her MP.


    And, yeah¡­ like clockwork,


    +7 exp!


    +9 exp!


    +7 exp!


    Oh, actually three. MP must¡¯ve recovered enough to use a sixth given she¡¯d killed three with it. The four remaining simply continue to run, leaving the rest of their deceased group behind.


    I could chase after them, but the npcs are already calling for everybody to return to the wagon, so¡­ can¡¯t really do that. Alright, this is damn annoying.


    How best can I get experience with all these goobers looming over me twenty five hours a day? I got¡­ how much this time around?


    Exp-414/611


    Just over a hundred I think. So, in order to level up once, I need to do that another two times, and for two levels, probably another seven¡­ and that needs to happen all within the span of this trip, which is actively coming to a close.


    Putting Jasper away and just leveling myself up isn¡¯t the play either, since she¡¯s an essential part of my offense and has higher stats and stat growth than I do. So we¡¯re not doing that, do I just hope and pray for larger groups of monsters to fight¡­?


    Well¡­ ACK-Sunnuvua bitch!


    Another ear piercing shriek catches me unawares, the sound screeching through my ears and pounding in my head, reverberating as my entire body twitches. It gets Jasper this time around as well, and she immediately starts rolling around on the ground, pawing at her own ears¡­


    That bird ALREADY came back???


    Rapping at the side of my head, I cast my gaze to the now slightly cloudy sky above the wagon, a large brown bird up in the distance, now flying away at top speeds.


    That thing is¡­ either stupid or very confident in something. Or whatever¡¯s here in this wagon is just that enticing to it. Ghhhgh¡­ dammit my ears hurt!


    [Recall]


    I know that attack does damage, so I¡¯ll go ahead and let Jasper heal up for a while. Can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s pleasant to experience that without any reduction to pain.


    For now¡­ I need to¡­ actually, wait a minute.


    The bird, which I¡¯m now going to dub Screech for obvious reasons for the moment, likes to do that whole shtick pretty frequently apparently. They¡¯ve already done it three times over the course of a day, and I imagine they¡¯d like to give it as many attempts as they can¡­


    And fortunately enough for me, that shriek of Screech¡¯s seems to do something quite interesting! Given as it flies away, the four feng¡¯s that had ran away prior find themselves sprinting right back to the slaughterhouse.


    Screech¡­ you may be a fool, but I shall graciously help myself to a fool¡¯s offerings.


    ¡ª


    Sun on my skin¡­ cool breeze in my hair, yes, this is a good day out here in the Crossing¡¯s. It¡¯s a very good day, but I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯ll stay that way. After all, I imagine it¡¯s about time for a daily visit. From whom? Well, I believe it¡¯s quite obvious, but say hello to Screech! You can see them over there, way off in the distance, getting closer and closer as their shadow blends through the clouds.


    There also just so happens to be a group of¡­ I wanna say buffalo things, way away from here as well? So, guess we have that to look forward to.


    ¡°Everybody cover your ears!¡± I announce from my perch on top of the wagon. Feeling a rather genuine grin spreading to the corners of my cheeks. But, good samaritan I am, before anybody takes a look up at me, with two fingers I push my smile back into place.


    Bring on the buffet!

 C34-Best Served Cold

    Eight hundred thirty four. So, at a base of a hundred experience to go from level one to two, it sextupled over the course of six levels. But going from seven to eight¡­ the gap increased by over two hundred in one go?


    Methinks that¡¯s a little bullshit!


    Exp-28/834


    I figured there would be some scaling equation to determine exp required to level up, but that throws it pretty out of whack in that case¡­ I went straight from two to seven a while back so I can¡¯t quite be sure of the curve, but¡­ that doesn¡¯t seem right with any mathematics that I know. I don¡¯t know TOO many though, so what can you do?


    Anyways¡­


    ¡°Hey Jasper, did you level up yet?¡±


    ¡°M-m.¡±


    ¡°Dah, drat. Are you at least close?¡±


    You know, I know I can¡¯t see their experience or any other tamed monsters for that matter, but the thought occurs, can¡¯t I just ask them?


    ¡°Mmm¡­ mhmhmh¡­ Mmm!¡±


    ¡°Ah, good to hear. One or two more hordes and you should have it then?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡±


    Fanning a yawn as I make my way back to the wagon alongside a few npcs, I tilt my head at one of them and ask a simple question; ¡°How long do you think the rest of the journey will take?¡±


    The thought occurs that I haven¡¯t actually asked that question quite yet! I know they said it would be a few days at first, or at least I think they did? But I haven¡¯t actually crossed the bridge of acquiring knowledge yet¡­


    ¡°Ah, aven¡¯t ya been paying attention mate?¡±


    Another curious thing, some of these guys have like a¡­ I wanna say an Aussie accent? Not all of them, but it¡¯s odd. Perhaps it¡¯s a mixed group of some sort?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve certainly been paying attention to Screech, can¡¯t say I¡¯ve been doing the same for the landscape.¡± I smile gently.


    ¡°Mmm, ¡°Screech¡±?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, you know, the giant goddamn bird that¡¯s been keeping me up all night?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Hah! Fittin name for the thing I suppose. Alright, won¡¯t fault¡¯cha for that. Just an hour or so back, we passed by Afilia way off in the distance, that means we¡¯re about two thirds of the way to our destination. But for you, we¡¯ll drop you off just the slightest bit earlier since we¡¯ll be heading away from the Karst. Ya got that?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm¡­ so¡­ give or take a little less than a day from now?¡±


    ¡°Aye, suppose you could say that!¡±


    Nodding thoughtfully before I start backpedaling away from the man, with a hop I grab onto the side of the wagon and pull myself right back up to the top. It¡¯s been recommended I take my place of residence up elsewhere for the trip, out of¡­ environmental concerns. But I haven¡¯t had an issue with the elements quite yet. The clouds have been getting progressively thicker over the course of the day, but¡­ haven¡¯t rained on the parade yet, so here I shall stay!


    It¡¯s the best vantage point so¡­ y¡¯know. It¡¯s really just the expected perch for me, no?


    How else am I supposed to keep a bird''s eye view of the bird? Screech is a persistent force of nature you¡¯ll have to understand.


    Even now, twenty minutes after having eradicated my third group of Great Crossing¡¯s Olom¡¯s, I¡¯m still not sure if the beastie won¡¯t just pop out of the clouds and screech a screech into our unsuspecting ears! It hasn¡¯t happened yet today aside from the first time Screech caught me unawares, but it could, and could is a risk that I shall keep an eye out for.


    I won¡¯t lie and say it¡¯s that engaging, but it¡¯s work that needs to be done. Or else we shall be gotten in a way most unpleasant.


    Anyways¡­ I¡¯m thinking I¡¯m going to have to make a slight adjustment to my plans. It is starting to get darker again, and the clouds will make it even worse tonight, so it¡¯s going to be rather difficult to spot the thing, so no fights tonight¡­ but at the same time, we¡¯re going to have to make it happen soon. As far as I¡¯m aware, our little trip will last¡­ another twenty four hours from now at best?


    So there isn¡¯t too much time left either. Probably just long enough to get me one more level, maybe. Definitely not for Jasper, since I expect she¡¯ll probably end up needing over a thousand experience to level up after she hits level nine. But even then I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll even be able to reach nine myself. The rate of attacks does seem to slow down come night, and throughout the day today there¡¯s been about half a dozen from Screech that have come our way.


    And it also just might stop attacking once we get close enough to civilization, so¡­ hm¡­


    Hold on, I¡¯ll ponder on this in a moment!


    For now, allow me to go through my menu, extensively.


    Koth-Monster Tamer


    Level 8


    HP 140/140


    MP 55/55


    Stamina 122/122


    Core stats


    Vitality-10


    Strength-10


    Intelligence-0


    Agility-30


    Sub stats


    Endurance-8


    Luck-5.8


    Mana-1.6


    Dexterity-4


    Unique stats


    Skills


    Recall-Desummon any currently active monster of your choice. Monsters not currently summoned will recover 1% of their hp every 3 seconds. Monsters cannot be recalled within 3 seconds of being damaged. DoT status effects do not activate this restriction.


    Summon-Call any currently desummoned monster of your choice to the material plane. Monsters cannot be summoned unless they are at max hp. Consumes 1 MP.


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    Tame LVL 1-Attempt to tame a targeted monster. Chances of success scale off of multiple different factors. Successful taming allows either positive interactions with said monster, or the taming of a monster provided the user has slots to spare. Tamed monsters may rebel depending on varying circumstances. Tamed monsters are lost FOREVER upon their death, barring certain situations. Monsters that lose over 20% of their hp from PvP damage will not be lost upon death. Consumes 10% of max MP per use.


    Passives


    Capacity LVL 2-Increases the maximum number of monsters you can tame by 1. (Max 3)


    Communication LVL 2-Increases your ability to understand and communicate with your tamed monsters, as well as wild monsters.


    Efficacy LVL 3-Slightly increases the stats and skill effectiveness of tamed monsters.


    Shared Effort-all experience gained is split between yourself currently summoned monsters.


    Coordination-orders can be shared with subordinated monsters through a limited vocabulary scaling on the level of Communication.


    Exp-28/834


    Right, seems all about correct, but of course, let me just add on those five free points I have, here you go agility, grow ever more¡­ alright, coolio julio, maybe I¡¯ll be able to keep up just a little better now. Anyways, moving onto equipment, have a few things I want to check and what not!


    Equipment


    Shirt: Cloth undershirt (Common LVL 1)


    Chestplate: Leather tunic (Common LVL 1)


    Gauntlets: Leather gloves (Common LVL 1)


    Leggings: Leather pants (Common LVL 1)


    Footwear: Leather boots (Common LVL 1)


    Weapon: Longsword (Common LVL 1)


    Accessory 1: empty


    Accessory 2: empty


    Accessory 3: empty


    Accessory 4: empty


    Accessory 5: empty


    Consumables


    Lesser healing potion X55 (Common)


    Lesser MP potion X17 (Common)


    Nufri Rope X1 (Uncommon)


    Materials


    Nature Essence X3 (Rare)


    Grove Mantis X4 (Uncommon)


    Currency


    0 Platinum


    0 Gold


    2 Silver


    54 Copper


    Accomplishments


    Primordial Tamer-Be the first Monster Tamer!


    +2 Skill levels


    Bushling Basher-Defeat the Bushling raid boss!


    +500 Exp!


    Naturally Inclined-Be the first player to defeat a boss with the nature essence modifier!


    +10% Boost to bonuses from nature affinity materials! +10% Drop chance for nature affinity items!


    Anger Management-Deal 10% or more of an enraged boss''s health!


    +10% Damage boost against enraged enemies!


    Achievement Blitz-Be the first player to complete a unique quest in server 64!


    +5 Luck!


    And¡­ all about as expected, yeah. I haven¡¯t actually checked this tab in a hot moment, and I was kind of worried about armor durability if that was a thing¡­! But, fortunately enough, it indeed does not seem to be. My armor has not budged in the slightest! Not that it really does that much, given¡­ what were the benefits of this¡­ tunic, for example?


    +1.5% damage resistance!


    Not¡­ great. All in all the set is like 6.5% damage resistance and a 1% speed boost. But, that is by technicality, better than nothing! Wasn¡¯t like I had much else to spend my money on, and even still I¡¯m not completely out of it!


    Yada yada, now that I¡¯m done looking at stat blocks, what to do, what to do¡­?


    ¡°...Jasper, wanna have another go at monkey¡¯s paw?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Darn. Hey, Jerry, what about you?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Use your words big guy, I know you can do it!¡±


    ¡°...N-no?¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what monkey¡¯s paw is?¡±


    ¡°...N-no?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, lemme explain the rules¡­ So basicall-¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    AGHSUNNUVABITCHTHEONEMOMENTI¡¯MNOTPAYINGATTENTION


    ¡°Frfrf-FORGET IT!¡±


    Glaring up at the sky, my eyes lock onto the target that I WILL bring down. There will be no escape from me, especially not after they¡¯ve blown my ear drums out on three separate occasions. I will have VENGEANCE!


    Although, in the meantime, I do believe that¡¯s a new monster coming after us! Or, group of monsters, to be more specific. Smaller group than the rest, but maybe quality over quantity? Also looks distinctly scaly, lizard-like. I¡¯m not sure if I wanna say drake or crocodile? Well, either way, time to go find out! Levels await not the foolhardy!

 C35-Beyond The Veil

    I would describe the fight, fights, plural¡­ but really¡­ what¡¯s the point? It¡¯s just the same thing again and again, a singular task dedicated to a singular purpose. Monotonous work to achieve a goal. Yet despite that, despite what the opening to this incoming tangent may have sounded like, I don¡¯t find this journey dissatisfying in the slightest.


    Each cleave of my blade aspires to a goal. Each monster slain is a +7 exp! to the pile, or a +11 exp!, or a +13 exp!, or even a +15 exp! on a few choice encounters. A stone laid at the foot of something greater, a construct reaching to the skies, like antennas to heaven.


    Each action is purpose itself, purpose I know I won¡¯t regret. I never have, and I never will, to that simple fact I swear myself. When I set my mind to a goal, it¡¯s a goal I will achieve. No matter what, what I desire will fall within my grasp, no matter what.


    At some point, Jasper leveled up. We celebrated, she put in her points, at some point, Jerry spoke a few words, I celebrated, he didn¡¯t put in any points because he had none to spend, things moved on.


    Sorry if I¡¯m being a bit of a downer here, but at a certain point I just kind of start to space out. More than anything, this is a quest of endurance. And while I have the mental energy to spare completing this quest, I certainly don¡¯t have the energy to hop, skip, and jump right on over it. So I suppose in a way, Screech beat me.


    The constant vigilance, fighting, it has a tendency to wear down on somebody, regardless of who they are¡­ So I suppose what I¡¯m trying to say with all of this¡­


    Good, God, am I bored!


    There¡¯s certainly a light at the end of the tunnel to keep me focused here, and it¡¯s a light I absolutely intend to take hold of, but I¡¯m so tired of walking! In all seriousness, you likely don¡¯t need to put nearly this much effort into this quest to finish it. It¡¯s not like capturing Screech is a requirement, after all, take a look at the damn thing!


    Tamers Escort


    500 exp


    ???


    It certainly has a ??? so further reward isn¡¯t out of the question, but the bare minimum is just being an escort. You don¡¯t need to go out of your way to take the lion¡¯s share of the fighting to gather up as much experience as possible, you don¡¯t need to make an effort to go out hunting for a monster almost twice your level! But here I am, doing it all the same.


    Why am I doing it? If I claim to hate this so much, you ask? Well¡­ that¡¯s a good question my proverbial inquirer! Allow me¡­ to elaborate.


    To be frank, this, is what I live for. The negatives of such a pursuit may be clearly on display as of the moment, but the sweet, succulent appeal of getting what I want from this ordeal will be mine. And when it is mine, I will look back fondly on this time, not with a shred of regret to be found. Each second spent on this front will be worth it, in that; I have absolute faith.


    ¡ª


    The rain comes slowly at first. I¡­ expected it, given, you know, the concentrating clouds. And it¡¯s also starting to turn to dusk as well. That¡¯s just great, really, it¡¯s great, I am a fervent enjoyer of reduced visibility. Really adds a positive spin onto a fight where I need my senses running at a hundred.


    And then¡­ it pours a little harder, the increase is gradual, and before long, I¡¯m absolutely soaked. Breathing in and out slowly on the top of the wagon as it prattles along, the rain rolling off of the surface of the roof. I don¡¯t subject Jasper to the elements, and instead [Recall] her before she has the chance to voice a complaint, basking in the cold rain myself instead.


    And it just¡­ keeps coming. The clouds were dense, but¡­ this is rather unexpected to be frank. I didn¡¯t think the rain would come down this-


    Rainstorm!


    Water affinity attributes are 10% more effective!


    Lightning affinity attributes are 10% more effective!


    Fire affinity attributes are 10% less effective!


    Burn related status effect durations are halved!


    ¡­Huh. That¡¯s mildly interesting. And if Screech ends up attacking, suppose it could be helpful given they used what seemed to be fireballs in our last fight¡­ unless they also have the ability to use other forms of magic, in which case, darn. This is a buff to them. Well, if they can use water or lightning, I mean. Wouldn¡¯t be too surprised if they could though¡­


    Well, it doesn¡¯t change anything I suppose. There¡¯s work to do, and a little rain won¡¯t deter me from seeing it through.


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    Oh, guess I can¡¯t help the frown. The rain IS cold¡­ but like I said, I¡¯ll deal with it. Just another obstacle to the goal.


    Though¡­ this one might be a little bit more annoying than the rest now that I think about it. As the clouds continue to roll in, it just gets darker and darker¡­ The devs clearly aren¡¯t so cruel as to add frostbite to the game, but I¡¯m not sure how well cold interacts with pain dampening settings on this game. Probably considers it of the same ilk, but it¡¯s not exactly pleasant either way.


    Well¡­ It¡¯s not like I can go somewhere else and spend my time elsewhere. As it gets darker, darker, yet darker, the only place that has the necessary vantage point to pick out Screech remains here still. So¡­


    For once, let¡¯s turn that frown upside down, alright? The goal¡¯s within grasp, it¡¯ll all come to an end soon enough.


    ¡ª


    It¡¯s almost impossible to spot Screech through the storm, and that¡¯s if it¡¯s even coming. Can¡¯t be sure if it would decide to fly in this turbulent weather, so¡­ I could just be wasting my time up here, staring into the sky with no chance of recompense¡­ But that doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve made up my mind on this front, I¡¯m going to catch them.


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    So I keep my eyes peeled, even as raindrop after raindrop pelts them, I don¡¯t relent for a moment. It is dark, yes, but it¡¯s not pitch black quite yet. The sun still peeks over the sky, even if it is smothered by the clouds. So as far as I¡¯m concerned, it¡¯s still possible to finish things today, to finish things at all.


    Even if it¡¯s difficult¡­


    ¡°Aye,¡± a voice calls out from beneath me, giving me slight pause as I tear my eyes away from the clouds.


    ¡°We¡¯ve reached your stop! The path streaking off to the left leads to Pierre¡¯s Karst, so this is where we go our separate ways.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°Yer stop! It¡¯s right here!¡±


    ¡­What? No, that can¡¯t be right¡­


    Hopping down from the roof, I watch my step so as to not slip and make a fool of myself, staring off into the distance at the misshapen landscape off in the distance. Trees littering the ground with limestone peaks scattered about. That¡­ about matches the definition of ¡°karst¡± I suppose¡­


    ¡°C¡¯mon, a few of us will see ya off! It¡¯s the least we can do after all your help. Y¡¯really went above and beyond y¡¯know!¡±


    ¡­I nod, my left eye twitching ever so slightly.


    ¡ª


    ¡°So what was it you were transporting anyways?¡± I ask the three men around me as we traipse through the rain.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t think we can tell you tha-¡± one of them started to mumble, but was quickly cut off with a rumbling laugh from another of them.


    ¡°Aye, calm yourself Aoi, there¡¯s not much he could do with the information now! No harm in sating a harmless bit of curiosity, yeah, Frank?¡± He tilted his head at the last of the trio, whom, slowly nodded in response.


    ¡°T¡¯be frank, it¡¯s nothing all that special, just a rare commodity from Resiala! Mighty popular treat for Tamer¡¯s and their folks, s¡¯called a Mana Truffle. We had a fair few of em on the ride, so it was fairly high stakes, n¡¯the scent must¡¯ve been drawing the attention of that big¡¯ol bird that was harassing us the whole way through. Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that was the reason why! It¡¯s a favorite among monsters I hear, but especially among birds and the like.¡±


    ¡°...I see.¡± I nod again, thinking it over.


    So¡­ it was targeting us because it smelled something good? That¡¯s a rather base reason, but whatever. It was targeting the wagon because of the ¡°Mana Truffles it had¡­¡± and apparently they have quite the pungent smell to them then?


    It hasn¡¯t been long since we started walking¡­


    ¡°Jasper?¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    ¡°How do you feel about theft?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, Meh!¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡±


    [Summon]!


    Turning my head back to the land ahead, I put on my best neutral smile and pat the so far unnamed npc on the shoulder.


    ¡°Right, thanks! Curiosity was eating me up inside, thought you were transporting some kind of legendary artifact with the level of secrecy you were upholding there!


    [Hunter¡¯s Pursuit]


    ¡°Pff, hah! Nothing so serious lad. Just, you know¡­ you¡¯re a Monster Tamer, you¡¯d certainly have reason to go for it if you had less than fair intent! No offense of course, you¡¯re made of sterner stuff than that!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, of course. Well, you¡¯ve seen me off far enough, you can cut the delay and be off now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course. Hope you have a good time around here lad! But, I do hear it¡¯s not exactly the safest of living conditions around these parts¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± I smile and dust my tunic off. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware of that.¡±


    ¡°Right you are lad, right you are.¡±


    [Hunter¡¯s Pursuit]


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    ¡°Just take whatever smells funny.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, just gather it all up into a pile! But whatever smells the best to you, hold it in¡­ your mouth??? But DO NOT EAT IT!¡±


    ¡°Right, have yourselves a great night, and good luck with Screech.¡± I smile and nod again, before waving the men off as they return to the wagon.


    ¡°Mmm-mm-M!¡±


    [Recall]


    [Summon]


    In her jaws is a small case, sealed and shut, locked in a nice box¡­ seems to fit the bill, to be frank.


    ¡°Mm-MM!¡±


    ¡°Not everything you had came with you? That¡¯s fine, that¡¯s fine, just let me see that¡­¡±


    Taking it in my hands¡­


    Mana Truffle X3 (Epic)


    Epic.

 C36-For One Thing

    All that trouble¡­ all that harassment, for¡­ this?


    Mana Truffle (Epic)


    A rare plant painstakingly infused with high amounts of MP over the course of weeks. This particular specimen does not grow naturally anywhere, and the recipe is kept firmly under wraps, produced in only a few specific locations.


    While to normal people this may taste bitter and unappealing, to monsters it inexplicably becomes a delicacy, easily drawing them in when left exposed. Especially so for any monster with enhanced olfactory senses.


    Grants +0.5 mana when consumed by a monster, permanently.


    Heh¡­ all that for¡­ what, five MP? No increase too small I suppose. Perhaps I¡¯ll find myself a kindred spirit in this Screech! If they put in that much effort for a mere 1.5 mana, then I suppose this might not be nearly as difficult as I first imagined. Given they seem to be willing to do just about anything for it¡­


    Well, that¡¯s if they come to find me anyways.


    Here I sit, Jasper not at my side, and the box in my hands wide open. The description didn¡¯t say anything about a short shelf life, so holding it open isn¡¯t much of a concern for me. I just need it to do its job and attract monsters. For that matter, I might actually keep one of them to act as an incense or something, farm monsters faster and what not¡­


    Well, those are concerns for later! For now, I¡¯m keeping an eye out. Can¡¯t have Jasper out here with me, cause even she¡¯s drooling over the wide open box, but otherwise I¡¯m having an alright time!


    I gave it a moment when I stole the thing, waited for it to stop raining. If the Screech was tracking the wagon through scent, then it¡¯d obviously lose the trail in the middle of a rainstorm. It¡¯d be unreasonable to expect it to find me through that, so I gave it time. And now¡­ ironically enough, here we are again, waiting under the night sky.


    ¡°How long do you think this is gonna take?¡±


    I turn my attention to Jasper for a moment, whispering her a question through the silence. I know she¡¯s the quiet type, can go for hours without doing anything, real laze around kind of cat¡­ but I¡¯m not, teehee! I need some form of engagement here, you know. Stabbing monsters earlier was what gave me that, but now I¡¯m just kind of¡­ sitting here.


    So, be a good girl and entertain me, will you?


    ¡°...Mm.¡±


    ¡°Not long, why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What? Why the long face?¡±


    ¡°Hhhhmmm¡­¡±


    That was distinctly facepalm-y territory if you ask me, so what could have Jasper exasperated in this instant, hmmmm¡­ Maybe sh-


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    ¡­


    I¡¯m gonna throttle both Jasper and Screech.


    You know, if this weren¡¯t a game, I¡¯m pretty sure my eardrums would¡¯ve hemorrhaged or something by now. But, there is one saving grace here¡­


    Holding the box up to the night sky, I expose the three truffles to the open air, waiting patiently until I hear a shrill noise up in the air, something carving its way through the winds to get to us¡­ and then I close it! Snapping it shut, I quickly place the box back into my inventory, turning to face Screech as they recover from the dive. Their wings flapped madly as they righted themself from their previous position on the ground, having crashed into it when their downwards dive turned upside down.


    I didn¡¯t expect them to go so fast that they crashed into the floor when their flight path was disrupted, but I suppose that just serves to show that these truffles are quite the incentive, hm?


    Right, anyways then, time to get talking! Diplomacy is obviously the superior option when it comes to taming, if Jerry and Jasper are anything to go by. I mean come on, one¡¯s my ace in the hole god tier summon, the other is¡­ Jerry. Traumatized Jerry. Very sad, so sad indeed.


    ¡°Hm-hm-hm-hm!¡± I announce out loud as I clear my throat, giving slight pause to Screech whom had already been raising their wings for another assault. ¡°You hear me loud and clearly, yes?¡±


    Just about on schedule, Screech tilts their head at me at an almost comedic angle. Frankly I feel a little silly not trying this one in our last encounter, but what¡¯s done is done! I¡¯ve tested since then and, yes Monster Tamer is indeed a versatile class. Communication was a skill to allow speaking with monsters that you tamed, yes, but it also very specifically specifies in the skill ¡°as well as wild monsters.¡±


    What does that mean? How would one speak to them? Well, there were plenty of hordes to test out the wording on that one. And frankly, it¡¯s rather simple! The words you speak just¡­ simply seem to translate for a monster, or maybe they already know the language and are just more willing to listen to you specifically.


    Could be either or, but either way, it doesn¡¯t matter. What does matter is the ability to convince and or manipulate a monster into working with you. And with how desperate Screech seems to be to get their talons on these three supposed delights¡­ I¡¯ve got some pretty good leverage he-


    But of course, nothing ever goes according to plan, and a moment later, I¡¯m once again defending myself from another nearly blinding assault.


    2!


    But this time, it really is just a glancing blow, claws scraping against my tunic as my raised guard deflects the attack. I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m a ¡°changed man¡± from our last fight or anything, but¡­


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Agility-40


    That is ten more points than the last time. Wait, wait wait wait, ten!? I hear the invisible audience asking, but as to you of the more astute variety, you may have noticed a simple little fact! My quest, was completed, no?


    I never took that into account, that it could be possible to finish the quest and still have a shot at fighting Screech, so I never took that into account¡­ but lo and behold!


    100/1055


    I was r-oops wrong display, zeha!


    LO AND BEHOLD!


    Level 9


    My speed from the previous fight has significantly increased, so it is with GREAT BOUGHS OF JOY, that when the next attack from Screech comes, I evade it entirely. Their talons almost scratched my throat, but pulling my head back just in time, for the first time, I completely evaded a blow from them in melee distance.


    I also understand the point of dexterity a little better now. Definitely there for a reason¡­ When I leveled up, it felt like the world moved just a little slower when I started running or doing something similar. It literally improves your perception of time when moving faster it would seem, which is¡­ mildly important to say the least. So, might consider investing in that soon enough.


    Why does that matter right now you ask? Because, silly goober, that extra point in dexterity, while not all that much, is actually kind of important! It¡¯s a major change from our last fight, I Was barely keeping up with Screech beforehand, but like¡­ ugh, let¡¯s do some math! If my reaction speed is, let¡¯s say, 1, and Screech¡¯s attack speed is 0.99, 1-0.99 is a mere 0.01! 0.01 left to react and do something. That¡¯s almost no time at all! But, let¡¯s say, my reaction time isn¡¯t 1, and is instead 1.1. That¡¯s now ten times more time for me to react! Or well, just about ten times.


    So, when Screech goes flying by, they touch down on the ground to reset and or reorient their momentum, this time it¡¯s something I can actually see. Something I can react to, for realsies. And it¡¯s not an opportunity I¡¯ll simply let slip by.


    [Summon]!


    Screech¡¯s talons sink into the earth as they touch down, their form shuddering at the sudden presence of something diabolical, diabolical indeed. The presence of a [Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark] coming crunching down on their form.


    In a burst of even more speed, they push away from the ground, but not before Jasper¡¯s claws can at least nick them.


    72!


    I frown, given that¡¯s quite the low number compared to previous Mark nukes, but either way it still sends Screech crashing back down, their body twisting as even the offhanded force of the blow knocks their sense of balance off kilter.


    And just like clockwork, their form expands and changes, once again just about doubling in size.


    [Recall]


    Locking eyes with the bird, I can¡¯t help the grin that breaks out as they raise a wing towards me, given it¡¯s exactly what I¡¯d expected them to do.


    Right after the motion is completed, a fireball manifests itself from thin air and rockets towards me. It¡¯s fast, incredibly so, but without the element of surprise it previously held it¡¯s also not nearly as difficult to avoid. One blasts towards me, and is cleanly dodged as I leap away from the point of impact. Another comes flying straight for my head, and I cartwheel around it for extra style points.


    All the while my eyes stay locked on Screech, fishing for the intent of any more incoming attacks¡­ but¡­ I find nothing. They¡¯re not moving for some reason, but a fireball a day seems to be their plan to keep the Koth away. Well, they can certainly keep ME away. But I¡¯m not sure if I can say the same for Jasper.


    [Summon]


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit them too hard, I¡¯m not sure about their HP.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Mm.¡±


    With raw blunt force, Jasper slams her paw into Screech¡¯s prone form-54!-, earning a squawk of indignation that¡¯s clearly audible even like¡­ the ten meters away that I currently am.


    She doesn¡¯t even try to hit it again, merely watching with curiosity as it scrambles to its talons (noticeably slower than before as well mind you), and¡­ starts to take off.


    ¡­Huh. You know, having a set pattern like this really makes it too easy.


    Well, I¡¯ve got one last little gift from my friends on the wagon. Unlike the truffles, this one was given freely! As an actual gift, in fact! All for one express purpose.


    Pulling it from my inventory, I begin to spin around and build up power, I¡¯ll only have one shot at this, so¡­ really don¡¯t wanna miss!


    Around, and around, and around, and¡­ NOW!


    Chucking the Nufri Rope, I watch as the bundle expands mid-air, rising to meet Screech as their head snaps towards the incoming projectile in pure shock.


    Perhaps if they were smaller or whatever, or bigger, they¡¯d have been capable of avoiding it, in fact, I have no doubt they can¡¯t get out of there with their transformation or whatever the heck it is entirely on their own, but I only need a moment!


    With another cry, Screech comes crashing down to earth, bound in a half dozen green fibers.


    All according to cake.

 C37-Foodie

    The vines of the rope quickly interlink, squeezing in on Screech¡¯s form, binding their wings and pinning them to the ground, face down. I was told it was a unique trap, but actually seeing it in action is something else! It¡¯s another one of those mana infused exports from Resiala, they apparently have a fair amount of similar items if what I¡¯ve acquired so far is to be used as an example.


    ¡°First things first,¡± I immediately announce before anything has the opportunity to happen, announce it loudly at that, I have many decibels to pay back. Though, for now, getting to first base is my primary concern.


    ¡°As long as you do not struggle, I, nor any of my allies, will attempt to cause you any amount of physical harm! I wish to engage in diplomatic discussion! However, if you attempt to escape from your restraints right now, we will kick the shit out of you! Do you get it?!¡±


    I crouch down over the struggling heap as I say that last bit, having waddled on over as I was announcing my terms.


    ¡°Do you understand, yes or no!?¡±


    I expressly tested this with like four different kinds of monsters! If this were the one specific type that couldn¡¯t understand me, I would be greatly surprised. And also, you know, displeased!


    Their struggles ebb a bit, but Screech still continues to squirm in their bindings. At the least they haven¡¯t activated a skill, but¡­ this doesn¡¯t really look like active cooperation to me either. Right, fine, fine!


    ¡°Aye, eyes on me!¡±


    Pulling the trinity from my inventory, the squirming becomes a snap as, even bound as they were, Screech¡¯s neck bends in my direction, their eyes lingering on the case containing the three truffles.


    ¡°Screech, I¡¯ve come to bargain. Once again, I reiterate; do not attempt to free yourself, and as long as you do so, I will not harm you. I want to speak with you, not kill you, do you¡­ understand?¡±


    Though, now it would seem I¡¯ve traded one issue for another. Their struggling has ceased, but now they¡¯re just¡­ not responding. They¡¯re transfixed, their eyes are locked onto the case in my gloved hands.


    Sighing, I dismiss the case to my inventory yet again, though that instantly brings the wiggles back.


    ¡°I am willing to give those to you, but you need to listen to me first. Stop moving if you understand.¡±


    ¡­And at last, they remain still. It¡¯s just lovely when a plan comes to fruition, no?


    Anyways¡­ that¡¯s basically confirmation on communication working wonders! I can¡¯t understand them, but I don¡¯t really need to for the trade offer that I¡¯m about to propose¡­ so¡­ doesn¡¯t really matter I guess!


    ¡°Jasper, I¡¯m gonna have to ask you to sit this one out. I¡¯ll [Summon] you again if things take a turn for the worse, alright?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm.¡±


    [Recall]


    ¡°Alright! Now, let¡¯s talk business, shall we? Oh, but, of course, where are my manners¡­ hold still, thank you please!¡±


    Darting forward, before Screech has the chance to properly react, I simply flip them upside down, placing their back against the dirt as opposed to their beak. They flail for a moment, as is to be expected, but I keep the contact short having already known they would. The bundle of vine-rope has pretty much turned into a ball around them at this point, constricting ever more tightly.


    There¡¯s a knot at the bottom, but otherwise it seems quite impervious to brute force from the one captured. I don¡¯t doubt they could burn it, but that would also come with risk to Screech themselves. I don¡¯t quite believe they¡¯re fire-proof. Feathers tend to not be the most inflammable of materials.


    ¡°There, that¡¯s much better, no?¡±


    Before they have the chance to like, squawk at me or something, I carry on with gusto!


    ¡°Given you spent days chasing a bunch of complete strangers, at extreme risk to your own health, I imagine you are QUITE invested in getting those truffles for yourself! And, I will keep this brief. Like I said, I am more than willing to give them to you! In fact, I¡¯d be happy to!¡±


    They continue to stare at me, with nigh bated breath it would seem, given they¡¯re actually holding still to listen¡­


    ¡°On a few simple conditions! Numero uno, you¡¯ll be traveling with me from now on. I find your particular skill set to be quite interesting. Whole lot of valuable abilities to make use of, so on that front I can guarantee preferential treatment!¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    And by that I mean like, buying them food or whatever. The bare minimums of having a pet and all that junk.


    ¡°Secondly, I won¡¯t give you all three at once.¡±


    They twitch in annoyance, but it¡¯s simply something that needs to be set in place. Monsters are perfectly capable of rebelling and relieving themselves from my service. If I tempt them into joining my little entourage with a reward, and then give them all of that reward¡­ What''s to keep them with me?


    ¡°My, no need to get angry. It¡¯s just how it has to be! How else can I keep you to your ¡®word¡¯? I give you everything you want, no need to stick around. You¡¯ll get all three in time, and you¡¯ll even get one of them right now if you decide to come with me!¡±


    ¡°Lastly, I expect you to be at the very least, not hostile towards me, Jasper¡­ or Jerry.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Jeeze, no need to perk up at your name being said, man. Don¡¯t make me feel bad¡­


    ¡°I repeat, you¡¯ll come with me, get all three of the truffles in due time, and during that time you will not be actively hostile towards anybody in your company. Oh and also, you¡¯ll have to listen to what I say to you, but that¡¯s kind of included in the first one. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware I¡¯m a Monster Tamer, yes?¡±


    Actually, I¡¯m not sure why they¡¯d know that¡­ they are just a monster, born in the wild or something, no?


    ¡°...Well, I have you come with me, that means you fight with me. That¡¯s the bottom line.¡±


    Pulling the box out of my inventory once again, I pop it open as Screech goes wide eyed, pulling one of the three out and closing the other two off from the world, sending the box back into my inventory shortly afterward.


    ¡°So¡­¡± I half-mumble, holding the small blue truffle in front of Screech, watching with amusement as their beak literally twitches, snapping open and closed at the mere thought of getting at the item of interest.


    ¡­Honestly they¡¯re so into it that I kind of wanna try it myself now¡­ surely it¡¯s not that good, right?


    ¡°What¡¯s it going to be?¡±


    ¡ª


    The path to town is rocky, far less well kept than the road that had spanned the multiple day long trip leading to this place. It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m moving on foot here, otherwise it would have been quite the task to remain on a raised surface. It would be quite the task to keep something moving through here in the first place, actually.


    Exposed rocks of not so insignificant size litter the path, and while I can¡¯t exactly divulge the exact nature of each of them at a glance, they aren¡¯t exactly dissimilar to the massive rock walls that have been etched into the land over what was no doubt centuries. Or, well, you know, centuries in lore-MY IMMERSION!!! BEGONE POINTLESS THOUGHTS!


    ¡­Centuries. Something crazy must¡¯ve happened here at some point, I can¡¯t imagine land like this forming without any visible water source nearby. Or maybe it¡¯s really just that ancient? That some place ran its course through this place millenia ago and left it super duper dry in the future, the future which is now.


    As I was saying beforehand though¡­ the path is gravelly at best, clearly not meant for travel with anything more unwieldy than the human body itself. Patches of grass litter the place as well, and in total it¡¯s already wound around more than three sinkholes.


    On top of that¡­


    +7 exp!


    ¡­Oh. You know, I was going to say, ¡°there are so many monsters!!!¡±, but no I guess I don¡¯t get to do that today.


    ¡­Having a mounted cannon is pretty cool though.


    ¡°How long do you think it¡¯s going to take you to pave the rest of this path?¡±


    Dunno how I feel about the chatterbox though.


    ¡°Dunno, I just know the road leads to town, not how long the road is.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it would be possible for us to take a quick break then I¡¯m rather tired of attacking any random monster that comes into view to prevent a delay and frankly I¡¯m getting rather hungry at this point-


    So¡­ Jasper hasn¡¯t eaten for literal days, neither have I, but having eaten just an hour or so ago, this gremlin is already hungry again¡­?


    Oh, this is going to be a task isn¡¯t it? Oh well¡­ still worth it, to be frank.


    Girl is beyond busted.

 C38-Rocks Fall

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it can wait until we reach the town.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think it can though you see I¡¯m quite famished and I don¡¯t believe you understand the severity of my hunger it¡¯s quite aggravating a constant gnawing on my psyche and it¡¯s rather unpleasant if you¡¯d be willing to give me just one-¡±


    ¡°God take a breath would you!? I know you want the other truffles, but proverbially and literally drooling in my mind is not going to do you any good! We eat when we get to town, this is fine with you, yes, Jasper, yes, Jerry???¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Well, at the least Jasper agrees, and she hasn¡¯t eaten in much longer than you have, so she has the final say on it as far as I¡¯m concerned. Dismissed!¡±


    And so, she finally shuts up for at least a moment. Screech has had¡­ a lot to say to be perfectly clear. A lot, a lot, a lot a lot. Too much to say. Way too much. Every time she opens that beak of hers it¡¯s to let loose like a twenty second long tangent! I get you don¡¯t need to breathe or pause or whatever to have a mental conversation, but it¡¯s unnatural to just go and go. And also mildly annoying, like having to listen to TV static.


    There isn¡¯t even the din of combat to drown it out because-


    +8 exp!


    ¡­Because that, that¡¯s why. Or, more specifically this is why.


    Elemental Magic LVL 2-Gain the ability to create basic attacks of either water, earth, fire, or air. The strength of these attacks vary based on environmental factors and MP used in their creation, uses magical power for damage scaling instead of physical power. Magical power is determined by intelligence as opposed to strength.


    Basically, just gives them the ¡°go ahead and do whatever¡± pass. You¡¯re a wizard Screech!


    Wasn¡¯t exactly wrong earlier when I figured the rainstorm could still be bad news, but for the most part Screech certainly seems to be a fan of ¡°explode everything in that general direction¡±, given fire is her general modus operandi. Fireball some random monster before I see it, fireball that dog thing in the distance, fireball the cliffside and nearly get us hit with a rockslide¡­ wait, what?


    ¡°Oh, that might be a slight issue,¡± she mumbles to herself as my head turns in the direction of a sloped surface, which had just been blasted by one of her attacks. Off in the distance, I spy with my little eye a monster running for the proverbial hills, which was probably her target. But, she clearly missed.


    ¡°...You don¡¯t say?¡±


    Actually, now isn¡¯t the time for sarcasm, that¡¯s an unknowable amount of rock and dirt coming down from like¡­ I don¡¯t even know how high up that is, but from one of the limestone peaks above comes cascading¡­ probably literal tons of the stuff.


    I didn¡¯t even know this kind of thing could happen! But I suppose the treacherous landscape would point towards it being a possibility. Not like I haven¡¯t seen massive piles of the stuff around while we¡¯ve been walking, but I just figured¡­ that was just environmental design. Not an actual thing that could happen if you hit the map hard enough!


    Welp, no time to cry over spilt rocks, we are moving!


    The force from the rest of the rocks has caused more and more to start falling, to the point where I¡¯m not actually sure if I¡¯d be able to outrun the fallout of the thing. They¡¯re all sliding in from the right side of the path, but the left is remarkably clear, and that¡¯d probably be because it¡¯s not a sloped surface, it¡¯s just a straight incline.


    So, instead of taking a page from the Prometheus school of running away from things, I turn on my heels and [Recall] Jasper to their immediate confusion.


    ¡°What? There¡¯s not much you can do to help here, and I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯d like to eat rocks tonight.¡±


    She clearly just didn¡¯t want to leave me to deal with it on my own, which, thanks I appreciate it, but at the same time there really is nothing she can do. Then, you may ask, why do I not [Recall] Screech as well?


    Well, obviously, because there¡¯s something they can do?


    ¡°Alright, are you ready to-¡±


    ¡°One truffle.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    [Recall]


    ¡°No. And you¡¯re waiting another week because you asked.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s simply not f-¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Tuning her out for the moment because I cannot be bothered to listen to her ramblings right now, I turn my focus back to the wall as the rocks get closer and closer, their rumblings now pounding in my ears.


    With a breath in and out, I slip off my gloves before beginning the climb. I¡¯m not sure how exact physics are in this game, but a few of the higher quality games I¡¯ve played like to stay consistent to the real world. I can¡¯t put the possibility of grip strength and friction and what not mattering here, this isn¡¯t exactly an easy wall to scale from the looks of it, so every precaution is necessary.


    One more breath, and out¡­ and I leap for the first visible hold.


    The wall¡¯s cracked and clearly old. It¡¯s not as if this has just been carved out, lines guide themselves across its hull indicating the course of thousands of years having passed through it, but, for my purposes? Those serve very nicely as holds for me mmmmyessss.


    I think I need to get about¡­ ten or something meters off the ground to be perfectly scott free? Otherwise I will be mashed to bits by the incoming tide of rocks, and well, that¡¯s not a very enticing prospect to be honest. I don¡¯t think I want to walk the entirety of the way from Resiala to here again¡­


    So, reaching for yet another crevice in the wall, I haul myself up and make it a very important point to not look down. This was a spur of the moment decision and all, but I¡¯m not much a fan of heights. I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve very well made this decision if it wasn¡¯t a uh, figurative do or die moment.


    Bolting up the cliff¡­ (karst-side? I¡¯m gonna call it the karst-side.) karst-side, my fingers find purchase in opening after opening, kicking the toes of my boots into them moments later as I passed over them near completely.


    Admittedly, totally forgot to take off my boots, and gotta admit, these aren¡¯t the best things to be climbing with, but it¡¯s also entirely possible to kick my toes in with enough force to uh, widen the gap so to speak.


    It kinda hurts, and I¡¯ve taken a few chunks out of my health pool, but oh well, I do indeed believe it¡¯s better than being a pancake. Unless somebody would like to contest me on that? No, no? Cool.


    I¡¯ve gone up a pretty fair distance at this point, so I think¡­ oop, just made that mistake.


    Yeah¡­ I¡¯m pretty far up. So¡­


    My grip on the wall tightens exponentially, to the point where it feels like my fists might just explode under the pressure. Even on 3.5%, my entire body is aching under the recent strain, which¡­ isn¡¯t a great feeling. But, knowing what¡¯s about to come, I only latch onto the wall even tighter.


    And then¡­ BOOM.


    The entirety of the slide crashes into the flat wall almost at once, the rocks colliding with thunderous force that shakes the surface of the karst-side all the way up to where I find myself hanging onto at the very least. The impact likely rocks its way all the way up given the force that found its way to me¡­


    Okay¡­ that¡¯s the worst of it! What''s left is just glorified pebbles compared to THAT. Now the issue becomes, how do I¡­ get down?


    Surely you can just climb back down right-NO! HELL NO! I climbed up WAY higher than I meant to¡­ dah, damnit. Chill, chill, take a chill pill, calm down, you¡¯re not THAT¡­ high up¡­ just, just a game. Just a game, not gonna go plummeting and shatter your shins.


    What I should be scared of is dying and losing progress, cause that¡¯d suck. Alright, given durability isn¡¯t a thing¡­


    I yank my sword out of its sheath with one hand, clinging onto dear life with the other, suck in another breath, then let go.


    I plummet instantly, and with it my heart drops as well. But, there¡¯s no issue, there is NO issue, of that I am supremely certain.


    Stats in this game make you superhuman, this isn¡¯t some small incremental increase with each level up, no, you put five points in strength and suddenly you go from being a fifty pounds max to doing three hundred three hundred reps. So, I know for certain this will work, and if it doesn¡¯t¡­ oh well, fall damage! It won¡¯t kill me, it WON¡¯T.


    And¡­ WHAM!


    I jab my sword into the rock with as much force as I can muster in that moment, and with a CRCK


    ¡­The sword breaks.


    Sunnuvabitch.


    Longsword (LVL 1 Common) has broken! Take it to the proper craftsmen to have it fixed!


    Well, this is gonna h-


    94!

 C39-Everyone Dies.

    Owwwwwwww¡­ not like, really ¡°ow¡±, I barely felt that to be frank, but owwwwwww MY HEALTH!


    It¡¯s a good thing it was just a rock slide, if there were monsters along with this whole shabang I¡¯d be getting mauled with¡­ how much health do I have right now?


    46/140


    Ouch. Well, that wasn¡¯t what we planned for, but oh well, I¡¯m alive, things are fine.


    ¡­Except they totally aren¡¯t because that was absolutely unacceptable behavior from Screech. On the same lines of logic that almost led me to leave Jasper back in Resiala Peak, if they aren¡¯t listening to me, they¡¯re a liability.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to keep this short, because there¡¯s very little to say here.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Not you Jasper.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Not you Jerry.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°No, Jasp-what do you think? Of course I¡¯m talking about you! Do you think what you just did was okay in any possible way? Actually, no, don¡¯t answer that. You don¡¯t need to say anything, all you need to do right now is listen.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure how receptive they¡¯ll be to a straight up rant, but whatever, still needs to be said anyways.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how upset you are that you don¡¯t get everything you want at your whim, you are choosing to stay with me as of this moment. There is nothing that is forcing you to stay in my company, literally nothing. You want what I have, and because you cannot take it by force, you are choosing to work with me for the moment. However, if you¡¯re going to work with me, then you NEED to listen to me. It¡¯s absolutely non-negotiable. This is the only time I am ever going to let you off the hook for what you just did. You can talk to me about whatever you want outside of do or die situations, but if it comes down to it and you say ¡®erm, one dabloon for my services thank you!!!¡¯ then I¡¯m kicking you out. That will not happen again, am I clear?¡±


    Frankly I should be rid of her this instant, but her abilities are like, fairly tempting to hold onto so I¡¯d rather not do that. If she can be snapped into obedience, then it¡¯s preferable to do that. But I really do mean what I just said, if she ever does something like that again then it¡¯s simply not worth it to hold onto her. Having an unreliable ally that could end up getting you killed isn¡¯t worth it. If she ended up getting Jasper killed, then¡­ well obviously, she¡¯d be a net negative.


    ¡°...Well-¡±


    ¡°As long as you are staying with us, you WILL listen to what I tell you. If you don¡¯t, rocks fall, everyone dies. Rocks fell this time, but nobody died because nothing else happened. That can¡¯t be assured each time, and while it¡¯s annoying at worst if I die, if anybody else or you were to die because something went wrong, that would be irreversible.¡±


    ¡°Okay but-¡±


    ¡°Let me put this in simpler terms for you: If you do not listen to what I say, you will never get what you want, because I will get rid of you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll¡­ get rid of me.¡±


    ¡°And by that I mean I¡¯ll relieve you from my service, not murder you.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, very well. I¡¯ll try listening!¡±


    Well, they sound a little chipper for somebody who just had the yapathon occur at their front door, but oh well! If they¡¯re actually serious¡­ then it should be fine.


    I don¡¯t think they are, honestly, but if they are then there¡¯s no issue! For now however, I have a few pressing issues¡­ mainly that I really need to get to town now because


    Longsword has broken!


    Which, isn¡¯t great to be frank, really not great at all! That just leaves me with my hands to stab people, which, I¡¯m not actually sure if I could do that or not¡­ erm, well, I¡¯d rather not! I¡¯d much rather have a sword or some bladed object to put into peoples chest cavities.


    For now I suppose I won¡¯t have to fight anything, because despite the chewing out I just gave Screech¡­


    [Summon]


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be continuing on our way now, Screech? I expect you to use your abilities to kill other monsters that come by, and hopefully not cause another rockslide. Jasper? Continue as normal, you know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Now, shall we get goi-¡±


    ¡°Krrrr¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, would one of you mind dealing with that? I¡¯m currently¡­ unarmed.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    Just another fireball and¡­


    +5 exp!


    Lovely, that¡¯s a feline thing reduced to ash, moving on¡­


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    ¡°Krrrrrrrrrrrr¡­¡±


    Ah, that¡¯s like, multiple dozens of them. That¡¯s not exactly great but¡­


    ¡°Hey Jasper, there¡¯s nobody around right? So, that means you can use your abilities freely, yes?¡±


    ¡°Mhm?¡±


    ¡°Ah, good, good, alright, Screech, don¡¯t use any physical¡­ erm, elemental attacks, you should be using purely supportive abilities, for now, I want to see what Jasper can do. Jasper, you can deal with this on your own, right?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ mhm.¡±


    ¡°Great! Just get to-¡±


    Taking a step back, I weave to the side of a lunging strike from one of the felines, which are called¡­


    Karst Stalker Lynx-LVL 7


    Called Lynxes, huh? Wait a minute¡­


    ¡°Hey Jasper you don¡¯t have any issue with stabbing other lynxes do you?¡±


    ¡°Mmm? Mhmhmhm¡­¡±


    Ah, so that¡¯s a no, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d laugh at the prospect if they were opposed to slaughtering their own kin! So that¡¯s good, great, wonderful even!


    Dipping and ducking around yet another slash of claws, I launch my fist into the throat of the lynx and immediately back off, shaking out my fist as I frown at the impact. The rocks don¡¯t make for the best footing, but with my enhanced speed I¡¯m at least able to hop from boulder to boulder, at least until I reach solid ground again.


    The impact and what not probably attracted everything here, but I suppose that doesn¡¯t matter now. Time to wipe them all out!


    ¡°Well then, have at it! And Screech? Alternate between [Enchanting Call] and [Grasp of Morrigala]. No directly attacking, I want Jasper to be dealing damage.¡±


    And I¡¯ll just leave out that I don¡¯t want them doing any attacking after what they just pulled earlier. They can sit and contemplate what they just did, like the bad child they are!


    ¡­Though they don¡¯t really seem all that broken up about it to begin with. There might not be a point in making them sit on it like a disappointed parent, but it¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do anyways, because I want to see Jasper go to work!


    I¡­ have a bit of a plan to farm some experience, but I need to make sure Jasper can actually take hordes like this without issue so that it works properly. If all goes well then it shouldn¡¯t be that difficult to power level really, really fast! Like, to the point where it might be kind of unfair, like, maybe something that needs to be patched out¡­?


    Probably not THAT crazy, but it¡¯ll be good, real good.


    ¡ª


    Hordes of shadows tear through the living like a knife through butter. Individually each creature is far weaker than their counterparts, but bolstered by two main figures, Both Jasper and her shadow, any time a problem starts to brew it¡¯s immediately curbed by the claws of one of the two. Resistance is swiftly destroyed without issue, and routinely, the entirety of the enemy force is completely bamboozled via a particularly wack-


    -Enchanting Call LVL 1-Let loose a cacophony of birdsong, affecting those nearby in a variety of ways. Allies are healed for 10+3% of their HP to a max of 20 and gain a 10% boost to their agility, strength and vitality for one minute. Enemies are damaged by 1% of their max hp to a maximum of 100 and are ¡°disoriented¡±, randomizing their agro to any nearby foe. Costs 15 MP, 30 second cooldown


    Which is, frankly, cracked! Every single time the lynxes start to organize, an enchanting call just ruins them! Sometimes they even start attacking themselves, which is cuhrayzee. This is basically the bane of all hordes, it¡¯s ridiculous. Paired with Jasper¡¯s ability to create a horde in an instant, as well as recover her MP at WARP SPEED, it¡¯s the ultimate combo.


    It doesn¡¯t take long at all for the entirety of the opposing forces to just collapse, replaced with an equal amount of shadows standing in their place, and also a very nice two hundred something total experience for all three of us! Didn¡¯t even need any uses of [Grasp of Morrigala] so that¡¯s mildly disappointing, but oh well!


    I can¡¯t imagine Screech will level up for a while, but the experience gain is a good start.


    ¡°So¡­ can you like, get rid of your summons early?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    No, she can¡¯t. Wonderful.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I guess we¡¯ll just¡­ leave them here then. Town hopefully shouldn¡¯t be too far away, then we can go and get everything done! Screech, you get back to fireballing and what not, otherwise, Jasper? Just stay at my side. I can¡¯t really fight all that well if something slips Screech¡¯s notice at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Mmm. Mm.¡±


    Right¡­ shouldn¡¯t be too long now, this half week trip is almost over! And then I can finally log out! I¡¯ve barely spent any time off this game in the past three or so days, I think I need a moment to be honest.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s keep moving!¡±

 C40-Town Bound

    O-kay. The trek¡­ took a little bit longer than I thought it would, but that¡¯s alright! There¡¯s really no problem at all with that, not like I¡¯m hungry or anything, nah, not an issue in the slightest. It¡¯s only been, what¡­ like ten hours of straight gameplay today? Nothing that crazy, I¡¯ve gone for longer. Bordering on a full day I think? I really oughta break my record one of these days.


    ¡­Anyways, the town itself is actually pretty interesting! Taking my mind off of my other woes for a moment, I just stare up at the thing in mild admiration for a moment.


    The entire village is strung up in the karst-sides, rope bridges and the like connecting each place to the other. I¡¯d expect the place to be a little bit, er, un-lively given the heights, but I suppose living in this place as your day to day would assuage a fear of heights at some point. No, people are walking all around. It¡¯s a small village, but belying its size is a constant flow of people, a din of chitter and chatter that I can hear even from all the way down here on the gravelly path through these limestone lands.


    There¡¯s also a comparatively much smaller part of town that¡¯s here on the ground for us lamer altitude-hating folk, but I¡¯m gonna go out on a limb and say anything actually interesting is gonna be up there with all the altitude-loving folk. Woe is me.


    I have to wonder how this all works out logistically though. Like, that¡¯s no small amount of people that I spy walking around up there, and so I ask, how the hell is their weight held up properly? There are also, you know, buildings. Multiple.


    This isn¡¯t like, carved into the karst-side mind you, this is held up in the middle of two different peaks by what looks to be some rope-like material. The entirety of the village''s weight is supported exclusively by the few dozen supports that I presently see attached to the rocky surfaces.


    I suppose the possibility of it being some super material isn¡¯t exactly far fetched, this is a game after all. It could very well just be like, GIGA rope, which is a hundred times better than NORMAL rope in every single way, and can hold like a gazillion tons with just a fiber of it or something? Something like that, so that¡¯s what I¡¯m gonna tell myself when I climb the ladder leading up to it, for, y¡¯know, no particular reason.


    For now though! I¡¯m gonna look around the grounded part of this place!


    ¡°So, do you want to bother with being out right now, or would you two like to-¡±


    ¡°Count me out!¡± -Came an ever chipper reply!


    ¡°Mmm.¡± -Came an ever dignified reply.


    ¡°Right, have a good time then. ([Recall X2]) Oh, and uh¡­ Jerry, would you care to explore, or, are you just gonna¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡± -Came an ever nonexistent reply.


    ¡°...Right. You know you really should participate in the conversation from time to time, there¡¯s no need to be so worried about getting rended apart or whatever, you¡¯re in safe hands you know!¡±


    I really would like to see what that [In Search, Roaming] business is about, so I don¡¯t quite have a reason to see harm come to him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, safe as in none of US will harm you, you have my guarantee on that one you know.¡±


    ¡°...Okay.¡± -Came an ever mild reply.


    Hm. I do wish he wasn¡¯t quite so timid, oh well!


    To exploring, and infinity, or whatever!


    The ¡°ground floor¡± of this place is rather basic. I suppose the paths certainly grow more defined the closer you get to the town as a whole, and while that¡¯s not the most interesting part of it, it¡¯s certainly close to claiming the title. There are a few buildings of various varieties, and from the signs they are including but not limited to, a place for alchemy, blacksmithing, woodcutting, various different jobs and the like, notably except for anything related to food, and an outhouse¡­ and an outhouse¡­ and a-yeah you know what? That makes sense. Certainly don¡¯t want to be doing that in the sky.


    But for down here, that¡¯s about it. It¡¯s very basic, clearer gravel paths intersect and lead to the various buildings, but it would seem nobody actually lives down here, all just places of work and the like. There are a few people walking around, and I¡¯ve gotten a few glances, but it¡¯s not like anybody¡¯s stopped by to say hello to the new face.


    So¡­ then it would seem my only recourse, should I wish to continue exploring¡­ is to take to the skies. Or, well, the thirty something meters off the ground.


    And how is that done? With a ladder. So much for safety precautions, but in a place like this, I suppose I might be expecting a little too much. In the first place the village is probably primarily off the ground for a reason. I can¡¯t imagine people would go out of their way to make life more difficult for themselves in such a manner. There were a lot of monsters just prowling about in the rest of this whole location, so perhaps it¡¯s something to do with that? But then I¡¯d have to also wonder why the other buildings are on the ground and EH FORGET IT I can¡¯t be bothered right now.


    I¡¯m tired, I¡¯m hungry, Screech is-¡±So now that we¡¯ve reached the town you were talking about when do we get to eat?¡±-hungry, so I¡¯d very much like to get to an inn or something, and then I can go about acquiring sustenance for realsies. And I can get Jasper, Screech and Jerry-that¡¯s a mouthful to say EVERY TIME give me like three seconds.


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    Jasper, Jerry¡­ if I named Screech something starting with j I could call them Triple J, but I didn¡¯t have the foresight for that¡­ just calling them ¡°the summons¡± is lame, saying each of their names takes too long and will continue to take longer for each new monster I get¡­ Do I just call them the gang¡­? No, that¡¯s lame too¡­


    Alright¡­ FOR NOW, when I collectively refer to them, I¡¯m calling them JJS. This will only hold until I get another monster, but hopefully, I will have something else to call them by then, and crisis will be averted. Ah, what was I doing? Right, distracting myself from these heights.


    Now that I¡¯ve actually gotten to town, I suppose my first directive here really is just to find a place to stay and eat. Food is clearly a concern for the creatures of this world, so there¡¯s going to be some place to eat in a town, that¡¯s just common sense. And bed and breakfast are pretty commonly grouped together, so it¡¯s fair to believe they¡¯d be in a similar position, no?


    So, that¡¯s what I¡¯m gonna do¡­ ask around, figure things out! And definitely, definitely, don¡¯t look down, and don¡¯t think about how everything is held up by rope.


    ¡­And don¡¯t think about how everything is held up by rope.


    Goddamnit everything is held up by rope.


    Oh, and also don¡¯t think about my negative karma score, just kind of been going off hope and a prayer on that one.


    Wuzzat, I hear the voices in my head ask? My negative karma score? Why, from what? WELL, something that is quite bullshit if you ask me!


    Not too long ago, like, an hour or two, as I was making my way through the valleys and pitfalls of this Karst, I got a very sudden notification.


    -10 Karma!


    And as you might have imagined, I was rather confused by the development! But then, you know, things kind of started to click into place¡­ I DID steal a few epic items, which, the people escorting them were keenly aware of, buuut, do they REALLY know it¡¯s me? Cause clearly committing the act itself doesn¡¯t net you negative karma, just when somebody notices it happens.


    Which also beggars the question; how does PK karma work? Cause the explanation in the menu said you¡¯d get it on kill, but it also said you¡¯d get karma based on deeds committed and not how they¡¯re interpreted¡­ but whatever that¡¯s beside the point!


    Bottom line, my karma did, technically, dip into the negatives. And it is also still, technically, hovering in the negatives. By a uh, not an insubstantial amount either, because the cap is five hundred in either direction, but it should be fine! Logic dictates that there¡¯s NO WAY my face could possibly be seen or known around here for at least a day or so. And it¡¯s not like people can just eyeball you and go ¡°YOU FIEND!!!¡±


    ¡­I think.


    Bottom line, I should be fine! For at least a day or two. So¡­


    Finally pulling myself up from the ladder, I breathe a sigh of relief as I step foot onto the wooden platform awaiting me. And then proceed to absolutely, utterly, inconceivable REFUSE to look down in any capacity, holding my eyes straight ahead.


    Falling? Eh, fall damage as a concept? Really doesn¡¯t get under my skin! But¡­ something just stirs under my skin, real primal like, when you place me up way high without the means to fall safely. Like, if I fell from here, I think I¡¯d just die? And that really rains on my parade. Therefore, we¡¯re not having a parade or rain! We¡¯re ignoring it, and we¡¯ll have a damn good time doing it!


    One step, and the ground doesn¡¯t crack and crumble. Another, and it doesn¡¯t even rumble. As it should, given there¡¯s a hundred or so people in eyeshot walking all over it without so much as a single groan!


    Speaking of those people¡­ pick out a random face in the crowd, and¡­


    ¡°Hi! Could you spare me a few moments of your time?¡±


    A¡­ moderately handsome face turns to face me, to my moderate shock. That¡¯s like a shocking level of genetics right there. And to his credit, he doesn¡¯t immediately spit in my face either!


    ¡°I suppose, that depends, what for?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing crazy, just directions to the nearest¡­ inn, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, you can¡¯t go wrong with Sky Whale I suppose. Just across that bridge.¡±


    Before I can ask him to elaborate as to which bridge, he lifts a finger and points it in the direction of a bridge to his left. That was surprisingly helpful, thank you random semi-noble from out of nowhere!


    He walks away before I can actually say it though, so, erm, oops?


    Well you know what they say. To beyond and infinity, or something like that.

 C41-Death By A Thousand Pecks

    WHAM goes the door as I swing that shitake open! Mostly just because I didn¡¯t expect it to hit a wall immediately, so I might¡¯ve put a little bit too much force into that¡­ but oh well! Here we are at long last, away from all the conundrums and cancellations of traveling around, at long, LONG, last, I can get Screech to stop screeching about food!


    Hopefully!


    I dunno, they say the eyes are the window to the soul, but to me whenever they start rambling on and on¡­ they just look like deep, dark pits, from whence no light shall ever escape. There is nothing to be found in them. Only suffering, and unknowable despair. An ever echoing, pervading wail, reverberating through the walls of their hollow, empty being.


    Or in other words, you¡¯re not you when you¡¯re hungry, and Screech seems to be perpetually hungry from what I¡¯ve seen of them. Then again, they haven¡¯t been with me for long, so how would I know? Perhaps a truffle about the size of my pinky finger wasn¡¯t all that filling. Regardless, it¡¯s about time to remedy that!


    ¡°-oh I do hope there¡¯s an assortment of monsters here it would be so wonderfully lovely to get to stretch my palle-¡±


    ¡°Screech! You can stop now!¡±


    She¡¯s been rambling for awhile now, and I just kind of tuned her out, but I do need to hear her thoughts on this next bit to actually, uh, order. I mean I figure I could just get her just about anything, but I should probably ask what she wants out of the available options, no?


    Walking through the establishment, I cast many a curious glance around the place. There aren¡¯t too many people hanging around, and most of the people here are in casual dress, cloth shirts and what not. Or, you know, what I think is cloth. There are the rare few exceptions dressed in more adventurous wear, such as myself, but we are by far, as previously mentioned, the exception. I also can¡¯t help but notice that I am, er, exceptionally drab to put it bluntly.


    My armor is exceedingly plain, it¡¯s just¡­ leather, and a bit of a metal that I couldn¡¯t put a name to if you put a bow to the back of my head. Certainly no artisan work. You¡¯ve got the tunic covering most of my chest with bits of my actual shirt showing underneath, my gloves, me leggings, and me boots, and that¡¯s all. Meanwhile, you take a look at one of the adventurer folk around this here part and¡­


    Almost all of them have something that distinguishes them. An embroidery carved into their outfit, perhaps a few rings, a flower in one¡¯s hair, some of them aren¡¯t even wearing leather, and instead some unknown material of a different color. So, I suppose in a certain way, I am unique! In that I am the most bland of all.


    Am¡­ am I the leather pleb? Have I become what I so despised? Actually¡­ was I ever any different? I suddenly feel as if I am not of my own skin.


    That shouldn¡¯t matter too much though, not like anybody has given me a blatant look of disgust or anything! So on I go, passing under the artistic representation of a floating whale carved into a sign hanging down from the center of the tavern thingamajig I find myself walking through, clearing my throat as I prepare to speak to a middle-aged something woman at the counter.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I start off mildly enough, displaying a controlled smile and waving gently. ¡°I¡¯m new in town, and was wondering how much two or so silvers could get me here?¡±


    ¡°Hm, don¡¯t look like all that much. You made it through the valleys?¡±


    ¡­Excuse me?


    With my smile becoming just a smidgen more forced, I tilt my head at the woman.


    ¡°Of course, how else would I be standing here before you as I am?¡±


    ¡°Ah, just an old woman¡¯s ramblings, don¡¯t mind me.¡± She chuckles, waving a hand at me in dismissal, before sighing and looking me in the eyes. ¡°Two silvers you say? Hm¡­ tell me, how long will you be staying in town?¡±


    ¡­Good question actually, how long WILL I be staying in town? I¡¯ve got some repairs to do I suppose, test out some farming theories, probably look for a few quests¡­ so I suppose a day or two?


    ¡°A few days or so, why?¡±


    ¡°Tell you what, I¡¯ll do you two silvers for a three night¡¯s stay then,¡± she offers without much hesitation, smiling with ease as she gives what¡­ seems to be a pretty alright deal all things considered. But, I do run into a problem of sorts at that offer.


    Currency


    0 Platinum


    0 Gold


    2 Silver


    54 Copper


    My coffers are a little low¡­ I dunno about Jasper and Jerry, but the S in question probably won¡¯t be satisfied with a mere fifty four coppers of consumption.


    ¡°Hmm, quick question, would it be a problem if I were to use a few of my skills?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s rather out of the blue,¡± she commented, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Depends on the skill, I suppose? No wrecking the building, I¡¯ll have your head for it, as well as the law-men. They don¡¯t take kindly to potential threats to the stability of the village,¡± she mused, stroking her chin.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Alright, bear with me.¡±


    My officially dubbed; [Tri-Summon!!!] (with an ! for each monster!)


    Manifesting three monsters into existence all at once, I point a finger to each one in order, index, middle, and thumb respectively as I point to Screech on my shoulder, Jasper on my left, and Jerry on my right.


    ¡°I¡¯m also going to need to buy food for these three. This one specifically,¡± I mumble whilst retracting my thumb and middle finger, leaving only my index blasting straight towards Screech, who, for her part, remains REMARKABLY quiet. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s literally shaking from the silence, like a pipe about to burst from sheer pressure.


    ¡°...How much would that cost?¡±


    Tilting her head at me for a change, the woman asked a moment later; ¡°...You feed your monsters full course meals?¡±


    ¡°...Yes?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Well that¡¯s certainly one way to ensure loyalty.¡± She mused again, before sighing and smiling. ¡°Can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s easy on your funds though. Any extra miscreants I should be worrying about, or just those three for now?¡±


    ¡°Just these three for the foreseeable future. There aren¡¯t any others to feed.¡±


    ¡°...Ah? You know what, not my place to ask.¡± She smiled and shook her head, before meeting my eyes once again. ¡°It¡¯d typically cost you about twenty five coppers for a proper meal per person. So, for all four of you, I suppose I¡¯ll cut you a bargain and say eighty coppers instead of the full silver. But only if you take the offer for the three nights!¡±


    54 Copper


    ¡­


    ¡°...Do you take payment in any alternative forms?¡±


    ¡°Running short on cash dearie?¡±


    ¡°A little bit,¡± I nod with a frown. ¡°I have potions, a fair few of them, I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be able to cover the cost of twenty six extra coppers.¡±


    ¡°Hm, suppose I could make a stop by the local alchemist tonight, how many are you offering?¡±


    Well, I bought about eighty potions total with around seven silvers and a lot of sold materials¡­ so, assuming the re-sell rate is probably less than a third of their initial price¡­ I¡¯m gonna guesstimate and say around¡­ seven?


    ¡°How does seven lesser healing potions sound? About three coppers for each?¡±


    ¡°Hm, that¡¯ll do. You have yourself a deal!¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°Okay¡­ just calm down¡­¡±


    Screech is practically a vibrating bomb of pressure ready to go ka, BOOM. I¡¯m half convinced they¡¯re about to start shedding feathers as they remain dead silent, I think they might¡¯ve taken my ¡°follow my orders¡± spiel a little bit¡­ too literally.


    ¡°You can speak, just-¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness gracious I am SO hungry I¡¯ve been waiting for so long why did you not have any food on you besides the truffles I mean I would¡¯ve eaten them either way but you didn¡¯t offer me anything did you just not have anything because that would be really weird I mean do you go that long without eating anything on average? Because I stopped for a quick snack every time I attacked you and your friends to fill up and I can¡¯t imagine anybody else doing anything differently because that would just s-¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°STOP! Stop-I mean, don¡¯t STOP, stop. JUst¡­ slow down. There is no need for that!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you to stop, just speak with a little bit more¡­ I dunno, elegance?¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Jasper grunts her agreement, looking up at me and Screech from her place on the floor.


    ¡°Uh okay how exactly do you want me to do that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t quite know to be honest. Er, that right just now was fine? Speak like that, please?¡±


    ¡°So in short bursts you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in¡­ short bursts.¡±


    ¡°...Okay!¡±


    Giving me a headache in combat and in conversation. Screech truly may have been the name of all time.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been looking at the menu, I¡¯m not sure about all of you, but I figure Screech will want as much as she can get¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm! Absolutely! I¡¯m starving!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Jasper¡­ do you¡­ do you even want anything?¡±


    ¡°...Mm.¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ is that a yes or no?¡±


    ¡°Mmmmm¡­ Mrmmhm.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ if you don¡¯t eat, I¡¯m sure Screech would be happy to take your p-¡±


    ¡°YES! I would!¡±


    ¡°...Right. And, uh, Jerry? Would you like a Arieia steak?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll order that for you. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    I just feel bad for the poor guy at this point. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s in a stage of caveman speak, he¡¯s just¡­ really quiet. I wish he wasn¡¯t so anxious all the time, it¡¯s kind of a mood killer. Well¡­


    ¡°Alright Jasper, I¡¯ll just order whatever for you, meat is fine, yes?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ Screech¡­¡±


    ¡°Ooo! I waaaaaant-¡± her drawl continued onward as she activated [Morrigala¡¯s Metamorphose], shrinking to about half of her current size. She then proceeded to lightly tap her right-most wing against half of the items on the menu.


    ¡°...You can¡¯t have everything.¡±


    ¡°What? Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because we can¡¯t afford everything.¡±


    ¡°What? Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because we don¡¯t have infinite money.¡±


    ¡°What? Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because we aren¡¯t rich.¡±


    ¡°What? Why not?¡±


    ¡°...BECAUSE I SAID SO! Rghghahgah, we can¡¯t get everything, that¡¯s the end of the story. Pick ONE thing. You¡¯re already probably getting part of Jasper¡¯s meal, there will probably, quite literally, be more food than the size of your body, you¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°Oh fiiiiiine alright I want this.


    Once again, she placed her wing atop an item, and because of her currently reduced size, it was actually legible. The item of interest being soup.


    ¡­Didn¡¯t expect that, but alright!


    ¡°Okay, I see somebody walking over to us right now, Let¡¯s get this order going.¡±


    ¡ª


    The soup¡­ inhaler¡­ strikes. This is frankly, absurd. How can one being, be so¡­ ravenous? So¡­ SO¡­ hungry?


    She moves so fast she¡¯s literally a blur, pecking each individual item out of the soup and taking a bit of the liquid with it in each movement. It¡¯s death by a thousand cuts, but by pecks instead, and also it¡¯s not a living creature.


    In contrast¡­ Jerry thoughtfully consumes his steak, taking little pieces out of it under the table. He doesn¡¯t even tear pieces off and cast them to the floor either, it all stays in the plate. A stark contrast from our initial meeting to be frank. I have to wonder, did I really traumatize him that badly¡­?


    My bad bro¡­


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not going to eat anything?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm. Mm.¡±


    And as the last member of the trio, Jasper¡­ simply rests on my lap. She¡¯s a little bit large, but it¡¯s not like she¡¯s a tiger or anything. She¡¯s in between house cat and big cat status, so like¡­ this is acceptable I suppose.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ really alright?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Even though you haven¡¯t eaten in days?¡±


    ¡°Mmmmm-hm.¡±


    ¡°Do you even need to eat?¡±


    ¡°Mm-mm-mm.¡±


    ¡°Literally how?¡±


    ¡°...Mm.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ won¡¯t ask I guess. So you¡¯re cool with Screech taking the burger then?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I dunno why I got you a burger to begin with to be honest. Oh well, it¡¯ll be interesting to see her go at i-oh dear god she is inhaling that burger.¡±


    ¡ª


    I still don¡¯t know how she ate that much.


    I really don¡¯t.


    And I don¡¯t think I want to.


    I breathe in and out, before collapsing onto the bed in my current room. Seeing Screech eat that much, has reminded me that I am, in fact, eleven hours into this without having eaten anything. I¡¯m gonna need me some sustenance before I wither away.


    ¡°Alright everybody¡­ give me a moment.¡±


    Log out.

 C42-Without A Star

    Mmmmmmh¡­


    Thaaaat¡¯s a big stretch. Ouch, I really should get up and move around a little more often. Not like I¡¯d have lost anything from getting a little exercise in while waiting for Screech to try and find me, just a bit too much of a goober to do that though I suppose¡­


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Peeling myself out of the wall bit by bit, my entire body continues to, you like, you know that feeling that you¡¯re tearing yourself apart when you stretch but you¡¯re actually not and it¡¯s a mildly pleasing feeling? That, that feeling, I don¡¯t know how else to put it.


    My entire body continues to do that, and it isn¡¯t long before I¡¯m finally taking proper steps forward. I¡¯ve been going from like, 2AM to now I think? What time even is it? I didn¡¯t exactly check before logging out.


    I take a look at the clock, aaaaand, eesh, 5PM. That¡¯s not that bad, but it explains the soreness.


    Anyways¡­ just let me finish stretching, so I can eat food, and get back to not moving! I am positively starved. But the real question lies here, to which avenue of food do I pursue?


    ¡­Honestly I¡¯m kind of feeling a burger. Seeing Screech decimate that thang made me kinda hungry for one myself. So¡­ burger? I have the money¡­ I HAVE the power¡­ Burger. It¡¯s burger time gamers.


    ¡°Luci!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ethan?¡±


    ¡°I kindly ask of you to order a burger from Salazar¡¯s! Bacon, ketchup, lettuce, mayo, NO CHEESE, fries, and uhhhhh, medium sprite please!¡±


    ¡°Certainly, Ethan. Please wait one moment.¡±


    ¡°...One, t-¡±


    ¡°Your food will be ready in nine minutes. The order has been paid for and will be delivered within fifteen.¡±


    Tsk tsk tsk, I think I¡¯m kind of already missing my motley crew which has been my crew for the span of like three hours. It¡¯s rather boring when something has no bark with its bite.


    ¡­Well, what should I do while I wait?


    ¡­


    The air is cold, frigid, even. It¡¯s turning to winter, so¡­ that about makes sense. It¡¯s already nearly pitch black at five o¡¯clock, so the chill is to be expected given the time I suppose.


    ¡­Even still, I take a few shaky steps forward, and I sit down. It¡¯s probably¡­ thirty something degrees out here right now? Yet¡­ here I am, taking a seat, in shorts and a t-shirt.


    ¡­Why is that?


    Because I wanted to take a look at the sky. It¡¯s a cloudless night after all, just by sheer happenstance! So¡­ I wanted to look, see if I can¡¯t find what it is that got me so good on that wagon ride.


    Filling my lungs with another dose of that same freezing air, I let loose the breath and watch the heat float away, allowing my eyes to trail upwards along with it shortly before it vanishes.


    The sky is black.


    No clouds in sight, just an endlessly rolling blank canvas.


    Oh, sure¡­ neon lights fill the sky, or at least a part of it, Billboards and advertisements in the far off distance, various similar lights flash in the edges of my vision. It¡¯s certainly something splattered across that great empty canvas, but¡­ it¡¯s just ink spilled into the whole, it was not drawn, nor could it be misconstrued as such.


    I know I don¡¯t put myself in the best headspace¡­ thinking about things like this¡­ but I guess I just can¡¯t help it.


    It¡¯s all so¡­ dull, disappointing.


    ¡­I wish I was born, twenty¡­ no, maybe even only ten years earlier¡­ Maybe then I¡¯d know what it¡¯s like, even if only for a moment¡­ what that sparkling masterpiece was meant to be.


    Wait, wait wait wait wait wait hold up, what is that in the distance!??!


    Ethan. Drop everything, the burger is here. Ethan, get the burger.


    A drone comes flying by, stopping just over the floor of my porch, and shortly thereafter it drops a package with a soft thud.


    And feeling both the wind ravaging my pale skin, as well as the hunger pangs ravaging from within, I don¡¯t find myself sitting in this here chair much longer at all! No time to dwell on all that, I¡¯ve got things to do, places to be, people to see! Well, not people, people, but like, you know, people.


    All of them certainly being much better things than spending my time here, under a starless sky.


    ¡ª


    Settling back into the Immersion Gear is easy, it doesn¡¯t even take me a second thought to decide if I want to go STRAIGHT back in or not. I only needed like, a twenty minute break to begin with, and it¡¯s not like I wanted to stay out any longer or anything! I¡¯ve got gaming to get back to!


    So, oop, that¡¯s a DM, how long has that been here¡­? A whole day? Uh, woopsie poopsie? Must¡¯ve missed it last time I logged in. Who¡¯s it from¡­ Onesie? What the heck is he DMing me for? And not Cassie or Rither? I¡¯m like, almost mildly offended by this! Whatever, whatever.


    ¡°How are the first few days going for you? They¡¯ve been going fairly well for me and the rest of my guild. Two of us got a rare class and we¡¯ve also reached an average level of seven. All things considered, I think we¡¯re doing fairly well.¡±


    Does¡­ does he like, think we¡¯re friends, or¡­? Cause why the heck is he dming me over minor stuff like this? Didn¡¯t we agree on a business relationship? Ah, to hell with it why not?


    ¡°Pretty well tbh got a different class this time around instead of going for a swordsman type. its common but I¡¯m pretty satisfied with it in all seriousness. Im not just gonna tell you what it is but as a hint my average level has reached¡±-actually what is my average level? Nine, nine, twelve¡­ nine plus nine plus twelve is thirty, quick maths. Thirty divided by three is-¡±ten. See if you cant figure it out lmao¡±


    Alright, DM answered in a vague and hopefully unsatisfying way, let¡¯s get right back into the news!


    L-la-lalalalala-log in!


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Oh hi you¡¯re back what was up with that you disappeared for a really long time out of nowhere!¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Well this is¡­ different. Why the heck is Jasper whining straight into my mind?


    ¡°...!!! Mmm! ..mM!¡±


    She¡¯s usually not so vocal, the heck is going on with hHOH MY GOODNESS!


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.Flying through the window, Jasper practically lunges for my face, in which she barely misses because her intention was obviously choreographed through our link ahead of time. Still though, there was power behind that! What in the hell is she doing!?


    I logged out in bed beforehand, so I¡¯m still under covers here and can¡¯t really get up right aw-


    ¡­


    ¡°You¡­ you alright?¡±


    Rebounding with all her prior momentum, Jasper redirects that into a very emotionally charged headbut. Specifically of a variety known as stress.


    ¡°Mmmmgh¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ what the hell happened for you to be so worried about me?¡±


    ¡°M??-MMmM!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®you don¡¯t know¡¯??? Cause no, I really don¡¯t know what happened???¡±


    ¡°MMM!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ disappeared?¡±


    Like¡­ from logging out?


    ¡°MM!¡±


    ¡°...How so?¡±


    ¡°M-mmmMmhhh, mmhmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­ couldn¡¯t sense me at all, like I just vanished vanished, outright?¡±


    ¡°Mhm!¡±


    ¡°Uh huh¡­ alright, I¡¯m going to just try something real quick. I might vanish again-¡±


    ¡°MMM???¡±


    ¡°BUT, please do not freak out, I¡¯ll be back in ten seconds.¡±


    ¡°M-MmmMgmgMM-¡±


    Log out.


    Uno-dos-tres-quatro I-don¡¯t-know-the-rest-R.I.P!


    ¡°MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM-¡±


    ¡°Okay, sorry, sorry! Just testing a theory, I¡¯m not in¡­ any danger??? And one more thing, I shouldn¡¯t vanish this time. Everybody? Uh, not everybody, Screech and Jerry, you two feel free to stay out.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    [Recall]


    And, log out.


    I¡­ have an idea here. Jasper¡¯s never made a stink of these before despite being with me on a log out on multiple occasions. But, she was also de-summoned each time I wasn¡¯t in the game. It¡¯s kind of obvious I suppose, if they¡¯re not bound to you when you leave the game, their free will wouldn¡¯t be impacted? I guess?


    ¡­This raises interesting conundrums, but that¡¯s besides the point right now. I have to be right for it to matter.


    Checking that theory, in three, two, one!


    Log in!


    ¡°And did my presence just vanish suddenly?¡±


    ¡°Mm-mm.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    Jasper seems to be under the impression that no, I did not, but Screech being the outside observer here, knows better.


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    I¡¯m¡­ not sure how to explain the concept of being a creature from another plain of existence compared to these npcs, if they¡¯re even capable of understanding it, without breaking their perception of reality¡­


    Actually, I can just do that to a T, can¡¯t I?


    ¡°...Let me explain what¡¯s going on. Okay?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm.¡±


    ¡°I would love to hear it this is weird! I haven¡¯t lost track of you a single time yet today and suddenly you just vanished for realises! Like you died or something! I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to get more of the truffles from you ever again for a moment!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Oof, that¡¯s Jasper silence, not Jerry silence, she¡¯s not a fan of that prospect, of me dying, not the no more truffles one.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ a being from another plane of existence. A whole lot of us recently came to this world, that¡¯s why you saw so many people similar to me in town, Jasper. Screech, you wouldn¡¯t have any reference point, but just trust me.¡±


    ¡°...Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Okie dokie!¡±


    ¡°We¡­ have the¡­ unique¡­¡± I ponder it as I navigate this web of bullshit I¡¯m currently spinning. ¡°Ability to head to a separate dimension when not in danger in order to restore our energy and rest, and recover¡­ and that¡¯s what I just did. I did it a few times with you before, just while you weren¡¯t summoned, so it must¡¯ve¡­ taken you with me in some capacity, Jasper? Sorry to give you a scare, I just didn¡¯t realize it would be an issue if you were summoned.¡±


    ¡­Please believe that?


    ¡°M- ¡­Mmmm.¡±


    Yessir. I really didn¡¯t wanna explain that they¡¯re actually fake creatures constructed to be sources of entertainment.


    ¡°Mm¡­ mmmmhh.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ apologize. I really didn¡¯t mean to scare you like that. I¡¯m not dead¡­ I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±


    I know they have some kind of trauma on that front, so¡­ even if they¡¯re just an npc¡­ it was kind of cruel of me to do that, even if I had no idea that I could do that.


    ¡­But as long as I¡¯m playing this game, I¡¯ll strive for the best for everything I own, and that includes my monsters. Even if they¡¯re not real, I¡¯ll at least do them the courtesy of treating them like it.


    And if what Jasper needs right now is a light, I¡¯ll be that star guiding the way.

 C43-Atrophied Wings

    I¡¯m not even able to get out of bed for a few minutes, which is, erm¡­ why is it that I bought this room again? God¡­ I play too many single player games. What, was I expecting the entire world to just fast travel and suddenly a day would pass? Get a full heal maybe, with my already topped off health bar?


    I guess I wanted to get all of my summons a room to sleep in? But in that I must also question, do they even need to sleep? I know Jasper almost certainly doesn¡¯t, unless she gets rest from being de-summoned whilst I¡¯m logged out. Can¡¯t say with certainty if that also holds true for Jerry and Screech, but¡­


    I dunno, maybe Jasper is just a whole bundle of false positives. Cause Screech eats, or at least really wants to, and presumably they¡¯ll also probably want to sleep?


    ¡°Sooooo what are we doing in here anyways? You just kind of vanished so I just kind of decided to hang out while she-¡± Screech raised a wing in the direction of Jasper, whom was still firmly parked on top of the covers, and more specifically over me. ¡°-was freaking out but what the heck did you want us to do in the first place?¡±


    ¡°...I dunno, sleep?¡±


    ¡°Oh! You know that¡¯s actually not that bad of an idea I am kind of tired but personally I¡¯d rather sleep-er, what did you call it? While de-summoned? While de-summoned thank you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, alright then-¡±


    ¡°Right now please!¡±


    ¡­You know what? I¡¯ll just roll with it this time.


    ¡°Ok-¡±


    ¡°Right now please!¡±


    ¡­


    [Recall]-[Summon]


    Right outside of the window.


    ¡°Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-¡±


    [Recall]


    ¡°You should work on that sass.¡±


    ¡°So should you!¡±


    ¡°...Shattup.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡­No response? That can¡¯t be right-are they-are they already asleep?


    [Summon]


    ¡­I summon her one last time, and¡­ she just hits the floor, wings splayed out with her chest rising and falling, completely unconscious, nighty night, lights out.


    [Atrophied] surely cannot be THAT awful. I kind of glossed over it earlier, what was it again¡­?


    Having meddled with the wrong side of the arcane in various ways, your body has become permanently altered. Each point of vitality, strength, and endurance are 0.5x as effective. Using MP consumes stamina at a heightened rate, stamina cannot be recovered without proper rest.


    HOLY Ffffffffffudgsicle? Okay wait a minute, I know I didn¡¯t take as close as a look at her stat block as I should¡¯ve, being in a hurry to get to town and all, but surely I didn¡¯t miss something that crucial? What even is her stamina right now?


    31/121


    Dearie me, am I the asshole?


    [Recall]


    Okay¡­ despite everything she can do, Screech is clearly a little bit more¡­ specialized. I gave her a general glance prior to now, but I really should read up on this before I do anything else. So¡­ here we go! Character sheet, open!


    Screech-Morrigala Adept


    Level 12


    HP 135/135


    MP 187/187


    Stamina 32/121


    Core stats


    Vitality-15


    Strength-7


    Intelligence-40


    Agility-12


    Sub stats


    Endurance-12


    Luck-1.2


    Mana-20


    Dexterity-12


    Skills


    Basic Healing LVL 2-The caster may choose themselves or any target within 1 meter of themselves, healing them for 2+0.45% of their max HP rounded up for 1 MP every 0.45 seconds for as long as they choose to keep the skill active.


    Enchanting Call LVL 1-Let loose a cacophony of birdsong, affecting those nearby in a variety of ways. Allies are healed for 10+3% of their HP to a max of 20 and gain a 10% boost to their agility, strength and vitality for one minute. Enemies are damaged by 1% of their max hp to a maximum of 100 and are ¡°disoriented¡±, randomizing their agro to any nearby foe. Costs 30 MP, 30 second cooldown


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Song of Wrath LVL 1-Let loose an ear piercing shriek, dealing 10 true damage to any individual that hears it. Individuals that are damaged by Song of Wrath are ¡°disoriented¡±, resetting their aggro to its base state. Enemies outside the direct field of damage are instead aggroed towards the caster. Costs 10 MP, 5 minute cooldown.


    Grasp Of Morrigala LVL 2-Target an entity and attack their mind directly with your full focus, heavily restricting their movement based on intelligence and level difference. With a wide enough gap, targets can be completely suppressed or harmed according to the user''s will. MP cost scales according to target.


    Morrigala Metamorphose LVL 2-Alter your form into whatever you so desire, diverting invested stats into any other category so long as it remains in line with the chosen form, stats converted can be penalized based on whether or not the chosen form makes sense. When inflicted with 10 or more damage at a time, the transformation is cancelled and 10 stamina is lost. Costs 20 MP.


    Passives


    Elemental Magic LVL 1-Gain the ability to create basic attacks of either water, earth, fire, or air. The strength of these attacks vary based on environmental factors and MP used in their creation, uses magical power for damage scaling instead of physical power. Magical power is determined by intelligence as opposed to strength.


    Seeker Of The Divine-Having come into contact with a shred of divinity, your consciousness has undergone intense changes. Each point of intelligence is 1.6x more effective, each point of mana is 1.3x more effective. Your perception of magic is heightened by vast amounts, various illusions will fail to affect you.


    Atrophied-Having meddled with the wrong side of the arcane in various ways, your body has become permanently altered. Each point of vitality, strength, and endurance are 0.5x as effective. Using MP consumes stamina at a heightened rate, stamina cannot be recovered without proper rest.


    Diminished Presence-Receives less aggro.


    ¡­


    Okay, so, I think I kind of got caught up in Song of Wrath and her two ¡°Morrigala¡± skills beforehand. Read her ¡°seeker of the divine¡± and crossed it off in my brain as another thing that¡¯s similar to Jerry having a multiplier to his strength, side bar, how did that register as not important to me? Things for later.


    What I suppose I should be concerned about here is¡­ ¡°having come into contact with a shred of divinity¡±?


    ¡­Excuse me? Okay, guess gods actually are a thing in this game, but I¡¯m also not sure if they are the kind of gods I think they are. After all, it doesn¡¯t seem like Screech is a follower of this god, given she¡­ found a ¡°shred of divinity¡±, as opposed to being blessed by this Morrigala? I can¡¯t imagine the god in question would curse a follower of theirs with a passive as utterly god awful as¡­ [Atrophied].


    That¡¯s a serious dampener on my plans to be honest, there is a finite limit to the amount of spellcasting that Screech can perform before she just conks out entirely without any room to argue. And it¡¯s not like that limit will be easy to bypass with literally halved stamina scaling.


    I suppose that¡¯s why she was so hit and run, despite her obvious power. It would also explain why she didn¡¯t use [Grasp Of Morrigala] against me or Jasper, since it talks about having the casters ¡°full focus¡±, and if she failed to suppress us entirely¡­ then it would basically be lights out using so much MP on us. Though I do have to wonder how she did so much in our first encounter without running out of stamina entirely¡­


    She casted, I think seven fireballs, of great power mind you, so she had to have used a fair amount of MP¡­ then she started flying around at mach something something eleven¡­ actually, wait¡­


    Her intelligence scaling is sixty percent higher, so if she puts her intelligence into a different stat via metamorphose, does she still get that sixty percent scaling¡­? Then¡­ moving that fast without incurring significant stamina loss would make sense if your agility was around seventy¡­ if that¡¯s really how it works, she could even bypass her stamina faults pretty handily by just dipping everything into endurance, then hanging back and spell spamming¡­


    Alright! I¡¯ve decided! Enough rambling on and on to myself, I¡¯ve got an idea of how these all work, therefore this must be put to the test on the field.


    ¡°...Jasper?¡±


    She¡¯s still blocking my way though.


    ¡°Mmmm.¡±


    ¡°Jasper I need to go do things.¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡±


    ¡°Non-negotiable.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Okay, slightly negotiable, but you can¡¯t keep me in bed all day. Things have to get done.¡±


    I¡¯m not playing this to lie in bed all day when I could lie in bed all day, but for realsises! I mean, I kind of already do that-SEMANTICS!


    ¡°...Mmh.¡±


    And thus, the cat rises.


    And thus, so too, does Koth. Get ready world, the god gamer approacheth.

 C44-In 2085?

    Well then! Now that I¡¯m out and about, it¡¯s time to get down to business on the necessary fronts. The necessary fronts being¡­ let¡¯s get the tally real quick.


    Fix my sword or get a new one.


    Go out and stab things (permanent task)


    ¡­Uh huh, that¡¯s actually a rather small amount of necessary fronts to be honest! I guess I could also look into getting new armor, but with my admittedly already tight funds (literally zero), that might be a bit much to ask of the present moment.


    Wait, isn¡¯t getting my sword fixed also a tall ask in that case? I know there¡¯s a blacksmith in this place, down on the¡­


    Oop, taking a glance down certainly isn¡¯t the best play, let¡¯s shove that sensation down as far as we can possibly manage. Ahem, down on the lower layer! So it¡¯s certainly possible to get a weapon or something similar, but that will probably cost¡­ something. I know I have potions on me, but I can¡¯t expect everybody to be cool with taking them as payment.


    I was lucky with the woman at the inn allowing it, but nobody is obligated to take that as a trade. Barter seems to be a commonality as a whole with this game, given I could pay for potions with materials and food and board with potions, but I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯ll extend to every single purchase you can make. I imagine it works on a smaller scale, but if I wanted to look into getting a weapon made, as opposed to just buying one off the shelf like I did back in Resiala, it¡¯d probably cost a little more.


    Therefore, I suppose there are three things to work on!


    Fix my sword or get a new one.


    Go out and stab things (permanent task)


    Go out and take quests!


    It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a glowing yellow marker or anything over an npcs head, but back in Resiala I could find a fair few obvious npcs. Some were standing around looking worried, others were standing at a board contemplating something¡­ wait, a board for what exactly? I know I found it interesting when I looked at it¡­


    What was it¡­? A board, a request board¡­ dah, a QUEST board, obviously! I just didn¡¯t need it because I already had quests by the time I saw it. There isn¡¯t a quest limit, so that might¡¯ve been somewhat silly of me, but oh well. I have the knowledge of that thingamjig for the now, the present day!


    So, let¡¯s cast our sights away from the floor, up and into the sky! Or more accurately, away from the cracks in the floorboards.


    Not like, actual cracks, dear GOD I would not have stayed up here if they were actually that unstable, but little crevices that nothing could possibly slip through, absolutely nothing, that¡¯s for sure, which allowed peeks at the ground far, far below.


    Now¡­ looking away from that, where exactly is that quest board?


    There aren¡¯t too many people strolling around, and buildings aren¡¯t exactly plentiful, so it shouldn''t be difficult to spot, but¡­ unfortunately, this whole game-plan unfortunately doesn¡¯t seem to work the best right off the bat.


    I walk around, keeping my chin up as best as I can, dipping through and around crowds and buildings, trying to eye up as much of this city in the sky that I can, and yet¡­ there is simply no convenient board to be found. That¡¯s like, mildly annoying, so I suppose I¡¯m going to have to pay this whole thing a little more attention.


    ¡°Jasper? You didn¡¯t happen to notice anything of¡­ interest?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm?¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s fair, there¡¯s a lot of things of ¡°interest¡± if you really think about it.


    ¡°...I did.¡±


    Wwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaa Jerry speaking UNPROMPTED?


    ¡°Y-you did?¡±


    ¡°...Y-yes.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I think it over for a moment, not wanting to come off too harshly to the already very reserved mini-griff. For the first time, they¡¯re the one actually initiating a conversation??? Hah??? I don¡¯t wanna mess this up! ¡°What did you notice?¡±


    ¡°...You¡­ had no money, r-right?¡±


    ¡°Have, have no money, but yes. And¡­ what about it?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ you spent most of it on¡­ those two,¡± he says whilst clearly referring to Jasper and Screech. ¡°...And me. So, clearly you¡¯d need more money after the fact.¡± He says with a bit more confidence, finally picking up steam, which I have no intention to interfere with!


    ¡°Mhm!¡± I nod enthusiastically, urging him to continue.


    ¡°So, I thought about it for a moment¡­ and what you were doing while with those other people by the wagon was¡­ sort of similar to a Adventurer¡¯s work, right?¡±


    ¡­That¡¯s a thing? And more importantly, Jerry knows that¡¯s a thing? That¡¯s¡­ weird, isn¡¯t he just a random common monster? They know stuff like this? Shouldn¡¯t he like, by all means, not know anything about human society? Or did the developers just not bother programming something annoying like that into the game?


    I mean, I guess I wouldn¡¯t exactly be surprised. So far their development philosophy has been fast and furious. I heard the same about Heaven¡¯s Gate, their prior smash-hit success¡­ It was really a break-away from the ¡°meta¡± of crazy grind, so crazy it kind of even pushed me away¡­ to the lesser evils that were grindy games of like, thirty years past. Or well, so I¡¯ve heard. I never played Heaven¡¯s Gate myself, but pretty much only heard good things about it, so¡­ what can you do!


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Anyways, I¡¯m getting sidetracked here, Jerry has important things to say!


    ¡°Mhm, you¡¯re not wrong. What about it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡­ saw a sign that said ¡®Adventurers Guild¡¯ in the distance, and I¡­¡±


    ¡°Really???¡±


    They actually added such a trite trope? REALLY? An adventurers guild! In 2085?! Holy crap!


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that actually exists!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh, uhm, please continue, I greatly value your opinion.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    Dahhhh, damnit. One step forward two steps back.


    ¡°...Nevermind, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I get the gist of it, you saw a building with the sign on it that I missed, thank you Jerry, your feedback is invaluable. Please, feel free to speak your mind in the future.¡±


    At this point I don¡¯t even really want to sell him, I kind of want to crack the proverbial shell here and get him to open up, even if his prospective benefits aren¡¯t that great. Call it that achievement hunter in me raring to go. Zeroing in on pointless things like that is just in my blood man.


    Well¡­ I DO need money, so¡­


    ¡°Where did you say that sign was¡­?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ehhhh forget it, I¡¯ll find it myself.¡±


    ¡ª


    Okay, now THIS is stereotypical adventurer guild 101. Holy crap, it¡¯s like, reconstructed down to the atom dude! It¡¯s so utterly generic down to the dark shady tables in the back of the room that it¡¯s not even generic anymore because nobody MAKES Adventurer Guilds this generic! Take a picture from a manhwa from sixty years ago and a picture of this room and you wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference save that one of them are drawn while the other is in 16k HDVR.


    Well¡­ in that case, I guess everything should be pretty easy to understand as well then. I can see a receptionist at a desk further into the building, so that¡¯s probably to sign up or do whatever, but there¡¯s also already a quest board. Do I need to bother signing up to take one¡­?


    Cannot take adventurer quests without being an adventurer!


    Taking a glance at the board, the answer to that would be a firm no. And now, I¡¯m getting odd looks from a bunch of the-what-I-assume-to-be-locals! That¡¯s not great, that¡¯s not great at all!


    Alright, alright¡­ let¡¯s just hope the Guild doesn¡¯t have a fee to join, otherwise that''d be mildly annoying. So, let¡¯s just ignore all these odd looks, and take a stroll riiiight on over to that there desk.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I start off, approaching with as friendly a smile as I can muster.


    ¡°Hello,¡± the lady-wait a minute, no, sorry, prejudice. It¡¯s actually not a woman at the counter! It¡¯s a guy! That¡¯s one thing that differs from the stereotypical room I suppose!


    ¡°Have you come to sign up for a Guild license?¡±


    Huh, alright, save me the trouble of having to ask I suppose.


    ¡°Mhm, I needed to make some cash and have the abilities to put to use, so, you know.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. Well, give me one moment to get the proper identification items will you?¡±


    Having absolutely no clue what that means, I nod politely and stand there as the man rises from his chair to go fetch something from the backroom, opening the door behind him and leaving me be.


    ¡°...What do you think this identification item is?¡±


    ¡°MmM.¡±


    ¡°Screech?¡±


    ¡°mimimimimimimimi¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    What is their stamina at right now anyways?


    79/121


    Alright, not awful, they should be good to go soon enough. So a one hour nap or so is about enough to fully recover their stamina. I can work with that.


    ¡°Right, thank you for being patient sir, if you¡¯ll please place your hand on the stone?¡± The man asks with a shining smile, placing a small spherical object on the desk.


    So it¡¯s like¡­ an appraisal stone? I guess they don¡¯t want random level ones signing up for something, so¡­ yeah, sure, here we go.


    Placing my hand upon the stone, I wait for it to like, project my stats or something, but a moment later¡­ it glows the faintest bit red instead. Mostly grey, but still, it brings with it a visible shade of crimson.


    ¡°...Negative ten.¡±


    ¡°...Scuse me?¡±


    ¡°Security!¡±


    Oh, well that¡¯s probably not great.

 C45-The Consequences Of My Own Actions

    ¡°Now, hold on a minute, I think we might¡¯ve gotten off on the wrong foot-¡±


    ¡°Security!!¡±


    They announce it just a little bit louder this time, and now I can hear weapons being drawn, which¡­ doesn¡¯t bode particularly well. It miiiight be time to cut my losses here.


    ¡­One more try.


    ¡°This uh, seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding. I¡¯m not¡­ evil?¡±


    ¡°...Security!!!¡±


    Well, did my besssssssssssSHIT


    My head almost gets lopped off in the clear arc of a blade, the trail cutting a narrow blemish into the wood around the receptionist desk. I, of course, ducked under the attack, for I¡¯m not a newb, but holy shit! I¡¯m not sure if this is the ¡°security¡± in question, if not just one of the adventurers hanging around here, but either way that was a fast response!


    Speaking of this perhaps being an adventurer, aren¡¯t there thirty something other unsavory individuals such as this right here?


    And after a quick glance around, the answer to that question is yes, yes there are! Almost all of whom are giving me glances that one could describe as, most unkind. I will not go further in depth, but they¡¯re kind of looking at me like a slab of meat, and some are getting up!


    And this one right here is taking another swing at mmOH god!


    Looking to perhaps, cleave me in two, the assailant before me swung straight down, attempting to split me vertically, which I, of course, ¡°parried¡± with my hands, the parry being something straight out of an action movie, wherein I like, y¡¯know, slapped it out of the way before it could make contact with me.


    It¡¯s a good thing this guy is fairly slow, because I absolutely would not try that bullshit with anybody who could potentially put a scratch on me. Now, this guy might not be the best, but his boldness is inspiring others to take action already, given a half dozen people are already getting up, and I can only imagine the ¡°security¡± in question is finding its way here.


    ¡°Right,¡± I announce as I twirl around yet another strike, winding around the swordsman and-24!- karate chopping him in the back of the neck. It didn¡¯t¡­ knock him out, so like¡­ minus a million bajillion aura, but good damage! Also, ow, my hand hurts. Not worth it to be honest.


    ¡°I know when I¡¯m not welcome,¡± I wave to everybody before taking a step towards the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing myself out.¡±


    That¡¯s to put it lightly, by the way, I seem to be very not welcome right now.


    ¡°Kill him!¡±


    Ah, that¡¯s not putting it lightly at all is it?


    ¡°No thank you!¡±


    Giving the man STILL in front of me a shove before he takes another swing at me, I push off of him-3!(he hit the floor)-and make a break for the door as the rest of the crowd rises to its collective feet.


    Now, I don¡¯t really have the time, nor the desire, to describe any of these people in depth, so I¡¯m not going to. But unfortunately, despite my lack of interest in all of them, they all, well, almost all of them, collectively decide to take an interest in me. Maybe there¡¯s some kind of reward for hunting down the unlawful? Probably, but either way I don¡¯t intend to give them any loot. Plus they¡¯re all¡­ npcs, right?


    No thank you, dying to an ai would just be embarrassing man.


    Now, what¡¯s this first attack coming my wwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaay-


    -yyyyyyYikes! That one actually almost took my head off. Unlike the previous guy who I assume to be, er, level four maybe, tops, the attack this guy in¡­ chainmail something threw at me was actually kind of fast! As in, almost legitimately took my head off. Even with my eyes locked on him, the trail of his blade was practically a blur, a clean, straight line. I barely even saw the attack really, just¡­ reacted on instinct when his muscles tensed.


    I¡­ really hope that was a skill and not his base attack, otherwise I¡­ might just be screwed.


    Well, no time to worry about that! After limboing under the slash, I dart forward again at full mast, sprinting headlong for the exit. By now, I¡¯ve cleared most of the people in the way, and while there are a few people still drawing their weapons in front of me, most of them won¡¯t be able to bar the entrance before I get there. Maybe, one or two of them at most, and they both look frail enough to topple¡­ maybe use Jerry or Jasper to knock them over¡­ would Jerry even listen to me? ¡­Maybe, not worth testing right now though.


    Okay, almost home free, just keep on moving Koth! Five meters, four meters, three meters-


    ¡°MMM!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    49!


    ¡­Oh, ow.


    I hit the ground with a thud-4!


    Guess you¡­ can¡¯t sense magic, huh? Wasn¡¯t like a sixth sense went off or anything, didn¡¯t feel any hairs rise on my back, actually was it even magic? What¡­


    Tilting my head at the projectile that had lodged itself into my back, I could in fact confirm, yes, that was magic. At least some kind of it, at least, I¡¯d assume giant icicles piercing my back would be magic. Speaking of, owwwwwwwww¡­


    That hurts¡­ a lot. And it¡¯s¡­ kind of damn heavy! In fact, feels like my body¡¯s freezing up a bit here, there wasn¡¯t, uhhh, a paralytic in that right? The ice wasn¡¯t laced, right? Oh god I think the ice was laced, why can¡¯t I GET UP!?


    Precious split-seconds pass as I attempt to will my body into action, but my movements are sluggish, my body mostly unresponsive. I am getting up, but with everybody else charging me they¡¯ll be on top of me well before a full recovery¡­


    Welp, I have a class for a reason!


    ¡°Jerry! Break the icicles! I beg of you! Jasper, spook them into backing off, if just for a moment!¡±


    [Double-Summon!!]


    Jasper, for her part, is attentive as usual, instantly breaking towards the crowd that had formed chasing me, and not a moment later¡­


    [Hunter¡¯s Mark]!


    154!


    She absolutely sends somebody to the afterlife.


    +9 exp!


    -1 karma!


    Welp, they were asking for it! R.I.P random npc.


    ¡°HANS!¡±


    I hear a crash not a moment later, but, frustratingly, STILL CANNOT GET UP!


    ¡°Jerry, just, break the thing!¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    I mean, I CAN get up, but slowly, my entire body feels like it¡¯s freezing over, everything is numb¡­ I¡¯m not used to moving this slowly! Needing a second or two to get up after getting launched into the floor with the force of a bomb? What the hell? This isn¡¯t real life get fake!


    I¡¯m honestly not even sure if it¡¯s just a slow debuff from getting hit with, you know, ice, but it can¡¯t hurt to just be safe and break the damn thing. Jasper is doing her job, buying a little bit of time with momentary shock and what not, but Jerry, please, just-


    Crck


    O-oh, he actually did it. The ice cracks, and then shatters, destroyed with the force of a single strike from Jerry. I mean, that was kind of unexpected, but his effective strength is like¡­ twenty five something, is it not? Eh, no time for that.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Great job! You¡¯ve done all you needed to do.¡±


    [Recall]


    Doesn¡¯t really feel like the slowness abated, but¡­ hrrp, come on, get up!


    Pushing myself to my feet a whole THREE, SECONDS, after I hit the floor, I turn back to look at the crowd once again, which is now once more advancing, with one very angry looking man at the front, which is, of course¡­ advancing towards Jasper.


    Turning back, the blockade has actually formed at the door now¡­ great!


    ¡°Alright, Screech, WAKE UP PLEASE! WAKEY WAKEY! EGGS AND BAKEY! HELLO?¡±


    No good.


    Well, give them more than a third of a second maybe. ¡°WAKE UP IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE THANK YOU PLEASE!¡±


    ¡°Jasper, we¡¯re going to need to breach through the exit, we¡¯ll have one shot at this before we get overrun. I¡¯m going to charge with all my might, Jerry won¡¯t be much good for this, so you¡¯ll have to make as much use of [Hunter¡¯s Mark] as you can.¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡±


    [Rec-[Wild Hunt¡¯s Call]!


    Wh-that¡¯s a waste of MPPPPPPpppppppppp-actually no, great idea!


    ¡°MmmM-¡±


    ¡°No I get it, great decoy, let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Recall]


    Leaving in place of Jasper a shadowy decoy, I stop worrying about what¡¯s behind me and start focusing on what¡¯s in front of me. The phantom certainly seems to be holding attention well enough, so I figure I can excuse myself for a few seconds. Jasper should have thirty five MP right now, so enough for at least three [Hunter¡¯s Mark]¡¯s. Given there¡¯s only two people at the door, with the rest inbetween, yeah, that¡¯ll do.


    My feet hit the floor in increasing regularity, throwing my arm up as the half a dozen men before me ready their weapons. I¡¯m ready to take some damage for this escape, given as has been proven extensively by this game, no matter where it hits, you never really get one shot. You take a lot of damage, yes, but there is no ¡°critical instant kill!¡± you¡¯d see in some shoddy realism over all games. I¡¯ve got about ninety health to sprint through here, and as long as nobody hits me in the face with some Jasper-esque nuke I¡¯ll be perfectly fine, if not on deaths heels anyways.


    So¡­ hit me with your worst, one-two-three-four-five different goons before me and the two door goons!


    Closing my eyes, I brace myself for the worst and-31!


    ¡­Huh?


    22!


    Hah?


    33!


    1/140


    ¡­Oh, I¡¯m gonna die.


    ¡°Sorry about this!¡±


    My eyes snap open at the last moment, practically latching onto the trails of the impending blades aimed for my heart. Even one scratch would mean certain death, stubbing my toe or stepping on a piece of glass would, at present, make me literally burst at the seams.


    [Tri-Summon!!!]


    I¡­ simply don¡¯t have a choice here. So¡­


    Summoning Jasper and Jerry as body shields, I cringe as they both absorb the incoming attacks, their bodies offered up instead of my own.


    28!


    36!


    They¡¯re¡­ they¡¯re fine, even with their cries of shock echoing in my ears, I know they¡¯re fine¡­ But¡­ damn, I basically just lost this. Wait, what did I summon Screech for though?


    Oh, that¡¯s quite simple-


    ¡°FIREBALL!¡±


    ¡°Whuh-huh-ball? WHUH-¡±


    Chucking her at the door, I practically grind my own teeth as I watch her eyes blink open mid ¡°flight¡±, her path leading her straight to the two adventurers blocking the way. The respective mace and spear of the two at the door aimed at her as she regains consciousness in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°FIRE-¡±


    BOOM


    ¡ª


    Leaping through the smoldering remains of the door, I swiftly pull a potion from out of my inventory, chomping off the cork lid and downing the bitter contents in moments. The healing doesn¡¯t kick in until three seconds after the fact either way, but damnit if my adrenaline isn¡¯t pumping right now!


    Pleeease, please please please say Jasper and Jerry haven¡¯t taken any hits. Don¡¯t let them take any hits, don¡¯t let them take any hits, don¡¯t let them take any h-TIME! [Recall] [Recall].


    I¡­ REALLY did not want to have to run back in there for them. But with Screech actually awake-¡±What the heck is going on why did I just wake up in the middle of the air what are you doing why are we having a fight right now aren¡¯t we still in town why did I have to blow myself up¡±-I¡¯m feeling much better about our chances in the case of an actual fight with two and a half competent combatants on our side. Myself being half because I¡­ have no weapon. Because of course I don¡¯t. Because I needed money, but of course, having negative karma is super duper illegal for some reason.


    Speaking of that, I probably need to get the HELL out of dodge! Shame about the two silver and what not, but it¡¯s not like I really needed the room either way. I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯ll be safe in town if this is a perfectly legitimate response to me being in the adventurers guild, so it¡¯s time to GO. The question being, how?


    Even through the crackling wood, the screams and the shouts, I can definitely make out ¡°don¡¯t let him get away!¡± coming from within the guild, so it¡¯s time to get away or die, but once again¡­ HOW?


    I¡¯m almost a hundred meters off the ground, even at full health, a straight up fall from here would be near certain death, I¡¯d basically need wings to get down there!


    ¡­Oh yeah, wings.


    ¡°Screech, sorry about that, but would you listen to me for just a moment?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We need to get out of here right now, as you can see, we¡¯re quite high up. You however, can get us out without issue. Simply fly us down to the ground by transforming, can you do that?¡±


    ¡°I can do that for a tttttttttttttttttttttttttrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-¡±


    Oh for the love of-please, please, PLEASE do not demand a truffle right now I might actually have to give it to you-


    ¡®Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr¡­ rrrrrr-rrrr-rrrrrr-rrrrrr¡±


    Oh come on-JUST SAY IT OR DON¡¯T SAY IT TIME¡¯S A WASTIN!


    ¡°Rrreal¡­ nice day? A real nice day? A real nice day!¡±


    ¡­Oh, not the reaction I was expecting, but-¡±That I can offer! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡±


    [Morrigala Metamorphose]

 C46-Frame Perfect

    You know¡­ I¡¯ll hover around, I¡¯ll jump high, I¡¯ll come falling down. I¡¯ve seen the sky in many a virtual world, hung around it in a few as well, but¡­ very rarely, counted on my hands in fact, does a game offer you true flight.


    Oh yeah there¡¯s good reasons for it, most people aren¡¯t built to handle that sensation, and even with full immersion active, it still destroys the senses and causes¡­ messes that need to be cleaned up after the fact, but¡­ still. It¡¯s very rare that somebody puts genuine flight in their game. Flight without any restriction, bound only by where you see fit to go.


    Hah, I really am a hopeless romantic. Here I am, riding on wing-back waving a dozen or so angry adventurers bye bye!


    ¡°Hard pivot right!¡±


    Grabbing on just a little tighter as Screech¡¯s entire body shifts to the side, I can¡¯t help but grin as a bolt of lightning goes flying past us. Even with reduced feeling, I can feel the power of that attack in the air, the static lingering and sticking to us, Screech¡¯s feathers practically crackle against my gloves.


    ¡°How far up can you go?¡± I ask after casting another glance at the gathering crowd behind us. Screech can¡¯t exactly go super speed at a size large enough to carry me, but we¡¯re definitely making ground at a rapid pace. If Screech can¡¯t climb high enough, she¡¯ll start having to maneuver around the canyons, and at her size, I can¡¯t imagine that ending very well.


    Additionally, she¡¯s also probably groggy? I dunno, seems like that¡¯d be right given she didn¡¯t wake up with full stamina. It¡¯s proooobably safe to assume she¡¯s not running at full capacity here.


    ¡°Weeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllll, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult to get high up really the extra weight shouldn¡¯t be a problem with most of my stats in strength and vitality. But will I be able to make it? It kind of seems like you made a lot of people angry!¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ a fair concern to be frank. Maybe it¡¯d just be best to leg it on foot? I¡¯ve got a pretty sizable head start here, and everybody else has to take the peasant way down to the ground, so that¡¯ll be at least twenty seconds to climb down for each person. On that note,  I guarantee that I can make distance in that time.


    Well¡­


    ¡°Mm-¡±


    ¡°YEah, noticed it! Screech, icicles coming towards us!¡±


    ¡°Ooo that¡¯s a lot of them they really want you dead!¡±


    They aren¡¯t exactly fast, but there are a lot of them. All of which are aimed in an upwards arc, cutting off Screech¡¯s flight path¡­


    ¡°Alright, down it is! Screech, dive towards the ground as fast as you can!¡±


    ¡°W-wha?¡±


    ¡°No breaks! I¡¯ll [Recall] you as you¡¯re about to hit the ground!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea I don¡¯t really wanna-¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Aw come on Jasper I know we haven¡¯t known each other for long but can¡¯t you take my side on this one pleee-¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°She is right you know¡­ I won¡¯t mess up something that simple. Also, time, is, a wastin¡­ you remember what I said about following my orders¡­?¡±


    ¡°A-ba-da-ba-da-fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine! But if I hit the ground I¡¯m gonna-¡±


    ¡°If you hit the ground, you get whatever you want on demand.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    And without another word of argument, she instantly nose dived straight for the path below us. So fast in fact, that I almost lost my grip on her! Ah hah hah¡­ that would¡¯ve been counterproductive.


    Man, still though, from reluctance to straight up ¡°I¡¯m gonna off myself!¡± levels of speed? Really? I get the feeling I know what they¡¯d ask for, but they do realize they won¡¯t be alive after nose diving into the pavement with a hundred twenty health from this height, right?


    Of course I won¡¯t mess this up, so, not worth worrying about in the first place, but still!


    It¡¯s difficult with the wind pressing against me, but slowly I¡¯m able to force myself up, propping myself against Screech as I brace to push off of her.


    ¡°Slowly¡± is of course subjective, this whole fall having only taken about two seconds so far, but it¡¯s not like I can just instantly go against the death spiral. I¡¯ve got a little bit more time, but it¡¯s difficult work, Screech is dropping fast. Faster than I expected her to, but speed within reason either way.


    You know, looking at the ground zooming towards me like this? It¡¯s honestly better than looking at it from a hundred feet off the ground. I¡¯d much rather be falling to my imminent death and know I have a way to deal with it than to be just hovering around with the possibility of death in one fall. Is that statement a little bit wack? Maybe, but I don¡¯t care. It is what it is.


    Alrighty, really hope physics and momentum and what not work the way I¡¯ve figured so far. Abilities like Jasper¡¯s teleportation carry momentum, so regardless of where she teleports to, if she was running at full force towards the north, teleported to the south and flipped around, she¡¯d still be hurtling forward despite facing backwards and having teleported in the opposite direction. But for [Summon] and [Recall], they just seem to kill all momentum regardless of any condition regarding them. Which frankly works mostly in my favor given I can [Summon] anybody anywhere within my field of view for the most part.


    Bla bla bla bla, gamer notes, gamer notes, they don¡¯t need to be seen or heard, they just need to go do the laundry or whatever. Whatever! Point is¡­ [Recall]ing Screech right here, a few meters from smashing into the ground as she is, shouldn¡¯t have any adverse affect. Her momentum won¡¯t carry over and crash her into a wall or anything, she¡¯ll be just fine the moment I [Summon] her again.


    And as of this moment¡­ she¡¯s also a solid object, and also also, [Summon] and [Recall] have precisely no cooldown.


    Well, worst case scenario, Screech gets her back smashed by a hundred sixty pounds hurtling towards her at terminal velocity, but she¡¯s like, twenty times bigger than normal so it isn¡¯t as much of an issue.


    Best case? Well, we¡¯ll see I suppose.


    ¡­Alright, lock in.


    [Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-what exactly am I doing, I hear the imaginary voices in my head ask? You know, I ask myself that all the time imaginary voices, really, what am I doing right now? Cause this is some wacky shit I tell you.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    [Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-There¡¯s a certain point where force and velocity become damage. For example! Crashing into the floor with the force of a 2000 pound crossbow bolt? That becomes damage, a lot, a lot of damn damage.


    [Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-But, let¡¯s say you take just¡­ a thousandth of that momentum, a thousandth of the power of something that could smash a boulder to bits. Well, you hit that boulder with it and¡­ it doesn¡¯t even crack.


    It doesn¡¯t take any damage.


    [Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-[Summon]-[Recall]-


    34!


    And finally¡­ we hit the ground, errrr, mostly unharmed! Hit Screech with a little bit of force on the final touchdown there, but oh well, mistakes were bound to be made this is unprecedented ground we are breaking here.


    Now, I get that might¡¯ve all gone over just a little bit uh, fast, it was kind of a blur for me too! I wasn¡¯t actually sure if I was going to be able to spam the same skill like thirty times each in a split second, but hey, here we are!


    Side bar; my head hurts; second side bar; back to the explanation!


    What did I do? Well, it was something I honestly didn¡¯t think would be possible, but also just kind of wanted to test out in a relatively low risk scenario. Worst case was that Screech took a bunch of damage, but she¡¯d almost certainly be fine. No, this was a physics test.


    Alright, alright, enough beating around the bush. In quick succession I [Summon]ed Screech about¡­ thirty times in a row? And with each summon, I micro-managed the space between us! Sounds simple, right? Just, quickly summon her again and again, use her as a platform to cancel my momentum, [Recall] her before I have the chance to properly crash into her, thus preventing damage¡­ repeat ad infinitum at rapid speed, slowly killing momentum with every few microseconds, yeah simple enough right?


    Oh blimey I really am getting a biter of a headache here. Enough to start using british slang anyways. The human mind was not designed to coordinate space like that, nor am I used to doing it. Dexterity helps, but¡­ that was a tech requiring my utmost focus. I don¡¯t think I can replicate that on a dime to be honest, I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be a good idea to even try it again without at least doubling my dexterity in fact. More than that, in fact, it¡¯s actually a goddamn miracle I pulled that off in any semblance. Screech is lucky I didn¡¯t snap her spine instead of dealing a measly thirty three damage to¡­ what is her health right now?


    135/135


    Hah? How the hell does that¡­ oh, well, if her max health got higher and she took damage, cancelling her transformation, then I guess it makes sense that instead of taking damage to her original max health, it¡¯d be applied to her higher health, and then go back to her base health¡­ well, works out for me, so cool! Glad that¡¯s the rule!


    ¡°Sorry about that, Screech, was testing a theory and, well, you got hit for it.¡±


    ¡°So I get anything I want right???¡±


    ¡°I mean, I said if you hit the ground you get anything you want. But, you did get ¡®hit¡¯, so I¡¯ll consider it.¡±


    She goes silent for a moment, and from what I¡¯ve seen of her so far, very much so uncharacteristically so.


    ¡°...No it¡¯s fine!¡±


    ¡°...Uh, huh.¡±


    Is she trying to butter me up? It feels like she¡¯s trying to butter me up.


    ¡°UHhhhhhhhwellllllllll we have things to do, places to go, most of which are far, far, away from all of¡­¡±


    I eye the now more than a few dozen people rushing to get down.


    ¡°All of¡­ them. Come on everybody, let¡¯s get moving! And by everybody, I mean me, you¡¯re all staying in the pocket realm!¡±


    ¡°Uhhhhhhh wait a minute please thank you!¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°Oh I just wanted to try something!¡±


    ¡°...Right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Ffhf-r-I mean, okay, screw it I¡¯m down.


    ¡°Alright, hit me!¡±


    [Morrigala Metamorphose]


    ¡°Oh I didn¡¯t mean liter-

 C47-Featherguard

    Screech, to be perfectly clear, isn¡¯t really that fast. He base agility is¡­ pitiful, she is no speedster without use of her skills. Truly, pathetic in that aspect. So it is with, absolutely no defensive intent, that I state; this was something that I could have dodged, easily.


    Yes, she did use her skill that can let her ramp up to insane speeds at the cost of dropping every other stat she has, but no, that¡¯s not what she used it on! Probably! I think so! I mean I could¡¯ve dodged her, so it¡¯s likely!


    No, the reason I stood perfectly still as¡­ what even has she turned into? Ah, hell I¡¯ll think about that in a moment. Hm-hm-hm¡­ as I was saying, the reason I stood still, is because she didn¡¯t have a single thought of harming me. The link that monster tamer provides to my summons is a little deeper than the surface level of simply being able to communicate.


    It¡¯s not as if it¡¯s straight up empath levels of emotion reading or whatever, but I can get a vague sense of the intent or emotion that Screech, or Jerry or Jasper for that matter, are feeling at any given moment. Like in this instance, Jasper is freaking out at Screech¡¯s sudden movement, Jerry is¡­ still quiet, and Screech?


    Not a single bone in her body is bent on breaking mine. Or, you know, stabbing me, or blowing me up, or any other clever euphemism for bashing my brains in. Speaking of bones, what the hell happened to hers?


    Having dashed straight into me, or flown into me, I suppose, I expected one of us to topple over in the next moment, but no¡­ is she doing what I think she¡¯s doing?


    I guess [Morrigala Metamorphose] didn¡¯t exactly put a restriction on ¡°what¡± you could transform into, just the stats that would carry over¡­ but I, frankly, don¡¯t really get the point of this.


    Instead of cracking open her skull on my chest, Screech practically melts into my tunic, like she literally vanishes, leaving only her brown feathers in place. Or, well, lots of places actually! The feathers left in her place wrap around the entirety of my tunic, lining the outfit in what some would perhaps mistake as a feather suit.


    Is she¡­ she is fine, right? Like, my summon didn¡¯t just game end herself?


    ¡°Uh, Screech?¡±


    ¡°One second please don¡¯t interrupt me here I¡¯d rather not-¡±


    Oh, she¡¯s fine.


    Speaking of summons in need of check ups-


    ¡°Easy Jasper, I¡¯m fine. I wouldn¡¯t be worried about her or Jerry right now, and instead the¡­ you know.¡± I gesture in the general direction of the village in the sky, particularly the growing mob heading for the ladders.


    ¡°The that. Speaking of, the that, I think it¡¯s about time we get moving, way, away from it!¡±


    And do that I shall! Turning on my heel, I¡­ go plummeting straight to the ground!


    Woah, what the hell?


    What just happened? I barely even twitched really, that was just enough force to spin around on the gravelly rock here and¡­ instead I¡¯ve ended up sending myself sprawling across the floor! Caught myself, didn¡¯t take any damage, so we¡¯re fine, but¡­ yeesh, what was that?


    My body feels lighter, very much so, and it¡¯s¡­ odd. It doesn¡¯t take too long to adjust to, I¡¯m honestly more used to this than I am to being on lower stats, muscle memory doesn¡¯t bleed away that easily and I¡¯ve spent quite a long time dealing with superhuman ability via virtual reality, but an increase this rapid is¡­ unusual.


    So, obviously there¡¯s something affecting me here, right? Are my senses ahead of my physical form? Am I being hit with a mental attack from one of the mages way u-oh I can¡¯t bother to keep this up OBVIOUSLY it¡¯s Screech and whatever she did. This doesn¡¯t exactly feel like a¡­ bad thing? More speed is good, right? But at the same time, this doesn¡¯t just feel like a higher cap to my speed. Acceleration is instant, as evidenced by-hup!


    Rising to my feet once again, I need to consciously put less force into pushing myself up in order to not go flying back for a second time. Imagine if¡­ you tried to break an egg open, and you¡¯ve gotten it down to a science. You¡¯ve figured out exactly how to crack it and at what level of force. Then, you proceed as usual¡­ but then out of nowhere, you hit the egg with, give or take, fifty percent more force than usual?


    Obviously, it¡¯d break, right? If say, five, was enough to merely crack it, then seven and a half would shatter it. It¡¯s the same concept here, my movement is a science. It¡¯s been, and still is, being honed over years. I¡¯ve got various levels of experience with various levels of movement, and for the most part, I¡¯d say I can just subconsciously adapt based on what I¡¯m working with. Obviously I¡¯d say I¡¯m better with higher ¡°performance¡±, but I¡¯m certainly no slouch in other fields¡­ but that¡¯s besides the point.


    Well, bla bla bla, I don¡¯t have all day to ramble on to myself here, so to put a satisfying conclusion to my inner ramblings, allow me to sum this up my ever needy OCD!


    I¡¯ve been running on ¡°low¡± power as of late, per se a five, and it¡¯s been gradually increasing over time so I haven¡¯t really had an issue¡­ but in this moment, just now, it jumped to ¡°medium¡± power, or in other words, seven and a half. This is all just throwing numbers to the void, but it makes sense, I¡¯m quite it sure it does, it does to me after all!


    ¡°What the heck did you do?¡± I ask, genuinely kind of curious. This is like¡­ holy crap. Though unfortunately, for the first time in forever~ Screech does not deign to answer.


    Well, figure it out. Well, after the initial flip-flopping about¡­


    I hop twice on each foot, gauging the force of my movement.


    I¡¯ve gotta say¡­


    This is ¡°...Not bad.¡±


    I don¡¯t like to make it a habit to complain about things that I can¡¯t control, but¡­ eesh! I was kind of painfully slow for a while there. Micromanaging summons was cool and all, but there was a core part of my gameplay missing there man, shit¡¯s tough! But if I get to have, both?


    Hah, hah, hah, hah¡­ well it might not be as much of a problem as it¡¯d seem from the way I¡¯m talking about it. Increased speed is cool, don¡¯t get me wrong, but uh¡­


    Jabbing at the air a few times, imitating strikes with my sword, jumping back and forth¡­


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    My perception has not, er, sped up to match the increased force, which, is, kind of a minor issue, to put it lightly.


    I don¡¯t wanna get tooooooo deep into analogy territory here, I do actually have to, get going soon if I don¡¯t wanna fight an entire village, but¡­ imagine if you started sprinting full speed? You couldn¡¯t just instantly stop at any obstacle¡­ now imagine you¡¯re running at the speed of a car. Perhaps not an exact example, but close enough.


    That¡¯s me!


    Well, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll manage somehow. I¡¯m pretty goated, as the elders would say. Pretty goated indeed, borderline world class!


    ¡­Well, that might just be stroking my ego, but hey I¡¯ll back it up with fisticuffs galore if need be. But for now? We¡¯re going speeding through ravines! Oh yeah, moving with direction and magnitude! Just uh, hopefully I don¡¯t slam into a wall and cause a rockslide or something. That¡¯d suck!


    But uh¡­


    ¡°Screech?¡±


    ¡­Still no response. I can see her stats, right?


    Screech-Morrigala Adept


    Level 12


    HP 1-


    Yes, yes I can, so¡­ she¡¯s clearly still among the realm of the living, just¡­ pfffgghhhh this is taking too long, I¡¯ve been standing here for a good twenty seconds now, just thinking, it¡¯s time to get SHMOVING.


    Alright, on three, one, two, three!


    What, did you think the dramatic countdown would lead to me going flying and falling over, oh silly brain of mine? Haha, no. No, that would never happen, I¡¯m too good.


    Taking off running at full speed, my footsteps pitter-patter against the ground in a rhythmic echo, slapping against the slowly hardening path with each step as I make for grounds as far from the village as possible.


    It¡¯s mostly a straight shot for a good long while, so there¡¯ll be minimal turning and obstacles for a little bit, which should work pretty well for me right now.


    ¡°M???¡±


    ¡°Courtesy of Screech!¡±


    Jasper¡¯s flabbergasted at the sudden boost, and I don¡¯t blame her this is kind of wicked, but there isn¡¯t really much of my attention left to explain it to her. Cause I gotta say, this is definitely a first! It¡¯s basically a rule of thumb to always accompany an increase in player speed with an increase in the players perception of time. There¡¯s been instances of that not always following through, but certainly not to the same degree as this.


    It¡¯s a struggle to not go flying head first via hitting a stray pebble at a poor angle, exhaustion isn¡¯t a factor, but the level of difficulty in doing this goes beyond just putting one foot after the other. My main concern was with hitting something, but to be honest, just managing to run in a straight line is a problem.


    But still¡­ I will not fall, for this, is my entire bit. Speed, is key. Speed, is my absolute king. If I failed to control even a little bit of uncontrollable speed, I might as well uninstall the game, the embarrassment would be mortifying, even with nobody here to witness it.


    ¡­Well, no other humans, anyways.


    And so I keep running, I leave everything else in the damn dust. It is difficult work, hard to pry my attention away from, but I don¡¯t fall, don¡¯t so much as stumble.


    Eventually, I can¡¯t maintain a full sprint any longer, the path before me beginning to wind and turn around far more obstacles, the ground uneven and full of cracks, all potential headaches in the making, and I need to jog instead.


    But I still don¡¯t stop, not for a long while.


    Not until exhaustion becomes a factor anyways.


    ¡°Ffffffffffffff, okay¡­ how long have I been running?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, mm-mm?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ that¡­ should be fine¡±


    My chest¡­ hurts.


    I don¡¯t¡­ think stamina got¡­ buffed to compensate¡­ either¡­ just speed. Raw, damn, speed. What is my¡­ stamina¡­ at right¡­ now?


    Stamina 29/122


    Okay¡­ yikes, just gonna¡­ take a second here.


    Maybe¡­ look through my character page while I¡¯m¡­ at it? Maybe there¡¯s¡­ something¡­ on there.


    HP¡­ is fine, MP¡­ still recovering, stamina, ouch. What else¡­? Well, stats are normal, nothing¡¯s been¡­ directly modified¡­


    Alright¡­ skills, then?


    [Recall], [Summon], [Tame], yada yada, all my active skills and what not¡­


    [Efficacy], [Capacity], [Communication], [Featherguard], [Shared Effort], [Coordination]... Jury is still out on whatever¡­ the hell¡­ [Communication] even does¡­ by the way¡­ any idea on what the exact increase is on [E-[Featherguard]?


    What the hell is [Featherguard]?


    Featherguard-Each point of agility is 1.4x more effective, each point of strength is 1.2x more effective, gain 45 max HP, gain 24 max MP. Featherguard is lost upon taking 10% or more of your HP in a single hit, or when dismissed.


    HAHHHHH?????


    ¡°WHAT IN THE NAME OF BALANCING IS THAT-

 C48-Upon The Shoulders Of Giants

    ¡­


    Hey¡­ uh, JM?


    A voice, carried through the ethereal, split upon an infinite fractal of infinite seconds.


    What is it?


    Oh, nothing that crazy, just an interesting series of coincidences. Some which¡­ might need a bit of input from up the chain.


    Hahhh¡­ what is it now? Surely there can¡¯t be half a dozen game breaking foundations within a week of release? I like sleep, MM, I really do. There is no way this is something that needs to go all the way up to balan-


    No, no, calm down, it really is just some, uh¡­ it¡¯s better if you just come over here.


    Passing through voids unknown, JM quickly gave in to the request.


    Fine, fine¡­ what¡¯s up?


    Do you remember the guy who completed the first stage of Wild Hunt¡¯s Grace like, right off the bat?


    No. If you¡¯d recall, I¡¯ve had my hands full with the Drake Slayer, The Ritualist, the-


    Stop, stop, I get it! He¡¯s not managing to break the game you don¡¯t need to keep tabs on him, I¡¯ll give you a refresher. Server sixty four, Monster Tamer? He was the second player to complete a unique quest in general, got a whole grunch load of achievements on his first day and then none since?


    Mmm, oh, Koth?


    Yeah, that guy. I know you¡¯re more focused on 65 and 66, but 64 is still in our jurisdiction JM, he might not have done much but it shouldn¡¯t be that difficult to at least keep the guy in memory.


    Oh please, spare me the lecture, what is it? What did he do MM?


    Okay, well, you also remember that monster that happened across a relic on the first day of the game¡¯s release? Shred of Morrigala, unique item?


    ¡­Did he tame it?


    Wow, so quick to guess, yeesh!


    So¡­ he isn¡¯t a problem?


    Oh, no, he tamed it.


    JM, just¡­ nevermind. So, you¡¯re saying he¡¯s already at 2/3rds of the way to getting a unique class¡­ within a week?


    Oh, no, it didn¡¯t count as fulfilling the condition for some reason.


    Isn¡¯t¡­ isn¡¯t that a bug?


    Well¡­. I¡¯m not er, sure about that being a bug, per se, it¡¯s not like he did a quest for a monster to unlock an epic level or above class, he just¡­ got one. Which¡­ isn¡¯t really supposed to uh, happen? But, sheer chance says screw it, so I say we just leave it be. Especially, because of this! Behold!


    Featherguard-Each point of agility is 1.4x more effective, each point of strength is 1.2x more effective. Gain 45 max HP, gain 24 max MP. Featherguard is lost upon taking 10% or more of your HP in a single hit, or when dismissed.


    Oh, that¡¯s kind of¡­ eh for a modifier passive but, uh¡­ what does this have to do with Koth though? He¡¯s a Monster Tamer, they don¡¯t get stat modi-


    That¡¯s a passive Koth just got.


    HAH????


    Despite the lack of a physical body to operate in the virtual space, MM still shrunk back from the ethereal hands grasping for his throat.


    Woah, woah, calm down! All hope isn¡¯t lost here! Read the second part of that.


    FRf¨Cg-egegeghehfe-rrfgffhhhhooooooo¡­ ¡°Featherguard is lost upon taking 10% or more of your HP in a single hit, or when dismissed¡±... Wait, so¡­ this is¡­ a passive, you said, not a buff? How does losing a passive work?


    More specifically it¡¯s an equipment passive.


    ¡­? Isn¡¯t that¡­ isn¡¯t that supposed to be level locked to later content? And what, does the gear just¡­ explode?


    Okay, well, if you¡¯d stop interrupting me and everything JM, I¡¯d be happy to explain!


    ¡­


    Thank you. This is because of Morrigala Adept. It was always pretty weird for an Epic class, bordering on the gimmicky level of a few Uniques but with the overall lower level of power that an Epic has, but this is¡­ interesting. [Morrigala Metamorphose] was always meant to be a diversity ability. You were supposed to be able to occupy pretty much any role, but while still remaining specialization into magic.


    What was not intended, was for the player using it to morph into literally anything¡­ A N Y T H I N G. But, the natural limit of the human psyche kind of made that an issue in and of itself, so we didn¡¯t worry about it. Theoretically it was possible, and it did come up in testing, you just had to envision¡­ I dunno, the perspective of a sword, and accurately morph into it? Something along those lines¡­ but, that was difficult to do, and especially to maintain. So, as I said, nobody worried about it.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    But¡­ we never programmed any NPCs or mobs to directly use the Morrigala Adept line skills, and so we also didn¡¯t worry about that. It was always meant to be a player exclusive thing, they just had to find the randomly spawning artifact, and use it, either raw or refined. But¡­ strangely enough, the first thing to find it was a Great Crossing¡¯s Eagle with a rare trait combination. So¡­ it just used it. To great consequence, but it still did.


    And in doing so, it has become a genuinely unique existence. And so, this is why I found it interesting, enough to tell you about it anyways.


    So¡­ this obviously needs to be balanced, right? Monster Tamer was already a class path balanced about as well as a toddler on a unicycle. The most fragile of push and pull could be enough to break the entire thing, and I¡¯d say giving it stat modifiers is a bit more than just pushing the thing.


    Weeeeeeeeeeeelllllll, we¡¯re also not giving him the conditions for the Myth Wielder questline, so¡­ I think it¡¯s fine to let slide. The chances of him getting a legendary class have pretty much been gibbed by this, given the Tamer legendary is probably one of the easier ones to get, relatively speaking. So¡­ as a consolation prize? I¡¯d say it¡¯s alright to let him keep that. Unless you wanna bring this up to balancing and get the rewards switched?


    Hmmmm¡­ no, I suppose we shouldn¡¯t break the flow of immersion. And it¡¯s against policy to directly interfere unless there¡¯s plausible cause to do so. This is all technically still possible, no bug abuse on his part, if not¡­ unintended. I guess I¡¯ll need to keep an eye on him now as well¡­


    Oh lighten up JM, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll buffer out soon enough, and we¡¯ve probably got the easier jobs. Would you rather be the one DEALING with every kink in the system, or the one spotting them?


    You know what MM? Sometimes, just sometimes, I think you might just be smarter than a middle schooler.


    Oh shut up JM. Now¡­ what else was he¡­ oh, right, he¡¯s in Pierre¡¯s Karst. Pretty nothing area, just-


    What did you just say?


    ¡­Hm?


    Pierre¡¯s¡­ Pierre¡¯s Karst?


    Yeah? What about it?


    Ohhhh, I¡¯m gonna get an aneurysm¡­ I¡¯m not sure his chances are as ¡°gibbed¡± as you think if he¡¯s in there.


    What¡­ about it?


    There are a ton of dungeons in the layout of that place. And more than a fair few of them are there specifically for class quests.


    I¡¯m not really that informed on low level areas, moreso the mid-game. What, is that a problem?


    There are¡­ at least three Monster Tamer specific unlocks in that place. The start of the Traces of The Giants questline, a Rare tier support class that can be tamed, and uhm¡­ Oh yeah, I think it was¡­ you know¡­ Lunar Heritage???


    Lunar Heritage? Wasn¡¯t that one of the exclusive quests for Monster Tamer?


    Yeah.


    Oh. Oh dear.


    Yeah, better hope he doesn¡¯t find the damn thing if you don¡¯t want him getting a chance at a legendary class on TOP of a borderline game breaking passive! How did, how did he even get that, remind me?


    The monster he tamed that had Morrigala Adept transformed into his armor for a bit, and it ended up giving him a passive instead of raw stats.


    Of-of course it did, because nothing can ever be easy. HFahgg, alright, I¡¯ll keep an eye on him, that seems like it could go tits up at any moment to be frank, well, maybe not as much as-


    The_Cup has reached level 20!


    WHAT.


    Oh. Oh dear.


    It¡­ it hasn¡¯t even been a damn week! Exp quests above level fifteen aren¡¯t even in the GAME yet! What the hell!?! What, is he just grinding pure mobs? Literally how? He¡¯s a melee class! He was in Karis Capital lands last I checked was he not??? Did he-


    Flicking through innumerable menus in an instant, characters and locations flew by in the blink of an eye, eventually settling on one single possibility.


    No??? He¡¯s still in the area, so what, what did he even-


    Slowly, surely, incoherent ramblings, the screams of the damned as some would call them, pervaded the seemingly infinite space, the punishment of a sinner delivered unto each man within its confines.


    And unfortunately for the poor moderators, it would continue to be a very, very, long day.

 C49-Experimentation

    C49-Worn Out Wings


    Alright¡­ okay, okay¡­ cool as having, er, forty percent increases to my speed is, I don¡¯t suppose this lasts forever. And, even still, having continued off and away from the town all day, I haven¡¯t heard¡­ well, a screech from Screech. I figure there¡¯s nothing actually wrong with them, given [Featherguard] can be ¡°dismissed¡±... but it is still mildly concerning.


    ¡°Jasper, do you think I¡¯m far enough away by now?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Mm-mm.¡±


    ¡°No??? How are we NOT far enough away? I¡¯ve been moving for almost an hour now!¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    They have tracking abilties!?- Actually, no I guess I shouldn¡¯t really be that surprised. They¡¯ve got magic and a lot of it from what I saw, magic to track something or a skill to track something really shouldn¡¯t be that far out of my expectations. So, yeah, I suppose I should keep on going either way, but¡­ I can¡¯t imagine I need to be moving at full force like this for the entire time.


    ¡°Well, the sky isn¡¯t going to fall down if I move slower than this, is it now?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, mm.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh my, no, it will not. The sky is an immutable law! It won¡¯t simply stop existing!¡±


    ¡­I mean, it might not be, but it probably is.


    ¡°Right, no ifs ands or buts, I¡¯m getting rid of [Featherguard], I know she hasn¡¯t been around for long, but Screech being silent is kind of uh¡­ weird.¡±


    ¡°...Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right¡­ before I do that, Jerry, are you alright?¡±


    Oof, not even the contemplative silence I¡¯d usually get. I¡¯ll suppose I can take that as a no.


    ¡°Well, if you wanna talk about it. Anyways, let¡¯s get right into the news! Screech, wakey wakey!¡±


    Yeah, similarly, no response. Kind of what I expected, so how do I go about turning this off? I¡­ don¡¯t think she¡¯s permanently stuck like this, that¡¯d be¡­ alright I guess, but also a serious waste of potential. As much as making me this much faster is like, borderline broken for a few reasons I¡¯ve come to believe, I think Screech¡¯s agro capability is way, way better than buffing a single person.


    They¡¯re both good, I¡¯d like to have both, but I¡¯d rather have the latter if it came down to picking an option. So I¡¯m just hoping that she didn¡¯t, you know, lock herself out of playing that role by doing whatever it is she¡¯s done. So! I¡¯m just gonna go through a few possible options here, see if I can¡¯t pry her out of whatever she¡¯s gone into!


    ¡°Give me a moment, Jasper, keep an eye out for any monsters?¡±


    There were a few that I ran by, and I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re actually following me or not¡­? Better safe than sorry, don¡¯t wanna get snuck up on or anything.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    [Summon]


    Yup, that¡¯s good ol¡¯ reliable right there. Jasper doesn¡¯t ask many questions, and while I¡¯d be perfectly capable of answering them, just having somebody listen to what you say without back-sass is nice. Stark contrast to when we first met really, though I can¡¯t say I miss it.


    Now¡­ dismiss! Dismissed! Cancel! Remove? Screech B-gone?


    ¡­[Recall]?


    Oh, yeah, there we go! Don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t try that first. Might not be the sharpest tool in the shed.


    Immediately after casting the skill, the feathers lining my tunic vanish into thin air, and although faint, I can intuitively sense the new presence in my¡­ mind, pocket, realm, thing. I¡¯m just gonna call it my inventory at this point, but I really need an actual name.


    Ahem, and although faint, I can intuitively sense the new presence in my inventory. Which is, less than great, because Screech has never been ¡°faint¡± in any way. It¡¯s actually uh, moderately concerning as far as I¡¯m concerned.


    ¡°Screech? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh¡±


    ¡°Screech?¡±


    ¡°hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh¡±


    ¡°...Screech!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay good, you¡¯re not braindead!¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, where am I?¡±


    ¡­Screech pausing in a sentence? That¡¯s not good.


    ¡°Uh¡­ in my inventory, I [Recall]ed you-¡±


    ¡°No whyyyyyy am I not s-still using my skill that¡¯s not righhhhht I should¡¯ve been continuing tooooooo figure that out¡­ Why did you stop me???¡±


    Hah? Hell does she mean I stopped her? And why in the world is her speech slurring? She didn¡¯t even do anything all that taxing, did she? ¡­Did she?


    What, is, her stamina right now?


    15/121


    ¡­Well that¡¯s not right.


    ¡°I wasssss tr-trying really hard and you just sssst-stopped me for no reason why the heck would you do that you¡¯re so-¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Even speaking non-stop like she usually would, she¡¯s not quite pausing, but it¡¯s clear she¡¯s struggling to even form the words. It¡¯s not really that difficult to break through her diatribe, and break through I do.


    ¡°Okay, take a second to breathe, please? I mean, not literally, but you also do kind of literally need to stop? Have you taken a look at your own stamina? You¡¯re practically about to have a heart attack!¡±


    I mean, I¡¯m not sure if monsters can have heart attacks, but I¡¯m very not enthusiastic to check the find out scale on that one.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ya dingus. What the heck were you even doing to get yourself sloshed like that? I know you have [Atrophied] as an issue and everything, but you weren¡¯t actively consuming MP either. I know [Morrigala Metamorphose] costs twenty MP, but at the same time, it ONLY costs twenty. You only used the skill twice, as well as a fireball earlier. So, you used¡­ what, fifty something MP? I somehow doubt the conversion rate of MP to stamina is more than 1:1, so at most you lost fifty to sixty stamina from when you woke up, so you should be at forty still, at the least! The hell happened?¡±


    I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s curiosity or a bit of genuine concern¡­ Well, it¡¯s definitely curiosity, but I¡¯m not sure if ¡°concern¡± is in the mix there or not. She¡¯s probably fine, but still. What¡¯s she got to say for herself hmmm?


    ¡°...Uhm.¡±


    ¡­Not much apparently! Well, she seems to be taking the time to contemplate her words for once, so maybe she does.


    ¡°I¡­ was experimenting?¡±


    ¡°...Experimenting.¡±


    ¡°...Yes! It was r-really interesting actually I figured it www-would¡¯ve been possible to transsssform into an object instead of j-just changing shhhhape but I haven¡¯t actually tr-tried it until now so-¡±


    ¡°Chill, take a breather, slow down.¡±


    ¡°...So I was using my magic¡­ while transformed, trying to understand why and how it worked, and also why it gave you a passive.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so you could hear me while you were transformed?¡±


    I mean, maybe she just intrinsically knew that she gave me a passive by doing what she did? Despite not having done this before? I dunno, maybe assume innocent before guilty or something, the right thing to d-


    ¡°...Yes?¡±


    Nevermind.


    ¡°...And you could respond?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ guess so.¡±


    ¡°You just, chose not to?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...Alright Screech, alright. How about you uh, take a nap, yeah? We can talk, all you want, right after you wake up!¡±


    ¡°Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-¡±


    ¡°Non-negotiable! Go ahead, no problem with you going to sleep right now!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She doesn¡¯t bother to respond again, and shortly afterwards that presence in the back of my head fades, being a rather obvious indicator that yes, she is dead tired. I¡¯m so yelling at her when she wakes up, but for now she¡¯s fine I suppose.


    ¡°Well, Jasper, suppose we should-¡±


    +5 exp!


    ¡­Oh.


    ¡°-uh, get going!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t really paying any attention to the outside world, focused on my current domestic issue and what not, but Jasper is putting in work as usual. Not like, slaughtering hordes amounts of work, that was her first kill so far, but there she is, staring down like¡­ twenty different monkey monsters! Or, I dunno, maybe they¡¯re baboons? I¡¯m no specialist.


    ¡°Well, do you wanna wipe those things out or, just keep running?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    PFff- alright, she wants to get out of here, got it, got it. Absolutely no desire to stick around for the supposed trackers huh?


    ¡°Okay, just keep running it is!¡±


    Turning on my heel, and almost falling over again before I remember I¡¯m suddenly a whole forty percent slower than I was before, I start sprinting full speed ahead on the uneven path before me, [Recall]ing Jasper a moment afterwards before she manages to take any damage.


    ¡°Seeya later suckers-¡±


    ¡°MM!¡±


    Oh, right, trackers. Probably shouldn¡¯t be shouting and announcing my presence, huh?


    ¡°(My bad.)¡±


    Should probably get as far away from here as I can, haha! Really don¡¯t wanna die after all, that would suck! Not because of the level loss, but because I¡¯d get sent either back to the town over yonder, or all the way to god, damned, Resiala. After a multiple day-long trip.


    Yeah, really not enticing to dip the moral coil right now! So, keep running I shall.

 C50-Path O Wrath

    Moving right along, it goes around the world, moving right along¡­ how long have I been running for now? I dunno, my lungs hurt though, so I¡¯m probably fine? It¡¯s also dark out, so I can¡¯t imagine that it¡¯ll be particularly easy to find me even with skills to track me¡­


    Well, whatever, if the opposition arrives they¡¯ll simply have to be¡­ dealt with. For now, I¡¯ve got some stock to take!


    HP and MP is full for yours truly, Jasper has been chilling in the inventory for about an hour now, she¡¯s fine¡­ Screech has been asleep for just as long, so, what¡¯s her stamina at?


    101/121


    ¡­A little lower than I expected is what it is, but oh well, she was at near single digit amounts of stamina prior so I suppose I should¡¯ve expected it. Well, I¡¯ll let her sleep a little longer before I yell at her again.


    Jerry is fine as well, but he¡¯s been very¡­ quiet, ever since I used him as a body shield. I mean I get it, I guess? But also not really? Can¡¯t say I¡¯d hold a grudge if somebody was given the option to either take a knife to their throat or send it to their friend to give them a flesh wound, and they chose the latter option with me being their friend. That¡¯s just, mmm, common sense, no? It was death for me or tank a bit of damage for himself.


    Well, as far as I¡¯m aware, that¡¯s not even why he¡¯s upset, so I¡¯ll stop jumping to conclusions.


    Bottom line? We¡¯re all pretty much good. I¡¯m a bit low on stamina, Screech is still asleep, but otherwise we¡¯ve all come out no worse for wear! I mean, I¡¯m at negative eleven instead of negative ten karma now, but like, well darn I guess that¡¯s just what I¡¯m doing now! Negative karma for the win I guess.


    It¡¯s simply the way things are. Maybe I¡¯ll go about changing that if I can figure out how exactly to change it to begin with, but if I¡¯m already far enough down the tree there¡¯s probably going to be good reason to stay on it. Karma is gained from things other than pvp, so clearly it¡¯s not just a PK punishment. With how many drawbacks it has described on the karma information page, I¡¯d imagine the content that it unlocks will be just as lucrative.


    Anyways¡­ staying in this town is definitely gonna be a no go. I¡¯m not sure about other towns, but I think I can at least check them out with negative eleven karma. It¡¯s not like I got instantly outed with ten, so¡­ it shouldn¡¯t really be an issue? But either way I¡¯m not heading out right now.


    It¡¯d be a shame for me to just pop out without doing ANYTHING around this place¡­ so I might as well do some grinding, no? Test out a few things¡­ you know, level up a few times¡­ each monster is reliably worth seven experience on average, so¡­ I just have to kill a few hundred! That should be easy enough really, with Song of Wrath only costing ten MP, Screech should be able to use it twenty or so times before she needs to take a nap, and every time she does it she¡¯ll agro a huge crowd towards us!


    Jasper will get her minions up and running, and well¡­ from there it¡¯s ggs! I could bring Jerry out as well and get him some experience, but he doesn¡¯t really offer me anything right now to be honest¡­ like, I know his passive talks about eating stronger monsters to grow and what not? But, er, their bodies disappear before he can, so how is he supposed to do that? It¡¯s either through getting kill credit or I¡¯m missing something. I sincerely hope it¡¯s the latter, because he¡¯s not getting kill credit.


    He has cool baseline stats and all, but nothing interesting that would warrant actually getting him up to speed with the rest of the crowd. I may keep him around to speak to him and what not, but¡­ keeping him at the average level of the ¡°party¡± is kind of pointless if he can¡¯t contribute in any meaningful way. Maybe I¡¯ll level him up later! Just¡­ not right now.


    Sorry little guy, in due time.


    ¡°Alright Jasper, think I¡¯ve run far enough away this time?¡±


    ¡°...Mmmh..¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯ll be fine. Even if they do go all the way out of their way to come find us, we¡¯d be able to deal with them lickity-split! It¡¯s not like they¡¯re THAT strong, there were just a lot of them, no?¡±


    ¡°M.. mm-mm.¡±


    ¡°...What are you so worried about?¡±


    Whereas her tone of voice would usually be unbothered, matter of fact, downright uninterested to be honest, she¡¯s lazy she doesn¡¯t really care about most things, she just does them because I ask. And it¡¯s¡­ a little odd for her to have that level of devotion in the span of a week or so, but eh it benefits me. Moving on, like I said, she usually does not care about the things I ask her about; only me.


    I haven¡¯t paid it much attention, but every time other people are mentioned or, we¡¯re just around other people in general, she¡¯s always very slightly¡­ on guard so to say. I took it as just being ¡°stranger danger!¡± but¡­ I dunno, this feels a little bit more deeply seated than that.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡¯ll be fine. You should be worried about yourself nine times out of ten.¡±


    ¡°MHM.¡±


    ¡°Whaaat? You know me, I always make it out of every situation.¡±


    ¡°??? Mh-mmM. MMmmMm-M.¡±


    ¡°I only ever get low, I never die.¡±


    ¡°MM.¡±


    Errrrrrrrrrr, I was on one health earlier to be fair¡­ With a little less luck I could¡¯ve just died? But¡­ would I lose? Luck is a skill too, no?


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯d live.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh relax, I''m only joking. I know, I know, I¡¯m a risk taker. But you know how I literally can¡¯t die, right? From a¡­ different plane of existence and what not? I won¡¯t ever ¡®die¡¯, you will. So like I said, you should be much more worried about yourself than you are me.¡±


    And in a way, she kind of is I think. Like I said, some sort of issue lodged in there. I just happen to be the target of concern at the moment. I could also be completely wrong, this is all guess work after all, but¡­


    ¡°Trust me, I¡¯ll be alright. Now, speaking of being alright, howzabout we get some leveling done?¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.¡°...Mm?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, my machinations are cuhrayzee.¡±


    ¡°...Mm???¡±


    ¡°Mass destruction Jasper, mass destruction.¡±


    ¡°...Mkay.¡±


    ¡ª


    ¡°Wakey wakey¡­¡±


    121/121


    ¡°Come on, no reason to be asleep still!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ah-you aren¡¯t even asleep to begin with! Now how did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh¡±


    ¡°You know, out of all three of you, you¡¯re definitely the one I¡¯d least expect to just be able to shut up! You talk so much I just tune you out most of the time, but here you are being so utterly silent I can¡¯t even feel your presence of mind!¡±


    ¡°You ignore me?¡±


    ¡°Half the time yeah.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you get to be angry at me ignoring you then.¡±


    Pff-bold bird. Brave bird, even. Though they¡¯re not exactly wrong¡­


    ¡°Trying to worm your way out of trouble are you?¡±


    ¡°No definitely not.¡±


    They are¡­ shockingly good at hiding their intentions through this mental speech thingamajig. Whereas Jasper doesn¡¯t have any actual verbiage, but I can get a clear picture through just her thoughts, it seems to be the literal opposite with Screech here. She¡¯s a good liar.


    I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a good thing.


    Oh well!


    ¡°...Right. Well, you¡¯re not exactly wrong, per se, so I¡¯ll maybe let it slide.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t ignore you if you don¡¯t ignore me?¡±


    ¡°...Maybe talk less and I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    She¡¯s surprisingly un-miffed about that, or maybe she¡¯s very miffed, can¡¯t tell, as I just discussed! I¡¯d get yelled at by most other people for saying something like that, so perhaps we¡¯re chill here. Or maybe she reaalllly wants those truffles. Can¡¯t tell!


    ¡°Well, first things first, I¡¯ll need you to help a liiittle bit here. Just use a few of your skills, help me test out a few theories?¡±


    ¡°Oh I love testing theories what are we doing?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯ll take a look around¡­¡±


    [Double-Summon!!]


    ¡°You¡¯ll see that big ¡®ol horde of furry rodent things off in the distance!¡±


    Summoning both Jasper and Screech at once, the former merely huffs and lies down whilst Screech peers over at the horde. Peers over, you ask? Why shouldn¡¯t there be a multitude of canyon walls preventing such a thing?


    Why NO of course not! Do you take me for a fool? Having hit something with a fireball, a whole ROCK SLIDE happened! I¡¯m not going to go ahead and use a sonic attack in the middle of the canyon, that¡¯s just asking for copious amounts of sediment to find a place upon my backside.


    I was looking for a while, but after another hour I finally managed to find a clearing in this place! It¡¯s still rocky and uneven and all the other unpleasantries of this place, but there¡¯s more than ten feet of maneuverability. Oh and also the, you know, few dozen, maybe hundred rat monsters around the place, but that¡¯s good for my purposes so¡­


    Here we go!


    ¡°All you need to do is use [Song of Wrath] and uh, yeah that¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ¡°But wait a sec-¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK MY EARS-


    FHAfhahgahwghaghjahwghahgshgghhh¡­ not that bad the seventh or so time, but I think this is Jasper¡¯s first time having been blasted and¡­ yeesh, her fur is standing on end¡­


    ¡°Jasper are you alright?!¡±


    ¡°¡±


    Not even stunned silence, her eyes are wide, her muzzle a grimace.


    She might¡­ need a moment.


    A moment perhaps too long, given the now swarming


    Karst¡¯s Scourge-LVL 5


    The now swarming those.


    ¡°Right, wanna give [Morrigala Metamorphose] a bit more testing then?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    I¡¯ll buy you a moment Jasper.

 C51-As If To Be A Squirrel

    The encroaching horde is literally, like, christ man it¡¯s not even a tidal wave it¡¯s a whole tsunami¡­ I think I might¡¯ve underestimated the amount of rats around here to begin with, cause I know I said a few dozen, maybe a few hundred, but I think I¡¯m going to have to update that to a few hundred minimum.


    Good experience, for sure, for sure! But what the hell is this?! I don¡¯t even have the aoe to deal with this, I¡¯m going to get ZERGED man!


    First things first, Jasper is in absolutely no condition to swing right now, so-[Recall]-we¡¯re getting her out of here, at least until she heals off the¡­ what was it, ten damage?


    227/237


    The yes, ten damage, that [Song of Wrath] deals. Presumably she¡¯ll also be well enough to fight afterwards, and I¡¯m going to need her to do so because I¡¯m going to need [Wild Hunt¡¯s Call] at the ready.


    Anywa-GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME!


    Without even having really noticed it, the rats have crept up on me already. I¡¯d imagine this to be a nightmare scenario for some. There¡¯s like, a phobia for this right? Surging sea of furry little bodies coming up to bite the shit out of you? There¡¯s gotta be a phobia for that.


    Good thing I don¡¯t have it!


    Immediately backpedaling with my newly increased speed, I reach for the sword at my side, pulling it out and¡­ I grab nothing.


    Oh yeah, my sword¡¯s broken¡­ Well, these are like, normal sized rats so I guess it¡¯s not that much of an issue? It¡¯s not like I could just stab and stab and stab and keep stabbing, I¡¯d get swarmed and overrun. That¡¯s still a very valid concern and likely will end up happening in, give or take half a minute¡­ so how am I going to go about not letting that happen?


    ¡°Hey Screech!¡±


    Continuing to backpedal, I change directions before I slip back into one of the more narrow paths that filtered towards this clearing, instead hugging close to the wall in case I need to climb up to escape the horde.


    ¡­Why isn¡¯t she responding?


    ¡°NOW IS NOT THE TIME! WHAT DID WE TALK ABOUT?¡±


    ¡°We talked about testing a theory why what is it?¡±


    ¡°Ffhhhhghhh-okay, alright, I¡¯m unbothered. Here¡¯s a theory for you, can you use your skills while transformed like this?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah I figured that out ages ago I definitely can it¡¯s not very difficult.¡±


    ¡°So then, would you mind?¡±


    They are literally nipping at my heels and I find myself with almost no way to meaningfully attack these little furry bastards. At least not a way to do so without casting myself into the horde¡­ at which point I would be quickly annihilated by at least three dozen in every direction swarming me.


    Now that¡¯s DEFINITELY a phobia. And I think I might have that one, cause for some reason the thought of being eaten alive isn¡¯t a very fun one. Who¡¯da thunk?


    ¡°Mind what?¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know-actually, you know what, you don¡¯t take very well to sarcasm do you? I do KNOW what you can do, FIREBALL THEM!¡±


    ¡°Now why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m GOING TO GET MURDERED-¡±


    ¡°No no no you misunderstand it¡¯s not an issue of me not wanting to do it it¡¯s just that while I¡¯m transformed like this my intelligence stat is a lot lower because my stats have been pushed into strength and agility. As a result the spells that I could cast are a lot weaker than they would usually be so if you want me to do that then I¡¯ll need to cancel this transformation first.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my fault.¡±


    That was actually surprisingly to the point, eloquent, even.


    I mean I¡¯m still about to get murderized, but cool thanks for the explanation, really no beating around the bush just bang, there it is.


    Alright¡­


    Now what the hell am I supposed to do then???


    These rats¡­ these ¡°Karst¡¯s Scourge¡± are like, fast. Fast, fast. I think agility is the only thing they have leveled up to begin with.


    Karst¡¯s Scourge-LVL 5


    Karst¡¯s Scourge-LVL 5


    Karst¡¯s Scourge-LVL 5


    Karst¡¯s Scourge-LVL 5


    Karst¡¯s Scourge-LVL 5


    Karst¡¯s Scourge-LVL 5


    Karst¡¯s Scourge-LVL 5


    And they¡¯re also, all exactly level five. Well, maybe there are a few outliers, but I can¡¯t tell and frankly, it¡¯s giving me a headache to keep backpedaling while scanning a few hundred of them. I¡¯m gonna use that mental power of mine to think up a plan here!


    Right now, I¡¯m just about keeping pace ahead of the crowd. I¡¯m making turns and swivelling away and back towards the wall to avoid getting pincered or otherwise shmacked by the horde, and obviously staying well away from the center of this here clearing so I don¡¯t get mauled. Of course there¡¯s the occasional group of scourge that I actually can¡¯t avoid, and need to dance around them, maybe take a hit or two, but given they deal 3! Or maybe 5! Damage at best, [Featherguard] isn¡¯t at risk of being canceled. But speaking of [Featherguard], all of this is definitively made possible via its grace.


    I think without it, I¡¯d unironically get out-sped by level five monsters. Damn.


    I¡¯d run a [Tame] on one of them to check out what their stats and skills are since they all seem to be identical, but once again, can¡¯t get in close to deal damage to weaken them in the first place without getting brutalized. On top of that, I can¡¯t even be sure if brute forcing a tame would work on any of them like it worked on Jerry. No shade but he¡¯s uh¡­ he¡¯s very ¡°receptive¡± to force.


    Anyways, anyways, back on track, these hordes are all well and good and not too much of an issue, and I haven¡¯t even fallen below two thirds of my health yet, but as more and more of these groups well, group up, it becomes harder and harder to find places to break away from them. There are, like, at least enough to cover a whole third of this entire clearing? So the more that start chasing me, the worse it gets.


    I give it¡­ twenty, thirty seconds at best before I¡¯m completely surrounded with nowhere to go? And it¡¯d likely be difficult to escape given they¡¯re all around fifty something agility in terms of speed¡­ so I don¡¯t think I have many options here¡­


    So clearly, disregard all of that, just going to have to kill them as they come. Now, the question we must ask is; uh, how?


    I can¡¯t go in for a melee or I¡¯ll get ripped to shreds by the hundred or so rats on my proverbial tail, Screech can¡¯t blast them to hell with magic because she¡¯s giving me a speed boost. Well, theoretically she could, it¡¯d just be a lot weaker than it otherwise would¡­ and¡­ actually, why not give it a shot how much stamina does she have right now?


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    112/121


    Oh, yeah, let¡¯s go for it! Nothing to lose!


    ¡°I know you just said your magic would be weaker, but could you at least take a shot with a fireball and see where it leads? Anything is better than nothing right now.¡±


    Jasper is also an option, but¡­ her own presence of mind is just barely starting to flicker back to life right now. She¡¯s still dazed, even being at full health. I get it, I really do, that [Song of Wrath] hits hard. And she probably has better hearing than I do, tis to be expected she¡¯s a cat- ¡­feline, not a house cat, and I¡¯m human.


    What I¡¯m trying to say is, I¡¯m not throwing her into the horde when she can barely count how many claws she has.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ¡°Oh and don¡¯t use too much MP.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay!¡±


    Ah, I was worried I was just gonna be a moment too late there, just like the other few times where I¡¯ve tried to stop her from doing something but she ends up going through with it right before I¡¯m able to tell her-¡±


    ¡°I uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh kind of already charged 57 MP into this fireball!¡±


    ¡°Bruh.¡±


    She can¡­ she can do that to begin with? Charge a theoretically infinite amount of MP into one attack? I mean, that¡¯s good to know, but¡­


    Resisting the urge to facepalm, I leap up into the air and latch onto a protruding rock from the wall at my side.


    I get the feeling they¡¯ll just jump up and bite at my ankles, or maybe World War Z themselves into a pile to me, but I¡¯m a good¡­ four, five feet off the ground? It¡¯ll take them a second or two, hopefully a second that Screech uses properly! Twould be a real shame if I got got.


    ¡°Can you cancel your transformation and reorient your stats into intelligence before you fire the spell?¡±


    ¡°Uhhhhhhhhh I¡¯m not actually sure I haven¡¯t tried that before that¡¯s actually a really interesting idea I¡¯m gonna give that a go right no-¡±


    ¡°NEVERMIND! You¡¯re taking too long just shoot the damn thing, let it rip!¡±


    ¡°Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine.¡±


    At first, I really thought this was going to be¡­ upsetting. Like, pitifully weak, for shame, why did you even bother if you knew it was going to be THIS trash. But¡­ when those flames start to form, it¡¯s genuinely a little intimidating.


    Presumably, she has almost zero intelligence right now. I can¡¯t imagine a bunch of feathers has much of a ¡°brain¡± so to speak. If not for game logic, Screech probably wouldn¡¯t even be conscious right now. So on that front, she also has basically no modifier affecting her spell power. Strength isn¡¯t the be all end all for damage as evidenced by the difference between me and Jasper, but it is still important, very much so and very clearly.


    Screech has a whole, almost seventy intelligence counting her [Seeker Of The Divine] passive.


    Given how [Elemental Magic] says that intelligence just straight up replaces strength for the scaling of the attacks it produces¡­ I have to assume the scaling is similar as well.


    Now, take me and Jasper for example¡­ An attack from me does like, thirty on a good day, with ten strength. Meanwhile Jasper with¡­ twenty eight, deals around fifty, given that same ¡°good day¡±.


    A difference of a mere¡­ eighteen¡­ results in an extra twenty damage. Maybe the scaling falls off the more you get, but either way, that¡¯s a pretty big difference for a¡­ relatively small amount, so to say, provided scaling is similar¡­ that¡¯s a different of forty two¡­ when compared to that twenty eight strength that Jasper have.


    So, the amount of damage that Screech is losing, on this already literally spine-chilling attack given her intelligence is shot right now, is mind boggling.


    And EVEN, STILL. This spell, charged with a whole 57 MP (and presumably she can use EVEN MORE), is enough to make me just about shit bricks at the sight of it! I have to imagine she wasn¡¯t using anything close to this amount of MP when she was attacking me, so I have to wonder what gives there, but oh well¡­!


    Oblivious to the attack that I feel, might be able to one shot me upon direct hit, the rats just continue to pile up. Placing themselves directly under the incoming nuclear bomb.


    Their funeral I guess.


    Without a word, Screech launches the projectile. So, I¡¯ll fill in for her!


    ¡°Here comes the sun~ Doododoodo-¡±


    114!


    116!


    115!


    113!


    112


    111!


    111!


    112!


    111!


    110!


    110!


    109!


    108!


    10-


    Holy shit-


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 exp!


    +7 ex-

 C52-Pierres Karst 2085 Colorized

    ¡°...That was 57 MP?¡±


    ¡°Well actually it was a hundred and two I can¡¯t stop charging a spell until I release it.¡±


    ¡°...Huh.¡±


    The notifications are still rolling in¡­ but frankly the only thing I need to look at is this.


    875/1055


    Hot damn! Sorry Jasper, didn¡¯t think that fireball would¡¯ve killed so many right off the bat! You¡¯re gonna have to miss out on that delicious experience pack.


    With the initial blast alone, there were easily over fifty notifications that represented a minimum of 100 damage. And given that¡¯s how much hp I think you get without any vitality, it makes sense that it¡¯d kill if these rats are fully specced into agility. And given they all piled up, directly beneath me, and therefore the blast; they ate that with zero fall off. I¡¯m not sure if fall off is a thing, but if it is, it certainly didn¡¯t apply here.


    Of course, not all of them died in the initial blast, but it is a fireball. It uh, y¡¯know, set things on fire. In fact, I¡¯m quite glad bodies don¡¯t persist after you kill an enemy, because dozens of burnt rats doesn¡¯t sound like the most pleasant of scents. Zero out of ten, would not purchase a candle.


    They¡¯re not all dead or anything, in fact, I¡¯d wager Screech bought me just about¡­ ten, fifteen extra seconds with that little maneuver costing two thirds of her MP apparently? But that sure is a lot of experience! Alright¡­ I¡¯m starting to get an idea here, perhaps Jasper won¡¯t be nearly as necessary for this particular encounter as I¡¯d have thought. Lemme put those fifteen seconds to use real quick.


    Theoretically, as far as I¡¯m aware¡­ there is no potion sickness. I might have not just consumed enough to find that out, but three in a row gives me hope? And¡­ I have¡­


    Lesser MP potion X16 (Common)


    Okay and, also theoretically¡­


    53/121


    Alright, alright¡­ I can work with this¡­ So, theoretically, purely theoretically, let¡¯s say every ten or so points invested into strength is a¡­ ten percent increase to the base damage you deal. And let¡¯s also assume that MP invested into an attack is worth, say, one point of damage per MP. And then also assume that MP stamina loss rate for Screech is about 2:1¡­ yada yada yada, how many more bombs can she launch?


    She only really needs to deal about eighty damage with the initial blast counting burn damage afterwards, so¡­ quick math 50 times 1.7, hibbily dibbily doo, about eighty, somewhere around there. Twenty five stamina consumed¡­ so, theoretically, Screech can launch about two more bombs. Because MP isn¡¯t an issue, we have more than enough potions, and then she goes into hibernation¡­


    Now, let¡¯s stop highballing, account for possibility of error, probably have Screech go for sixty MP per attack instead of fifty to really get at the rats, maybe take a little damage from too much stamina being used¡­ at least, probably, that¡¯s probably how it works? If push comes to shove Jasper will be ready by the time Screech passes out and she can start tearing things to shreds. Moving on¡­


    Right¡­ Have Screech use 60 MP per attack, feed her two potions after the first bomb is launched during the downtime from the rats being obliterated, should be way more than six seconds of time to do so, therefore it won¡¯t be an issue¡­ launch the second bomb, profit immensely.


    Alright, thinking I¡¯m-


    ¡°Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve just been hanging here for like six maybe seven definitely eight now seconds? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah definitely. I¡¯m just thinking up a plan.¡±


    ¡°Is it something adjacent to getting out of here ooooooooooooooor are we just going to get eaten alive?¡±


    ¡°Not even in the same ballpark.¡±


    ¡°Wha-what¡¯s a ballpark?¡±


    ¡°Uhhhhhhh, think like¡­ imagine a place the size of this clearing we¡¯re in right now?¡±


    I gesture outward for effect, continuing to dangle onto the wall with my other arm.


    ¡°But uhm, more rectangular? And it¡¯s used to play a game.¡±


    ¡°...Okay but what game?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit much to explaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-we are getting carried away here, would love to chat Screech, but I don¡¯t wanna get eaten.¡±


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t able to die?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. You are. It wouldn¡¯t be pleasant for either of us though! NOW, STOP DISTRACTING ME! And listen to the plan-¡±


    Wait¡­ didn¡¯t they just express concern about getting eaten alive earlier? Why would they¡­ did they¡­ did they think that I was waiting there, as a legitimate option, because I ¡°can¡¯t die¡±...? Was that not just¡­ sarcasm¡­ oh my God it wasn¡¯t sarcasm.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    WhaabasABhahahahaha-nevermind, nevermind. Note, never don¡¯t take Screech seriously.


    ¡°See? Jasper says so too-oh hi Jasper are you doing alright?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Right, right, don¡¯t get distracted, giant encroaching horde of death and doom, and whatnot. Okay! Pretty simple plan here, might¡¯ve taken a little too long¡­ ¡®deliberating¡¯, given the rats are starting to pile up again¡­¡±


    I once again gesture for emphasis, this time directly below us, at the now piling pile of fur mere feet below my feet.


    ¡°But at the same time that¡¯s also a good thing. Screech, I want you to cancel your [Morrigala Metamorphose]-¡±


    ¡°Done!¡±


    ¡­We really need to talk about uh, waiting just a moment for me to finish what I¡¯m saying¡­ although this might be my fault, given I told her to follow my orders without question¡­ pfhhhghhh whatever we¡¯ll have a talk later it¡¯s fine.


    She simply perches on the stone I¡¯m currently holding onto for dear life, and continues to give me her full attention.


    ¡°Okay, and I want you to let me finish what I¡¯m saying before you do anything-¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°My bad!¡±


    ¡°Right, before you do anything else. As I was saying, please charge a fireball, with just about 60 MP. And I want you, to fire it, directly at the rats beneath us. Please let me know when you are about to shoot it¡­ You¡¯re good to begin.¡±


    ¡°Oki doki!¡±


    Breathing in to try and center my mind after the¡­ hectic (to put it mildly) conversation¡­ I raise my legs up as far as I can in an effort to avoid being singed, because yes, my HP is not full.


    129/140


    ¡­For reasons which should be obvious.


    And take in another breath of blessedly fresh air free of decaying burnt rats, then point my arm out in the distance.


    ¡°Done!¡±


    [Summon]!


    ¡°Alright go ahead-¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.And she already fired it.


    Oh well, doesn¡¯t matter!


    The flames descend again, and predictably, the rats do not move. I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯re supposed to bring AoE this screwed up to the table at an early point in the game, so this kind of method probably wasn¡¯t intended¡­ but I will gratefully abuse the buffet, thank you developers.


    94!


    94!


    94!


    94!


    95!


    93!


    93!


    92!


    93!


    91!


    90!


    90!


    89!


    90!


    9-


    The damage numbers kind of fade into the background pretty much immediately I¡¯m not gonna consciously recognize like, a hundred of them? And none of the rats died¡­ instantly, but, that was accounted for. They don¡¯t need to die instantly, burn damage is a thing! It doesn¡¯t register as a damage number that pops up or anything, buuuuuuuuut¡­


    +5 exp!


    It very much is a source of damage, evidenced by that first de-


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    ¡­And those ones, and-


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    ¡­These ones, I¡¯m just gonna get cut off again ar-


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!


    +5 exp!-


    ¡ª


    Level up!


    Ah! That¡¯s a new one!


    I didn¡¯t get as many kills with this one, given not instantly obliterating all of them seemed to uh, scare them off a little bit unlike the last time. I mean there were a few that didn¡¯t instantly die beforehand, but they all eventually died to burn damage.


    This time, there¡¯s like, a dozen and a half of them just running around on fire! It¡¯s kinda funny, in a sick and twisted way. Relax rats, it¡¯s called dark humor.


    ¡°SCREEE!¡±


    I¡¯m not sure they find the joke funny. We¡¯ll need extensive interviews.


    Buh-buh-buh-buh buuuuh~, anyways, as I was saying, didn¡¯t kill AS many this time¡­ but still got a lot of them! Given¡­ what¡¯s my new requirement?


    Exp-45/1367


    Jeeeeee¡­ zzzeh. Oof, I will worry about that curve later. But, given those numbers, I think I killed about¡­ fifty, sixty?


    +5 exp!


    Sixty one!


    Professions have been unlocked!


    Hah?


    Would you like a tutorial-


    NO! HELL NO! Oh, wait, wait, this game doesn¡¯t suck, the tutorial might not be awful. Uhm¡­ worry about that in a moment. The number of rats has been thinned, yes, but unfortunately, there¡¯s still¡­ a lot.


    ¡°Hey Jasper!¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°Kill as many as you possibly can, by whatever means you see fit. They¡¯re scattered, break them further.¡±


    ¡°Mhm!¡±


    Ah¡­ setting a cat loose upon mice, tale as old as time. I also have an eagle I guess, but they¡¯re like¡­ falling asleep. They haven¡¯t said anything in the five or so seconds that have passed since they launched that fireball to begin with, so that¡¯s a definite tell. What¡¯s their stamina?


    19/121


    Ooooo, lower than I thought it¡¯d be. Maybe the loss is variable? Cause they definitely should¡¯ve lost more stamina from using over a hundred MP at once if that¡¯s how the rate of exchange worked¡­ must not be a constant.


    Shame about the second fireball, but the rats aren¡¯t grouping up right this instant anyways, so it wouldn¡¯t even be as valuable.


    Guess I¡¯ll just [Recall] her and let her get some rest¡­ but then she won¡¯t get any experience¡­ I mean, I guess she¡¯s already level TWELVE, but still¡­ she did kind of save my backside this time¡­


    ¡°Hey Screech?¡±


    ¡°...Yes?¡±


    Oof, that¡¯s a pause, she¡¯s definitely boutta conk out.


    ¡°You can go to sleep, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay!¡±


    And she didn¡¯t even latch onto the protruding rock we find ourselves hanging on before doing so.


    Before she plummets and hits the ground, which definitely wouldn¡¯t be fatal from a mere two something meters in the air, but it would be unpleasant, I let go of said rock myself, catching her mid fall.


    She is¡­ such a goober.


    Perhaps too much of a goober, but that remains to be seen. Only time will tell. And also probably me when we talk when she wakes up. Right.


    Anyways¡­ were those rats always that black or is Jasper just-


    Yup, that¡¯s a few dozen dead already.


    56!


    +5 exp!


    54!


    61!


    +5 exp!


    [Hunter¡¯s Mark]


    +5 exp!


    Oh she really wanted that one dead. I¡¯m not even gonna discuss the damage that just did that¡¯s¡­ nasty work. I mean, I guess she has the MP to spare with all those phantoms summoned, they¡¯re probably restoring like five a second for her¡­


    Welp, I can pretty much just sit back and watch¡­


    You go girl! Work off that post-ear annihilation stress!

 C53-Weight Of Profession

    Alright, Jasper¡¯s got this covered¡­ so I GUESS¡­


    Would you like a tutorial for the professions system?


    ¡­Yes.


    Congratulations on reaching level ten! From now on all subsequent new characters will immediately have professions unlocked when they are created!


    ¡­Subsequent characters? What, were there character slots that I missed or something? Eh-whatever, keep reading.


    A new menu has been unlocked in your character page.


    Alrighty, is it gonna-yup, big flashing arrow. Lemme just¡­ boop!


    Welcome to the professions menu! Professions allow you to create your own items with varying abilities based on the quality of the materials used and your own proficiency level.


    Mmm, creating your own stuff from scratch is fairly unique, but other than that par for the course?


    From now on, upon defeating an enemy, their body will no longer vanish and can instead be harvested for relevant materials!


    Whhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaa¡­ o-kay, sure, let¡¯s just roll that bombshell into an optional tutorial. Good thing I decided to uh, read this! Really allowing us our freedom of gameplay here Omniscient! I¡¯m docking a point for that one.


    There are a total of eight professions. Butchering, Cooking, Fishing, Scribing, Alchemy, Woodworking, Blacksmithing, and Leatherworking. Gathering materials and crafting items related to a profession will result in gaining experience in that profession. The maximum level for each profession for an individual without training or a class related to it is fifty.


    So like, gonna say what each of those professions relate to exactly or-


    To learn more about a specific profession, tap on the icon relating to it.


    Aight. My bad.


    In order to craft an item, you need to have the appropriate environment to do so. Conditions may vary depending on what exactly is being created, such as requiring a fire to simply grill a steak, but an oven to bake cookies.


    ¡­Odd example, but okay.


    Please note that the interpretation of the correct environment is vast! The requirements are generous, and if you think it will work, it likely will! That is all the basic information regarding professions. Please continue to enjoy your experience in Omniscient!


    Well that was weird. Is this like, archaic or something? Early development placeholder they never removed? I guess it¡¯s launch week, so¡­ eh, kind of left a bad taste in my mouth to be honest.


    Well¡­ might as well see what they do I suppose. Wouldn¡¯t be good to just ignore an entire system because it wasn¡¯t dressed up.


    Let¡¯s start with¡­ a classic, blacksmithing.


    Blacksmithing-LVL 1


    Blacksmithing is the gathering of ores and the crafting of weapons and armor.


    Gain experience by gathering ores and crafting various items.


    In order to craft items related to this profession, a forge is required.


    Okay, pretty basic. How aboooooouuuut, Scribing?


    Scribing-LVL 1


    Scribing is the creation of accessories and artifacts.


    Gain experience by using various materials while crafting, the rarer the better.


    In order to craft items related to this profession, a forge is required.


    So like, what, I could make myself a ring? Why¡¯s it called scribing and not jeweling then¡­? Whatever, next profession!


    Butchering-LVL 1


    Butchering is the gathering of materials from deceased enemies.


    Gain experience by looting various monsters.


    This profession has no items to craft.


    Uh huh. So, when it says ¡°looting¡±, I¡¯m hoping the process is automatic, cause like, I really don¡¯t wanna take a knife to a monster''s guts and have them spill out on me¡­? Uh, moving on.


    Cooking-LVL 1


    Cooking is the creation of meals of all shapes and sizes.


    Gain experience by creating various different meals.


    Different requirements are needed for specific items, but most can be created with an open flame.


    I mean, yeah, that makes sense. Valid, one could say? Y¡¯know what, I¡¯m just gonna rapid fire through the rest of these real quick¡­


    Fishing-LVL 1


    Fishing is the process of catching creatures from the water.


    Gain experience through fishing up various creatures in different ways.


    This profession has no items to craft.


    Alchemy-LVL 1


    Alchemy is the creation of consumables, both negative and positive.


    Gain experience by gathering ingredients and creating many different items.


    Different requirements are needed for specific items, but most can be created with an Alchemist¡¯s Toolkit.


    Leatherworking-LVL 1


    Leatherworking is the process of refining and using various different materials.


    Gain experience by refining parts from monsters and gathered materials, as well as creating various pieces of equipment


    This profession does not need a station to craft most items, but equipment will often require finer tools such as a loom.


    Woodworking-LVL 1


    Woodworking is the process of gathering and refining wood into various tools.


    Gain experience by gathering various kinds of wood, as well as refining it into different shapes and tools.


    In order to craft items related to this profession, a workbench is required.


    Aaaaaand, thus marks the end of the gauntlet! I can¡¯t speak on all of these quite yet, buuuuuuuuuuut, if these take too long to level up, I will genuinely ignore this entire system that is just too much to bother with. No concrete achievement to go for? Sorry buddy, my attention span is shot.


    I mean, if they don¡¯t take eight years to get one level in, I¡¯ll probably max everything out, but I¡¯m not gonna spend months just to max out one category. Anyways, that¡¯s the tutorial done! Yippee yahoo-


    ¡°Jasper are you done yet?¡±


    ¡°Mmmmm?¡±


    Her head swivels towards me, a completely still rat held in her jaws.


    +5 exp!


    ¡°Uh huh¡­ Still having a go at it then?¡±


    ¡°Mhm!¡±


    ¡°...You having fun there?¡±


    ¡°Mh-...Mmm?¡±


    She then proceeds to drop the dead thing, the dead¡­ the dead thing¡­ why is it dead? No, wait sorry, why is not disappearing?


    Jasper seems to be equally as bewildered, staring at the dead rat with mounting dismay.


    Is that dismay? She looks a bit¡­ zoned out.


    ¡°Everything alright?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The rats scurrying about the place simply stop. Well, they¡¯re all phantom rats now, Jasper did a massacre of epic proportion, cleaned up the rest of the filth real nicely, but y¡¯know, said filth has now stopped.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    In fact I don¡¯t think I see a single one of the normal rats around still¡­ but they could also just blend into the crowd pretty easily. Well, either way, it¡¯s dealt with. And uh, what¡¯s my total experience?


    355/1367


    Right. Well then, suppose that¡¯s all the experience we¡¯ll be getting¡­ so I can just¡­


    Mmm¡­ I consider chucking Screech away like I would a sword bound for my inventory, only for a moment, mind, but I do believe that would be quite mean for no good reason.


    Sweet dreams little Mrs troublemaker.


    [Recall]


    Now¡­


    ¡°Seriously, you alright?¡±


    She¡¯s just standing there, slack jawed, staring fish-eyed at the rat she just dropped to the ground.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I get the body not disappearing is riveting, but surely not to that degree?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°M-mmm¡­¡±


    Oh good god FINALLY she says something, was worried about a catatonic cat for a second there!


    ¡°You good? Not quite sure what¡¯s boggling your mind right now, but you certainly seem a little distressed.¡±


    I do my best not to pry into others'' business, so I was just turning a blind eye to it but¡­ whatever just happened rattled her pretty good. And as far I saw, she was just mauling rodents like any good feline creature should.


    ¡°M-mmm¡­ mhm.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°...Will it get in the way of anything?¡±


    ¡°Mm-mm.¡±


    ¡­Then there¡¯s no need for me to pry.


    ¡°...Anyways, did you level up? I¡¯m aware you had a great time, but-¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°My bad. I¡¯m aware you¡­¡±


    I¡¯m¡­ gonna go ahead and think better of that quip before I make it.


    ¡°-Killed a lot of the scourge, and you should¡¯ve gotten at least five hundred or so experience overall, so¡­ did you level up?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Great, points in and everything?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°...Right.¡±


    Well she¡¯s no fun right now. I say that as a bad thing, by the way. Even if her usual fun is being a mildly snarky schmuck. That¡¯s preferable to¡­ whatever this is. Well, whatever. So, what¡¯s her stat page look like?


    Jasper-Wild Hunt


    Level 10


    HP 245/245


    MP 50/50


    Stamina 137/137


    Core stats


    Vitality-30


    Strength-30


    Intelligence-0


    Agility-39


    Sub stats


    Endurance-10


    Luck-3.5


    Mana-0


    Dexterity-20


    Unique stats


    Grace-2.8


    Skills


    Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark LVL 2-Strike an enemy with a powerful blow dealing 250% of the users base physical damage. Apply the debuff ¡°Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark¡±, which increases damage received from the user and their party members by 25% for 15 seconds. Every time an individual deals 10% of the casters max HP to an enemy afflicted with Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark, the individual recovers 1 MP. Costs 10 MP.


    Trappings Of Magic LVL 1-Activate a barrier around the caster that automatically converts any magical attacks of a certain tier and below that hit the caster into their own magic. The caster may then redirect them at will. These spells count exclusively as the casters own damage, but will still scale off of the stats of the original individual who casted the spell. Costs 10 MP, 10 minute cooldown.


    Phantom Assailant-Conjure an identical copy of the user within 15 meters of themselves. The copy acts according to the users will and is capable of using any of their skills at double the MP cost of the user themselves, barring Phantom Assailant. The copy remains for thirty seconds, but remains for an extra second for every 10% of the clones max HP dealt as damage to any target. Any MP gained by the copy from either ¡°Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark¡± or ¡°Wild Hunt¡¯s Call¡± returns to the original caster. Only one copy may exist at a time. Costs 15 MP.


    Wild Hunt¡¯s Call LVL 3-If an enemy has been killed within the past five minutes and the caster dealt at least 25% of the enemies max HP, the enemy can be summoned as a mindless phantom under the command of the caster retaining 50% of its original stats, 20% if the enemy was a ¡°boss¡± enemy. Every 20% of the casters max HP that a phantom deals to any enemy will grant 1 MP to the caster. Any phantoms will be lost after thirty minutes of existence. Phantoms do not count as ¡°unique individuals¡±. Costs 5 MP.


    Hunter¡¯s Pursuit-Instantly teleport a short distance of up to five meters in any direction. Alternatively, switch places with a summoned phantom or a phantom assailant copy. Costs 10 MP.


    Passives


    Echoes of The Wild Hunt-Enemies struck by any skills related to the ¡°Wild Hunt Lynx¡± class will be afflicted with ¡°Echoing Pursuit¡±, which lasts for three seconds. Once afflicted with Echoing Pursuit, any attack will deal 5% more damage and extend the timer of the skill by one second, as well as increasing damage vulnerability by another 5%, up to a maximum of 50%. Echoing Pursuit is 90% less effective against ¡°boss¡± enemies.


    Reality Shift-If the user would otherwise be killed by an attack, automatically activate Phantom Assailant in place of themselves and Hunter¡¯s Pursuit a short distance away. If the user does not have enough MP to activate both skills, Reality Shift will not activate. If the maximum amount of Phantom Assailants are already active, bypass the maximum cap and create another. 24 Hour cooldown.


    Uh huh, uh huh, all as usual, leveled up [Wild Hunt¡¯s Call] nice, nice, got a new skill¡­ got a new skill? Got a new skill???


    [Trappings Of Magic]...


    Okay, cool, so in other words¡­ perfectly reflect magic however they see fit? Not even reflecting, it just becomes their own attack. They can literally use it however they see fit??? I guess they can¡¯t just i-frame anything, because¡­ you know, that¡¯d be ridiculous, and it also probably doesn¡¯t last that long, plus the ten minute cooldown means it¡¯s basically a once per fight thing¡­


    But still, absolute nullification-not even that, absolute redirection is still crazy. Good skill choice Jasper!


    ¡­Shame she¡¯s still being a grump and I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be wise to tell her that right now.


    ¡°...Do you want to go in the inventory?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Personally I¡¯d be a little bit more joyous with a skill like that up my sleeve.


    [Recall].


    Now¡­ to put my points in-


    Skill selection!


    5 Stat points


    1 Skill point


    Ah. I see. Is this the fabled, uh¡­ I dunno I don¡¯t have a joke here-is this the fabled level ten giving you literally everything holy shit!?


    Bring unto me these bad boys, whilst I stand here alone in this clearing, amidst hordes and hordes of¡­ dead rats. Because their bodies, are no longer disappearing.


    I really hope looting them makes them go away.


    Pppppppppppppfffffffffffff, worries for later! Gacha time!


    LET¡¯S GO GAMBLING!

 C54-All The Pretty Colors

    Now, I say ¡°let¡¯s go gambling¡±, but I¡¯m not actually sure if this is a rng based thing, it might just be set skills at set levels¡­ but I hope not! Where¡¯s the fun in that, hm? Redeem yourself for the bad tutorial won¡¯t you Omniscient?


    Lemme do some skill gambling here, get something high tier or something like that, yeah?


    Please?


    Well¡­ no use dreading it, let¡¯s see what¡¯s offered¡­ good skills pleeeeeeeeeease, and¡­ boop!


    Immediately the UI before my eyes went alight, the entire structure of it transforming in the blink of an eye, which I would know because I blinked. And in its place¡­ is a button.


    Just a button, a lone, singular button.


    So like, obviously I press it, no? Uh huh I don¡¯t hear any particular disagreements, sooooo boop!


    And immediately thereafter; three cards come flying into view. I have no doubt this is all purely theatrical, and that they will actually not be randomized contrary to what you would expect from cards because nothing is ever allowed to go my way in a way such as this, that would be far, far too convenient.


    ¡­Surely.


    Slowing down, the three cards finally settle right in front of me¡­ just in range of holding.


    Wait, okay it¡¯s cool and all if it actually is randomized, but like, I was thinking more along the lines of getting to see all three then picking whichever one I want. Not¡­ completely random. Welp, I¡¯m hoping that is how it works, and I¡¯m just gonna go straight for the middle regardless of if it is or not.


    So¡­ raising my hand to the card¡­


    It flips over with a shade of blue! Oh thank god, I can read what it does before I pick it.


    Well¡­ there are still two other cards to check, but I can read this one first I suppose. Tell me skill, what do you do?


    Nature¡¯s Boon


    Passive


    Taking this skill will consume 1x Nature Essence!


    This skill can be recycled!


    Nature¡¯s Boon-The user gains neutrality with all nature aligned enemies. Nature aligned enemies become much easier to tame. Summons in Recall state heal 2% of their HP every 3 seconds instead of 1%, summons deal increased damage to dark aligned enemies.


    Oh¡­ that¡¯s actually, not that great? The increased healing is nice, but everything else is situational at best¡­ dark aligned enemies¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯ve uh, seen one yet. Unless Jasper counts, but she¡¯s not an ¡°enemy¡±. It also says it¡¯s gonna yoink my Nature Essence, which was a boss drop¡­ Soooo, what does it mean by recycling it?


    Actually, hold that thought, I¡¯ll check out the other skills before I say ¡°let¡¯s get rid of this alright one!¡±. For all I know the other could be complete ass and I¡¯ll curse myself for not picking doubled health regeneration.


    Allowing my hand to drift over to the right, I cringe internally as the color flashes green instead of the prior blue. I do believe I have an idea of what that means, given the six rarities in game¡­ [Nature¡¯s Boon] was probably ¡®rare¡¯, and this¡­ is uncommon.


    Aura Of Inspiration


    Passive


    This skill will subsume Efficacy and its levels!


    Aura Of Inspiration LVL 3-Slightly increases the stats and skill effectiveness of all tamed monsters. If a monster under your control works under you of its own volition, its stats are moderately increased. Monsters you have tamed are much less likely to rebel.


    Okay, see, now this is what I¡¯m talking about. I¡¯m not sure how much of a buff slightly to moderate means, but I¡¯m pretty damn certain my two heavy hitters (sorry Jerry) are here under their own volition, so that means they¡¯d both get buffs from this skill. Not the craziest of increases I¡¯d assume given it¡¯s only uncommon, but still direct buffs that will carry on for the rest of the playthrough are much preferable to buffs that are maybe stronger, but only applicable in certain situations.


    Like, okay, I could have my summons recover faster, but if they can¡¯t get the job done to begin with what¡¯s the point? Mmm, I might be missing something but I don¡¯t think I am. Well, one more skill to check out, if it¡¯s bad I¡¯ll probably just take this¡­


    And now we veer way oh way over to the left and-


    Purple.


    My nerves just activated bro, that¡¯s an Epic, no? Purple is like, standardized epic rarity right? Lemme just¡­ read this real quick.


    Blessing Of The Hunt


    Growth skill


    Passive


    This skill can be recycled!


    Of The Hunt. Uh huh, I¡¯m starting to get a bit of an inkling on how these skills are rolled¡­


    Blessing Of The Hunt-The user gains a connection to energy of The Hunt, and becomes capable of sensing other blessed individuals. Absorbing the energy of The Hunt can improve this skill. This skill cannot be seen by others who do not have this skill.


    Well, that¡¯s certainly VAGUE. Can¡¯t be seen by others who don¡¯t have the skill, though? Hold on¡­


    ¡°Hey Jasper?¡±


    ¡°...mm?¡±


    ¡°Do you have ¡®[Blessing Of The Hunt]¡¯?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Jasper is reb-


    ¡°CHILL!¡±


    ¡°!-¡±


    I almost subconsciously clasp at my own throat before I reign my hand back under my own will. Right there and then it felt like I was about to get murdered on the spot, regardless of if she could technically one shot me or not.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.No, actually, really ¡°what the hell was that???¡±


    ¡°M- ¡­mmm.¡±


    Not even a conscious thought sent my way, just pure malice. First long time in a long while I remember genuinely getting the shit scared out of me in a game. I¡¯m not sure she even meant to do it the way she¡¯s reacting.


    ¡°Is this about your freak-out a moment ago?¡±


    ¡°M-¡±


    ¡°I thought you said that wouldn¡¯t be an issue-¡±


    ¡°Mm-mm! M-mmmh, mm.¡±


    ¡°...Fine, fine, ¡®kind of¡¯ an issue then. I get you have some issues that you don¡¯t really wanna talk about, for whatever reason, and I won¡¯t press you too far, but if there¡¯s some kind of tick that upsets you or, something you can¡¯t do for a certain reason, I¡¯m gonna need you to tell me. Because me asking you if you have a certain skill, leading to you trying to murderize me, is not okay.¡±


    ¡°Mm-¡±


    ¡°So what if it¡¯s a skill that only ¡®Huntsmen¡¯ have? Do I really strike you as the kind of person to care? I get ¡®Hunt¡¯s Shade¡¯ is super illegal or something, but you really think I wouldn¡¯t have just done away with you by now if I cared? You don¡¯t need to stab me to¡­ hide a secret.¡±


    ¡°...Mm.¡±


    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll ask you again, please don¡¯t bring a claw to my throat, thank you, what¡¯s [Blessing Of The Hunt] do?¡±


    ¡°Mm-¡±


    ¡ª


    Oooooooookay, more than what the skill says that¡¯s for sure. So, to TLDR Jasper¡¯s exposition for myself here¡­


    When the original Wild Hunt died, he split his power into a bunch of different things, which I already knew, but there¡¯s a little more to it. Most of the things that got his power were things he knew. So, ignoring implications with Jasper there I¡¯ll just gloss over that for now, his power was fragmented among his allies. Which¡­ explains why Hunt¡¯s Shade is kill on sight if he was basically the whole world¡¯s enemy, and everybody with that same power worked¡­ with him.


    Anyways, that power, skillswise, is referred to as Blessing Of The Hunt. Jasper was mildly baffled when I said I had the option to get it, because, technically speaking, there shouldn¡¯t be any more of the energy of The Hunt to go around without taking it from those who have it. And also, y¡¯know, no relation to the original Wild Hunt on my part. So I shouldn¡¯t have any reason to have his Blessing. But moving on, just like she did, this is all to say!


    Having the blessing allows you to make use of the abilities of the Wild Hunt. Generally it can be channeled any which way in fields similar to necromancy, but then you¡¯re also able to unlock abilities based off of it in the future based on your class. For Jasper herself, that means her abilities in the field of¡­ Wild Hunt-cy I guess, are based off of what I saw from her original skill-set when she just had¡­ usual lynx abilities I suppose? Adding the themes of the hunt to them in general.


    The blessing also makes you capable of manipulating phantoms and the like at a base, just without any skills to do that better like with what Jasper has for that. Though technically if you¡¯re skilled enough you could do it better than a skill without a skill, but according to her, only the actual Wild Hunt did that.


    Sounds like a cool guy.


    This is all to say; I don¡¯t want it. It can grow stronger by absorbing more energy, yes, but¡­ Jasper has it too. Meaning we¡¯d have to split a finite resource amongst ourselves in order to make proper use of the ability, which is an ability that Jasper can already use more fluently than I can. This is of course all going off of the assumption that I¡¯ll never have Jasper die. Which of course, I won¡¯t. She literally has an ability that almost guarantees she¡¯s unkillable, [Reality Shift].


    So there is zero reason for me to specialize into something we already have a specialist for. Definitely not worth wasting a skill over. So, what was that about recycling? Just¡­ tapping on the little circle here, recycling symbol¡­


    Are you sure you would like to recycle Epic skill, Blessing Of The Hunt?


    Yu-oh it actually is an epic, okay, cool. Anyways, yes. Yes I would.


    Recycling¡­


    The card simply turns to dust, the particles scattering away into nothing. Purple dust, mind you, so I¡¯m hoping recycling gives a luck boost or something¡­ but if not I still have that uncommon to grab. Let¡¯s also throw that rare into the fire¡­


    Recycling Nature¡¯s Boon¡­


    No pop up asking me if I¡¯m sure on that one. Guess it only pops up for epic or above, which is fair I suppose.


    Like its forefather before it, the card turns to ash, flecks of blue floating far, far away.


    Now, let¡¯s see what those two get replaced with!


    Two cards of rare or above have been recycled. Pity has been activated.


    ¡­Hah?


    One new card descends from above, instead of the two that I¡¯d sacrificed.


    ¡­Scam? Alright, this better be at least a rare or I¡¯m gonna start tweaking. Okay¡­ show me what you got!


    Extending a hand to the newly minted skill, I close my eyes before I make contact, and¡­!


    And it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s warm. A soft orange glow slips under the lids of my eyes. I don¡¯t dare open them, for I feel if I were to do so I may be met with the unfortunate reality that in this game, instead of unique, orange means common.


    But¡­ all dreams must end, and so¡­


    I open my eyes.

 C55-Bearer Of The Promised Fables

    I¡¯m almost hesitant to read this, something at the level of ¡®Unique¡¯... it doesn¡¯t¡­ seem like I should have that at level ten? Er I mean unless, like I said assuming orange doesn¡¯t mean COMMON. I will be¡­ so sad if it does, like I might get off for the night it is kind of late. And I have been slacking on UB¡­


    AHGUWAGHa, whatever! I should be able to tell if it''s a unique or not just by what it does.


    Please please please please please please please please please please-


    Bearer Of The Promised Fables-HAH???????????? WHAT IS THAT NAME-


    Passive


    This skill can be recycled!


    This skill will subsume Efficacy and refund its invested levels!


    Bearer Of The Promised Fables-All monsters under the user''s command gain a 25% increase to their stats. All monsters with a class of rare or above heal an additional 2% of their HP per 3 seconds while in [Recall]. All monsters under the user¡¯s command with a class of rare or above gain 50% true damage reduction while below 25% of their maximum hp. All monsters under the user''s command with a class of epic or above gain an additional 15% increase to their stats.


    What the fuck?


    So is this unique or legendary, cause like, I¡¯m leaning on legendary here? But at the same time legendary is supposed to be some wack completely broken shit, no? So¡­ probably unique. I mean, I know how I can check¡­


    Call¡­ of the void¡­


    It¡¯ll ask if you want to reset it or not, just-just push the but-


    Are you sure you would like to recycle unique skill, Bearer Of The Promised Fables?


    HELL NO I DON¡¯T WANT TO RECYCLE IT!


    Okay, well obviously I¡¯m taking this-there¡¯s a second paragraph?


    THERE¡¯S A SECOND PARAGRAPH? That¡¯s a first for a skill-


    The user may convert the HP, MP, or stamina of themselves or any monsters under their control into equivalent recovery for themselves or a monster under their control at the cost of their own MP depending on how much is transferred. When using Mythical Descent, stats may be freely transferred from the user to their synced monster.


    I¡­ don¡¯t even have that ability. Bruh? What the heck, game, why are you giving me half finished abilities-I MEAN, thank you very much for this totally not broken passive that lets me bypass Screech¡¯s stamina restriction and gives a massive buff to all my monsters at all times.


    Oh, wait, there¡¯s¡­ one more line¡­


    All monster¡¯s with a class of unique or above under the user¡¯s command gain Legendary Resistance.


    Oh, wait, I can click on that, unlike whenever another skill is mentioned, given it¡¯s highlighted¡­ what is that?


    Legendary Resistance-When inflicted with a fatal blow, become invulnerable for 5 seconds. 1 Week cooldown.


    ¡­This is truly the skill of all time. That just means you literally cannot lose a monster above unique rating unless you willingly let them die. Since if they¡¯re invulnerable for five, and you only need three to [Recall] them¡­ Well, that conundrum answers itself, no?


    Okay so I don¡¯t even need to ponder this one, right everybody? Yada yada, picking [Aura Of Inspiration] over god mode everybody, sorry, the game would just be too easy! Here we g-


    You are the first player to get a unique skill!


    +20 luck!


    You are the first player in server 64 to get a unique skill!


    +5 luck!


    Oopsie, picked the wrong thing-ALSO WHAT???


    ~~~~~~~~


    Meanwhile


    ~~~~~~~~


    ¡°JM, just calm down-¡±


    ¡°ARE YOU #$*%(! KIDDING ME I¡¯M GONNA !@$! %*(!%& !(!(@&% !@%(!&@%&!@%)! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE HAD THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A MOTHER #@*%@&%@ UNIQUE LINE SKILL?! TIME TO ADD A NAME TO THE LIST! I THINK I¡¯LL CALL HIM ### %@!*%(*( #)!( LUCK TAMER THE WAY HE HAS LADY LUCK ON A ##( %^*# LEASH!¡±


    ¡°Dude¡­ it¡¯s not that deep?¡±


    ¡°¡­@!(&$!*@&*!^@%*!@^$*!@($*!@($&!@(%&@!(%&-¡±


    ~~~~~~~~


    Meanwhile


    ~~~~~~~~


    Not even first server wide, just, straight up, first to get a unique? Erm, what? IT''S BEEN A WEEK! You mean to tell me in this span of time, not one of the (no doubt billions of) people playing have gotten a unique throughout the whole of the game, but I just so happened to stumble into one while messing around in the boonies by rerolling a few cards? Really?


    Well, I won¡¯t doubt my luck, that¡¯s just why I have thirty one of it I suppose. I alone am the lucky one.


    ¡­Does having luck make you more likely to get rarer cards on skill selections? I mean, I only had six¡­


    Well, if I get all uniques on my next hand, I suppose I¡¯ll have an inkling as to that particular truth.


    In other news!


    HP 298/298


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.¡­So close to three hundred! But not quite. But, praytell, did Screech hit 200 MP¡­?


    MP 206/206


    Ah, lovely! Satisfy my ocd my favorite problem child. Very cool of you, very cool indeed. Speaking of that problem child¡­ might as well put my new skill to the test. And also my three skill levels that I have just lying around now¡­ and also my five stat points, GOOD LORD I have a lot of menu work to do, and I¡¯ve gotta start learning professions and-whatever that can all wait¡­ what¡¯s Screech¡¯s stamina?


    33/126


    Mhm¡­ so let¡¯s just start small here, think about using it and¡­ I want to transfer twenty stamina to Screech.


    I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d really count this as a ¡°passive¡± skill per se, but then again Screech also has [Elemental Magic] and that¡¯s a passive, so¡­ whatever! This passive I just got also has like three paragraphs of information to it though, so it¡¯s probably important and what not. Anyways as everything was, I can feel a bit of the wind in my chest just kind of go, poof!


    Not like literal wind, but the fatigue set in almost immediately, though bled away just as quickly. I¡¯m not genuinely tired or anything like that, barely even winded really, but it was a bit of a shock.


    Now¡­ whatnot with having full MP for sake of control¡­ how much did that consume?


    52/56


    ¡­Only four.


    Let¡¯s give Screech¡­ forty stamina.


    44/56


    You know, I really do strive to have as wide a vocabulary as possible, right? But, what the fuck.


    In the blink of an eye and at the cost of ten MP.


    94/126


    Boom. My pocket nuke is already recharged. This is truly the skill of all time to give me Omniscient, thanks for that. I¡¯ll make¡­ good use of it.


    ¡°...¡±


    Oh, uh oh-


    ¡°What the heck was that I feel so much better all of a sudden what did you just do what did you just do what did you just do what did you just do-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a new skill I got!¡±


    I¡¯d shove her back if that was possible on a physical level. Despite not being here in it, somehow it still felt like she had been looming over me¡­ even though she¡¯s like, a fifth of my size at a generous estimation.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I can tell you¡¯re excited, but before you bombarde me, one moment?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening!¡±


    Thirty stamina, just to top her off real quick¡­


    ¡°There-oh my gosh oh my gosh you just did it again how are you doing that!?¡±


    ¡°New skill, I can switch stats around between You, Me, Jasper, Jerry, anybody who¡¯s with us really.¡±


    ¡°...Mhn?¡±


    ¡°New skill.¡±


    ¡°...Mm.¡±


    ¡°Whaddya mean it sounds familiar?¡±


    ¡°Mmh¡­ Meh.¡±


    ¡°...Okay, nevermind then. Anyways, Screech-¡±


    ¡°YEeeeeeeeeeES?¡±


    ¡°...If you can wait, ehhh, give or take five minutes¡­ you know that ¡®real nice day¡¯ you asked about earlier?¡±


    ¡°yeeeeEEeeeees?¡±


    ¡°You get to have that! Magic, messing around, food, to your heart¡¯s content! All that, if you just give me five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Do I sound like I¡¯m lying?¡±


    ¡°No! Alright that sounds great! I¡¯ll stay quiet for five minutes! One two three four five six-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t count that fast. Also counting out loud isn¡¯t staying quiet.¡±


    ¡°Oops.¡±


    ¡°Right, starting now¡­ start counting.¡±


    Just so we¡¯re clear the time is 7:37 right now. If she makes a peep before 7:42¡­ I dunno what exactly I¡¯d do, but I¡¯d chastise her-I¡¯m so wasting time!


    DEAD, RAT, SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!


    Sprinting towards one of the collapsed bodies amidst the still standing phantoms, I break my momentum with a slide, coming to a stop right in front of the thing.


    Okay, okay, okay, okay, PLEASE GOD have an auto loot feature, I am gonna be majorly upset if there isn¡¯t one.


    Fffffffffffffhhhhhhhh, alright¡­ doink!


    Dismantle?


    Y/N


    Okay, thank you.

 C56-Butcher Business

    Yes, bring me the loo-


    Dismantling¡­


    Failed to acquire any resources.


    +9 butchering exp!


    ooooot¡­ whhuafwh-duh-huhbuhdubuhd-the fu-hell ya mean ¡°Failed to acquire any resources¡± game??? Am I just that trash?


    And-how did I get nothing???


    The body vanishes shortly after ¡°dismantling it¡±, leaving nothing but¡­ well. Nothing. So, I just have to wonder, HOW did I get NOTHING??? I literally evaporated the thing into nothingness. I mean, good, I¡¯d much rather nothing than a bloody mess, but I just have to wonder here¡­ how does this like, LOOK, for every NPC and monster and what not? Did I just, put my hand to a monster and it vanished, and is that normal for all my gangalang in the vicinity?


    Wait, wait, thought occurs. I haven¡¯t really¡­ checked the settings of this game, like, ever. Is there just an anti-gore that¡¯s on by default? Lemme¡­


    Damage. On/Off


    No that¡¯s vital information, next.


    Experience notifications. On/Off


    What did I just say? Next.


    Arachnophobia mode. On/Off


    Uh huh, I don¡¯t have that, I¡¯m good. The next setting is¡­ that font is really small, it¡¯s right under arachnophobia¡­


    Arachnophilia mode. On/Off


    PFfhgh-Arachno WHAT now? Hold on, turn that-turn that on.


    Spiders. Everything, is spiders. Every dead rat in the vicinity just turns into the model of a goddamn spider. Curled up on its back and lifeless. Each and every one of them to the scale of the ¡®rats¡¯ that had been in place of them before. This, is the best joke, I have ever seen in any game, ever. You win Omniscient, you get infinite points. I love all of you, you are jokers after my own heart.


    What happens if I turn arachnophobia mode on while arachnophilia mode is, also on?


    Aaaaand everything is just a giant bar of text saying ¡®spider¡¯. This is peak fiction right here, never to be topped.


    Anyways, turn that off, turn that off¡­ maybe consider that for a challenge run in the future, or something¡­ but, onto the probably more reasonable settings!


    Gore. On/Off


    Huh, sure enough. There is indeed a gore setting. Which is off by default.


    So like, if I turn this on¡­


    Oh, yep, there¡¯s the dead body, mutilated too. Did I do thaaaaaat? I dunno, probably, the other rats are just¡­ mildly bloodied, this one is torn apart. Oh, uh, my five minutes are ticking down and I¡¯ve spent like thirty seconds here just struggling to suppress the laugh of a madman over something as stupid as ¡°arachnophilia mode¡±. Ah who am I kidding, that''s not stupid that¡¯s comedy gold.


    Anyways, hup to it! Next rat!


    Hand to it, I get the option to dismantle and-yes!


    And¡­ disturbingly out of my own accord, I somehow produce a pocket knife from my side and bring it to the dead rat before me. None of which, as noted prior, is done of my own accord, my body moves on its own. I try to move, jerk my arm away, stand up, and¡­


    Cancelled!


    I can. And the pocket knife is gone. This whole thing didn¡¯t happen the last time I dismantled¡­ was that¡­ was that because gore was toggled off?


    Lemme just¡­


    Off


    And, dismantle!


    Yup, my body isn¡¯t moving now. Or at least, it¡¯s probably not moving from my point of view. A moment later and-


    Failed to acquire any resources.


    +10 butchering exp!


    So like, am I really trying to ¡®butcher¡¯ this rat or am I just taking a knife to it and cutting it up cause that takes like, five or six seconds at best.


    Gore on!


    Dismantle!


    Once again, I draw the previously non-existent knife out of thin air and bring it forth. A moment later, my hand comes to the surface of the rat and jabs straight into it, proceeds to take a moment hacking and slashing into the thing, without¡­ any real attempt to actually skin it¡­ and¡­


    Failed to acquire any resources!


    +9 butchering exp!


    ¡­Bruh moment. Can I like, do it myself? Even without any proper training aside from doing similar in a few video games I¡¯m pretty sure I could do better myself here.


    Dismantle another one! I¡¯ve got plenty to chew through!


    Immediately after activating the option to do so, I begin to reach for the knife, but this time, of my own volition. And unlike when I simply turned away and stood up, it doesn¡¯t go ahead and say ¡°cancelled!¡±. And now¡­ I¡¯m not even being forced to do anything.


    But¡­ I still have the knife at my side now.


    Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m a squeamish person¡­ but digging around in a rats corpse doesn¡¯t seem like the best use of my time. But at the same time, what better use of my time is there other than leveling up what could very well be a pointless stat? None? That¡¯s right, nothing. Nothing right now is better than following this whim, so brutalize this body I shall!


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The knife pierces through the ¡®hide¡¯ of the monster with surprising ease. I guess I expected¡­ some form of resistance from it? But no, the surface just broke immediately. Blood doesn¡¯t squirt out so that¡¯s a positive, and I¡¯m now going to do my very best to tune out such mental images, and simply take to it like painting a picture.


    I draw a line around the rat, tracing an edge with entirely unpracticed ease as I continue to carve away at its pelt. This takes much, much longer than the automatic version, but at the same time, I get the feeling I¡¯ll get more than ten experience for it. And maybe even an item of some kind!


    But, really, what good is a single literal rat pelt going to do for m-


    ¡­Shit. I got distracted and finished the cut early. Mmmm, whatever, that¡¯s still half of the already very small pelt.


    So¡­ how do I end this? Just, put the knife in my hand back at my side, or¡­?


    Acquired 1x low quality scourge pelt. (Common)


    Acquired 1x low quality fetid scourge flesh. (Common)


    +35 butchering exp!


    Oooo very nice that¡¯s more than I expected-fetid??? Is this thing poisonous? I got nicked a fair few times, what the hell¡¯s my HP at?


    45/140


    UHHHHHHHHHHHHHM?


    44/140


    ¡­


    ¡°Hey, Screech?¡±


    ¡°Ooooo was I counting too slow are the five minutes u-¡±


    ¡°D¡¯ja mind doing some healing, real quick?¡±


    ¡°Sure! But are you sure the five minutes aren¡¯t up-¡±


    ¡°Two minutes and forty s-eight seconds have passed. I have been keeping track.¡±


    That¡¯s totally bullshit by the way, not the part about how much time has passed, but that I¡¯ve been keeping track.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve been keeping track? Cause I¡¯ve been doing that and right now I count two minutes and thirty f-six seconds. Seven seconds.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Eight seconds. Nine seconds¡­ Forty se-¡±


    ¡°I get, I get it, I¡¯m a little off my bad. But uh, I¡¯m kind of slowly dying because of poison?¡±


    ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t die?¡±


    ¡°I can ¡®die¡¯, just not permanently. It¡¯s still not uh, pleasant, either way. So, can you uh¡­ heal me?¡±


    ¡°Well sure but it costs me a lot of stamina and MP-¡±


    ¡°New skill. I can recover all your stamina.¡±


    ¡°Oh right that¡¯s great!¡±


    [Summon]! ¡­Right onto my shoulder.


    ¡°Well, go ahead and get right to it.¡±


    I, in the meanwhile, will be farming my butchering skill on these dozens and dozens of unwilling accomplices.


    ¡ª


    Alright, that is a staggering level FOUR in butchering! And also a bunch of-


    Low quality scourge pelt X5 (Common)


    Scourge pelt X3 (Common)


    Decent scourge pelt X6 (Common)


    Low quality fetid scourge flesh X5 (Common)


    Fetid scourge flesh X9 (Common)


    A bunch of all that. It¡¯s also definitely been more than five minutes, and I definitely don¡¯t feel Screech¡¯s eyes burrowing into my neck right now¡­ but just ONE last thing.


    ¡°Hey Jerry, I know you don¡¯t like to talk much, but I can practically feel your mouth watering right now. As much as I¡¯d love to let you have at it now that I¡¯m done with this group, these are definitely poisonous.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s¡­ not an issue.¡±


    ¡°...Really now?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Ho ho, little bit more outspoken when it comes to food are we? Well, that¡¯s good. I¡¯d rather he acts out than remain silent.


    ¡°...Okay! Then, have at it your majesty. A veritable feast awaits.¡±


    At worst he actually does get poisoned like I did, and then I just [Recall] him. DoT damage doesn¡¯t count for [Recall] prevention so that¡¯ll just outheal the poison damage. It¡¯s not like it lasts forever, given it stopped ticking my health down about a minute ago¡­ so he should be perfectly fine!


    And therefore, eat away little buddy. To your heart''s content.


    [Summon]!

 C57-Mana Malcontent

    Yup, figured about as much would happen.


    ¡­He definitely went at it though. How many bodies did he even manage to munch before he started losing three health a second¡­? I think it was somewhere around, I dunno, twenty? Twas a far-cry of a feast compared to when he had but a single steak. Didn¡¯t know he had such a ravenous hunger stored within¡­


    ¡°Hnnnngh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah eating like twenty pounds of poisonous meat¡¯ll generally do that to you?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jasper mumbled her agreement


    ¡°Now, Screech, if you¡¯ll just give me another twenty or so seconds¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s already been six minutes and thirty f-thirty FIVE seconds!¡±


    ¡°I know, I apologize. But, I did level up, and I do need to put my points in. Why don¡¯t you use that time to think about what exactly it is you want to do? Because gonna be honest, I¡¯m not sure myself what exactly you want.¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Besides the Mana Truffles.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I was going to say!¡±


    ¡­Uh huh.


    ¡°Okay, well either way, just give me a moment¡­¡±


    Alright, lemme think here. I¡¯ve got three skill levels to use, two from [Efficacy] investment being refunded and one from hitting level ten¡­ and then just five points. Now usually, I¡¯d be inclined to just keep dumping agility and strength, buuuuuuut¡­ in truth, I must acknowledge, I am not the heavy hitter of this team.


    Being fast is well and good, and does allow me to avoid damage easily enough, but at the same time¡­ I simply cannot hope to match the raw stats that my summons have via the massive boosts they get from simply being my summons. Especially now that [Efficacy] has been replaced with [Bearer Of The P-okay you know what, I¡¯m gonna nip this one in the bud and just call it [Fable Bearer]. I¡¯m not calling it by its full name each and every time I use it.


    It¡¯s not like the AI for their combat sucks either as far as I¡¯m aware. Jasper isn¡¯t as good as me when it comes to skill in general, but she¡¯s not exactly bad at fighting by any means. The raw stat difference between us definitely bridges that gap though.


    Having Screech¡¯s [Featherguard] active can technically bridge the gap, but that weakens her and would also get cancelled if I took a serious hit of any magnitude. It¡¯s most certainly only going to be the play in a more niche scenario.


    To put it simply¡­ I¡¯m weak. Weaker by a wide margin at that. I think my highest damage dealt ever is like, thirty? Meanwhile both Screech and Jasper can, and more importantly have reliably hit numbers above a hundred. Not to mention Jasper is practically a brick wall compared to me, she almost has three HUNDRED health because of [Fable Bearer] buffing her by an insane 40%.


    So¡­ there¡¯s really no reason for me to ever be fighting on the frontline, bereaved as I am to admit it. I can¡¯t deal damage on a similar scale to my summons, can¡¯t take damage like Jasper can, can¡¯t nuke like Screech can, don¡¯t even have utility in my abilities that could justify being up close.


    ¡­Therefore, being the ten out of ten video gamer pro that I am, can I really justify investing even more into a stat that I can basically barely make use out of?


    I don¡¯t think I can. Therefore, agility¡­ as much as it pains me to say it, rest in peace. Same to you, strength. You don¡¯t even boost any sub-stats so there¡¯s even less reason to invest in you.


    Well, maybe not agility entirely, but for now it¡¯s gonna go bye bye. Agility and vitality are both good for keeping me alive at the least, but I imagine some attacks won¡¯t be, you know, possible to avoid later on in the game?


    Anyways¡­ as much as it pains me to do it¡­ here I go investing points¡­ into¡­ eryghaeu, MANA.


    It¡¯s just the logical option man! Having more MP enables Screech to do whatever the hell she wants in a fight, and she¡¯s damn threatening without having to worry about stamina! She can basically adjust into any role at will and perform it better than anyone else! ¡­Well, except for tanking, but that¡¯s a given.


    And without having to engage in a fight directly, that also lets me funnel her more stamina, and I can also move her MP over to Jasper¡¯s pool in order to enable [Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark] spam on her part¡­ it just¡­ it¡¯s just the play, man!


    Mana-12


    MP 90/90


    Oh, right, each point invested into mana is worth two points. Also ooo my MP increased by a lot how scrumptious!


    As for my skill levels? Eh, give one to [Capacity]. Otherwise, I¡¯m just gonna leave the other two unused for now. Not like I really NEED to use them right now. And, at long last, I do believe the deluge of options made available by hitting level ten have been addressed!


    ¡°...Alright.¡±


    ¡°Alright?¡±


    ¡°Screech?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s first on your agenda?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked! Well as to what¡¯s first, I¡¯m hungry!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I see. Well I take it you don¡¯t want to eat any of the-¡± I gesture out to the still dozens of remaining bodies around us. ¡°-Rats.¡±


    ¡°No not really! They¡¯re kind of gross!¡±


    I nod solemnly, it is true after all. I won¡¯t say I quite understood why Jerry was so, er, enticed.


    ¡°Alright, then what do you propose?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we go back to that last place with the food?¡±


    ¡°...No, we¡¯d get stabbed.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t notice the icicles flying at you midair earlier?¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s true I guess! But still they had really nice food and I really want more of it.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°But! I offer you a close second!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If you think you can hold on for.. Mmm, give or take half an hour-¡±


    Almost immediately, I can feel Screech¡¯s talons flex into my shoulder, the news clearly being devastating in the extreme.


    ¡°BUT-¡±


    ¡°Hold! Let me explain, please?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You do remember that there were other monsters around this place, right? Did they seem appetizing to you?¡±


    ¡°Kind of!¡±


    ¡°More than the rats here, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true I guess. What about it though?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re hungry, here¡¯s my idea to fix that, yeah?¡±


    I suppose I have a good reason to grind butchering and cooking at the least, if only to satisfy the constant nagging of a certain somebody.


    ¡ª


    ~~~~~~~~~


    MMMM, just as BRISK as ever! Good thing you can¡¯t get your eardrums ruptured in virtual reality!


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    First time I¡¯ve ever gotten an apology for it, but it¡¯s a little late now¡­


    ¡°Is it that difficult to just give me like, I dunno, half a second of prior notice?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind!¡±


    Whatever, whatever¡­ at least Jasper wasn¡¯t out and about this time around, so she can get right to fighting whatever decides to take the invitation to pain.


    Hm? Where did I use the skill you ask? Why, in the middle of the ravines of course!


    Why, you ask? In fact, didn¡¯t I boldly, explicitly state that it would be a fool''s errand to do so some time ago?


    Well, one, because I¡¯m a bold fool, two, I preemptively had Screech fire a ball of immense proportion into the vicinity, causing a whole rock slide in this area prior to the sonic attack that she just unleashed, which I was, of course, completely clear of.


    I figure if everything¡¯s already displaced, the worst I¡¯ll get is a few pebbles and the like falling down. Of course, the path in this area has been pretty much obliterated, but that¡¯s fine, don¡¯t really need that to deal with whatever comes this way.


    Technically taking a bit of a gamble on this front, but frankly? It¡¯s turned out fine as far as I¡¯m aware, after all, no rocks rushing to crush me today it would seem! As for what I am waiting for though¡­


    Any monsters going to show up?


    Yes, no, maybe so?


    ¡°Once I see something, I¡¯ll [Summon] you directly on top of it Jasper, so just be ready to go, ja?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡­Seconds pass in a fashion most uneventful, without a monster to be spotted.


    Another few seconds, and¡­


    ¡°Should I use [Song Of Wrath] again?¡±


    ¡°How would you even manage that? It has a five minute cooldown, it hasn¡¯t even been a minute yet.¡±


    ¡°Mm-¡±


    ¡°Well I just figured I should ask you always seem to want me to talk about these things?¡±


    ¡°Mm-¡±


    ¡°I mean you¡¯re not wrong? I guess I¡¯d rather you ask for instruction than just do whatever, but at the same time, a few of these things you should just be able to naturally intuit? Like-¡±


    ¡°MM!¡±


    ¡°Hm? My bad Jasper, what¡¯s-¡±


    Jasper is rebelling! Forcefully being summoned!


    [Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark]!


    55!


    Reeling back with a screech, a monster of similar stature to Jasper narrowly avoids having their entire head chunked by the attack, and instead merely takes a claw to the face. Jasper¡¯s skill tracing a trail of red through the lynx¡¯s muzzle.


    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡±


    Twould seem I¡¯ve been snuck up on! That¡¯s not like me, what the hell am I doing?


    Pivoting backwards, I immediately distance myself between the monster that had crept uncomfortably close, weaving around and atop the fallen rocks that now made up my surroundings.


    Karst Stalker-LVL 12


    ¡­Erm? Hold on a minute, what¡¯s up with this thing? It doesn¡¯t have ¡°lynx¡± in its class name, unlike the other lynxes I saw in that horde earlier today. It¡¯s also¡­ level twelve?


    Huh. Neat.


    And then it lashes out at Jasper in the literal blink of an eye.


    38!


    ¡­Not as neat.

 C58-Blitz

    Fortunately, Jasper is a creature far faster than I! Or at least she¡¯s one with perception to actually match her speed. Having pulled back at the last moment, she managed to avoid being completely gored on our adversary''s claws, and instead only took a nasty slash to one of her eyes.


    ¡­Unfortunately, she¡¯s evidently not a creature as fast as the one before her. Because it lashes out. Again, and again, and again, all within the span of a single second. She bobs under the first strike, avoids the second as the Stalker¡¯s paw comes crashing down overhead, tossing herself to the side, but fails to react to the third, her attackers form darkening before promptly vanishing, its body reappearing at her side before she even touches down on the ground, jaws clamping down over her back.


    55!


    The sound it makes is unpleasant, as is the cry that Jasper unwillingly looses.


    It¡¯s certainly one I have no desire to hear anyways, and as such, one I will do my utmost to stop.


    ¡°Screech! Would it be possible for you to give Featherguard to Jasper instead of me!?¡±


    Not even bothering to wait for her response though, I immediately [Summon] Jerry directly behind the Stalker. I¡¯m not fast enough to contend with speed like that without a buff from Screech and its damage output is certainly nothing to scoff at. Even WITH a buff, that still only puts me relative to Jasper. If she''s getting outboxed in close quarters, then I¡¯ll just get hit and lose it, then be ripped to shreds promptly after.


    Therefore¡­ what¡¯s my next best option? Distractions, diversions, guerilla warfare. Not my usual modus operandi¡­ but I¡¯ll just have to make do, I suppose.


    ¡°Jasper! [Hunter¡¯s Pursuit] towards me!¡±


    Just about a tenth of a second has passed since I asked Screech if she could use Featherguard on somebody besides myself, and the Stalker has noticed Jerry¡¯s presence behind it, it doesn¡¯t let go of Jasper, but its body shifts instinctively in his direction, that¡¯s fine, that¡¯s fine¡­


    [Hunter¡¯s Pursuit]


    Jasper picks up on my commands faster than Screech does, teleporting to my side and leaving Jerry, confused may he be, directly within striking distance of the Stalker. He¡¯s, obviously, a free kill for it, being literally half its level and probably twice as slow, if not even more sluggish¡­


    And so, of course, it swings at him.


    [Recall]


    Of course, only to hit air. It wasn¡¯t even a reaction [Recall] either, as if I could manage that against this thing. Taking him off the field of battle a split second after putting him on it to begin with was always the plan. I just needed to spook the thing and buy time for us to regroup.


    Just about a third of a second after asking Screech if she could do it or not, she finally starts to respond!


    ¡°No! They don¡¯t have something for me to bind myself to-¡±


    Though unfortunately, recovering from the diversion in admirable time, the Stalker lunges for us again, and it dawns on me rather suddenly how few options I really have here. Jasper has teleportation and could reasonably avoid another attack, and contend in close range for at least another few seconds with three more uses of said teleportation, but me¡­? I can¡¯t even rely on buffing Jasper to give her the advantage in a slug-fest because Screech can¡¯t even do it apparently!


    Dammit dammit dammit-


    The proverbial sands run dry and the clock hits zero, with the Stalker ramming into me at full force. It didn¡¯t claw at me so the damage is probably lower, but¡­


    42!


    ¡­Ouch. 4!-Ouch-3!-Ouch-3!-Ouch-4!-Ouch-3!


    My body tumbles and crashes into the rocks strewn about, Screech squawking as she¡¯s displaced from her previous perch on my shoulder, wings fluttering and propelling her up before the Stalker gets a chance to pluck them off right off of her frail body, well, one less thing for me to worry about.


    Though, not one to ever hesitate on such matters, Jasper immediately tore at the Stalker¡¯s side, gouging out an admittedly measly 21! damage from its side, but¡­ what the hell gives on that one? Twenty one!?


    Pushing myself off of the ground as quickly as I can, I lay eyes back on the fight to try and figure out what the heck just happened, only to be literally jump scared with the Stalker¡¯s face, its claws aimed straight for my eyes, it having assumably covered the distance between us immediately after launching me to begin with.


    [Fable Bearer-


    114!


    ¡­And I just got critically hit. Also SHIT MY EYES gRrrrrrgHHHHHHHH


    At the last moment, just before it made contact, I activated [Fable Bearer] and absorbed as much health as I could from Jerry, draining all of the fifty nine damage that I¡¯d taken from my prior tumble from him, over to me. At the cost of twenty MP, yes, but also, that was some life saving juice right there! Leaving me at a whole 26/140 HP!


    Of course my main concern now is, uh¡­ what the hell am I supposed to do?


    9!


    The Stalker literally tears its¡­ yeah, no, I¡¯m not gonna grace this with a mental image, it already hurts enough just with it happening to me on 3.5%.


    I don¡¯t get blinded thankfully, dismemberment isn¡¯t in game so I figure disfigurement wouldn¡¯t be either, but¡­ what the hell do I do to not take another hit?


    ¡­I think I¡¯m screwed.


    [Fable Bearer]-[Fable Bearer]


    [Recall].


    ¡­Time to run damage control. Jasper only has another moment until her three second timer is up, so I just need to live one more hit and I can [Recall] her. As long as this thing doesn¡¯t manage to deal a hundred forty damage in one hit¡­ Well, she¡¯ll be compltely fine. We''ll take no other losses as a whole besides me losing one level and some travel time.


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    [Hunter¡¯s Pursuit]-[Hunter¡¯s Mark]!


    167!


    ...Except that critical hit, doesn¡¯t critical me. I don¡¯t know why, but the Stalker was dialed IN on me. So much so, that it just completely stopped paying attention to the physical powerhouse that is Jasper. And with its back fully turned and guard thoroughly dropped, Jasper with her instant teleportation came in and cleaned house.


    Gonna be honest¡­ didn¡¯t expect that. I mean, I''ll take that! No self sacrifice today, I¡¯ll take that indeed.


    The Stalker goes flying to my left from the sheer force of the open paw blow that Jasper delivered, almost deriving a bit of sympathy from me¡­ keyword; ALMOST. Screw you ya little bastard, literally stabbed me in the eyes!


    Whatever, whatever¡­ what am I working with here...?


    31/90


    That¡¯s plenty of MP for me, more than enough to make a final stretch. What about everybody else''s healthpool? Jasper is still at just about two hundred health, Screech is mostly fine save for the HP I drained from her, her MP and stamina re also both fine... Jerry is, er...


    ¡°Uh, hey Jerry? Sorry about all the spooks.¡±


    I did kind of drain him of like¡­ almost all his health? Down to about 20/189¡­ Can¡¯t imagine that feels great. Also took a little from Screech, but she¡¯s comparatively fine.


    ¡°...G-gh.¡±


    ¡­Yeah, that¡¯s fair.


    ¡°...I¡¯ll make it up to you later.¡±


    ...Anyways


    ¡°Jasper, I can¡¯t be certain, but it¡¯s probably extremely low on health after that hit, good job by the way, you singlehandedly just made the difference.¡±


    She should have about¡­ 24/50


    Yup, that¡¯s about right. About half of her MP. More than enough for the rest of the fight.


    Anyways¡­ this monster? Uh, gimme. Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, did I say enough ¡°gimme¡±¡¯s yet? I don¡¯t think I did this shit¡¯s CRAZY. WHAT IS THIS SPEED? IT DOESN¡¯T EVEN HAVE ANY BUFFS FROM ME???


    ¡°Mm-


    ¡°I¡¯m either going to [Tame] it or we¡¯re going to finish it off, it should be within one shot range after that most recent hit, so one graze should do it.¡±


    Unlike before, I actually have at least a few comfortable seconds to plan this out, it¡¯s not quite raring to go after taking a massive blow like it just did, so¡­


    ¡°Screech, you¡¯re alright, right?¡±


    ¡°Uhhhhhh yeah I should be I do feel a little light-headed though-¡±


    ¡°Great, PLEASE give me [Featherguard].¡±


    ¡°A-O-kay boss man!¡±


    [Summon]


    [Morrigala Metamorphose]!


    ...Boss man? Hah??? Bleh, doesn¡¯t matter right now.


    With speed to at least rival the other two combatants, it¡¯s feasible for me to no longer get instantly murdered. Next level I DEFINITELY need to look into raising dexterity, but for now it¡¯s fine. I either need to get close enough to use [Tame] (I already tried at this distance, rest in peace nine MP) or I need to just stay at range and support Jasper. I still have enough MP to give her sixty more HP, given it seems to be one MP for every three transferred HP, and she should have the MP to use two more skills. Or in other words, two teleports on her part.


    ¡°We both approach at the same time. Use your skills as you see fit, and when I give the word, go in for the kill. One hit should do it.¡±


    I leave the possibility of the Stalker just running away left unsaid, but¡­ as I expected, it doesn¡¯t even try. I didn¡¯t wanna give it my absolute vote before it happened, no need to jinx it and everything, but¡­ there was a look in that thing¡¯s eye that said it wasn¡¯t going to. A confidence or perhaps an arrogance that wouldn¡¯t allow it to retreat from us. Something far too human in that expression of its mildly ugly mug, similarly to Jasper, with her mildly cute mug.


    Well, either way¡­


    Muscles tense, legs follow suit, and dust flies.


    The charge itself barely lasts for a quarter of a second, the distance between the three(four, Screech is here too!) closing rapidly, but as for which of us it should go for, the Stalker seems to ponder it for just a moment too long.


    [Tame]!


    Elite Monster!


    Cannot be tamed under normal circumstances!


    ¡­


    That¡¯s kind of bullshit, if you ask me? Whatever dude, whatever.


    Well, even if I couldn¡¯t get a nice addition to my team, at the very least, the [Tame] seems to disorient the Stalker, if only for a moment¡­


    But a moment is all we need.


    ¡°Jasper, do it now!¡±


    [Hunter¡¯s Mark]!


    124!


    +59 exp!

 C59-Talk My Ear Off

    ¡­Only fifty nine experience? I mean I guess that¡¯s more like almost two hundred if you think about it, which is a lot for a single kill, but for me that¡¯s really just kinda, eh. Er, whatever! Seems like a fair trade for almost getting my face murderized, now¡­ What¡¯s this other notification that I have?


    +1 Stalker Essence!


    ¡­Alright that¡¯s lovely and all, but the other ¡°essence¡± I have insofar hasn¡¯t actually been that useful. If anything, it¡¯s kind of been a detriment now that I think about it? I¡¯m pretty sure I only got the option for [Nature¡¯s Boon] on my skill selection because I had that in my inventory? If having an essence lets you get a unique skill related to it, then if I have this¡­ well, hold on, let me look at what it is first at least.


    Stalker Essence X1 (Uncommon)


    Grants a skill to applicable classes.


    ¡­Pardon? It just gives a skill, for free? How is that uncommon, while buffing a piece of equipment is rare? Well, bottoms up I suppose. Shhhhhwwwwwoin-


    Incompatible!


    ¡­Nevermind, guess I¡¯m not using this. Can I use this on any of my summons, then? Jasper seems like she¡¯d be fairly in line with it, no?


    The aforementioned Lynx was still winding down from the fight, her chest rising and falling far faster than it should be for a creature befitting her size. After she landed the killing blow, she stumbled back bit by bit, casting the occasional glance my way, before finally crashing down at the side of one of the many boulders littering the vicinity.


    ¡­She¡¯s not all that wounded, is she? I could¡¯ve sworn she didn¡¯t even take a hundred damage!


    205/298


    Yeah, not even down a third-or maybe she¡¯s down exactly a third, I dunno. Well, either way, it¡¯s probably not pleasant to be sitting there with a gash through her muzzle.


    Right, I can actually¡­ see that now. Now that I¡¯ve turned on gore, I guess I can see what the world actually looks like?


    ¡°Jasper?¡±


    ¡°M-... mm?¡±


    Now that¡¯s barely repressed nervous energy right there if I¡¯ve ever seen it.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to [Recall] you now. I¡¯m letting you know because I get the feeling you¡¯d freak out a little if something unexpected happened right now.¡±


    ¡°M¡­ Mhm.¡±


    With one use of the titular skill, I myself collapse a moment later, taking care to not bash myself into one of the many aforementioned rocks. And then a moment afterwards, I bash into the dirt instead, lying flat on the ground.


    ¡°...Ow.¡±


    I dunno if you¡¯d call it adrenaline pumping, given this is literally a game, but good LORD my nerves were on fire right then and there. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d so readily make a call to just die in any other time, place, or game, so if that doesn¡¯t make it evident then I don¡¯t know what does!


    I guess that extra added pressure of permanently losing your summons is doing a bit more on me than I thought it would¡­? Haaaaah¡­


    ¡­Okay.


    After a little bit more lying around, I push myself up with a start and hop to my feet, reorienting myself in the process. I am here in this canyon-esque locale. I have just been attacked by a super juiced monster with zero holds barred, where is that super juiced monster with zero holds barred?


    Jasper hit it hard, with another of those open paw strikes. Sent it flying real good¡­ Actually, side tangent, is that the method? If she¡¯s just slashing things, then there¡¯s going to be a limit to the actual amount of damage that she can deal based on the logic of physics alone. It¡¯s not like her claws are actual swords with length that can carve somebody in two. They¡¯re sharp, yes, but unless placed at the right locale, they¡¯re not going to deal any semblance of insane damage.


    But a blunt force strike? You can slice somebody with a dagger with all the force you want and it might break skin and make them bleed, but it won¡¯t kill them without hitting the throat or a similarly important artery. But if you bash somebody''s chest cavity in with a mace with the force of a truck? Well, good game right there! She¡¯s¡­ definitely not going in the wrong direction, I guess. Her combat sense is good at the very least. There¡¯s probably no hard limit to the amount of damage a slash can deal, you know, game logic, but location and force also matters.


    Anyways¡­ as I was saying! Where did that thing¡¯s body go¡­?


    Looks like a fairly fresh pile of rocks over there, dust still settling¡­ ah, it hit the wall with enough force to send a few tons down on top of it. Those open paw strikes really are the method I suppose.


    Traversing the rocky road, I eventually come to a stop in front of the dead body of the Stalker.


    It¡¯s buried, crushed under tons and tons of rubble. Which¡­ simply won¡¯t do at all. Can I manage to push this all out of the way?


    ¡°Whatcha doin?¡± Screech chimed in a moment later. Clearly the time passing in silence was much too quiet for her taste.


    ¡°I¡¯ll figure that out in a moment.¡±


    ¡°Are we gonna eat that? We did go hunting FOR something to eat didn¡¯t we?¡±


    Straining with enough force to pull a tractor out of the mud, I begin to push the massive rocks surrounding the body bit by bit, not deigning to respond to Screech quite yet given the physical task at hand.


    ¡°Hello? Hello? Uhm the thought actually occurs. What should I even call you?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    I¡¯d tilt my head at Screech, but she¡¯s not exactly corporeal right now. Oh well, more rock pushing!


    ¡°I don¡¯t know your name that¡¯s funny! I know Jasper I know Jerry but I don¡¯t know you!¡±


    ¡­Oh, that¡¯s true actually, isn¡¯t it? Does Jasper even know my name¡­? Uh, maybe? She might¡¯ve picked it up in passing at some point. Well, either way, pretty sure Screech doesn¡¯t so¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s Ethan.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Hello? Hello? Ethan do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°...I clearly hear you!¡±


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you answering me? Didn¡¯t we agree to not ignore each other? I even promised I¡¯d be quieter than I was before!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just-in the middle-of DOING something-¡±


    I punctuate that with a THUMP as the boulder rolls off the body.


    ¡°And will respond accurately in, A MOMENT!¡±


    THUMP.


    They¡¯re still covered in dust and debris, but with the two main culprits obscuring the Stalker from sight removed, it¡¯s not hard to get the full picture.


    Broken and battered, er, you know, dead, to put it lightly. I¡¯m not actually going to describe the scene before me. The one saving grace is that the dirt isn¡¯t dyed red, only the Stalker itself is. The two places where Jasper had struck it evident now that it was freshly unmoving. They stuck out like sore thumbs against its black fur.


    ¡°You asked if we¡¯d be eating them?¡±


    It¡¯s ancient tradition to respect what you kill, right? Use the bodies properly or whatever?


    ¡°Mhm!!!¡±


    ¡°Yup, that we are.¡±


    ¡­I¡¯d have named them Blitz.


    ¡ª


    This game¡¯s ¡°inventory¡± never fails to amuse me. I¡¯ve got a pocket knife ready for on demand butchering, I¡¯ve got a somehow foldable grill-esque surface that I can just yoink out from my pocket, what¡¯s next, I¡¯ll have a whole fishing rod to just pull out of my pocket as I please?


    Speaking of that ¡°grill-esque surface¡±, did you know this game provides you with every necessary tool to be able to do surface level work with cooking apparently? Pulled a spatula out of thin air, tongs, whole buncha stuff! Where did this all come from? Out of my ass maybe? Couldn¡¯t possibly know, but will I question convenience? NO SIR! Thank you for not making me go into a town to get stuff, in which I am very illegal, developers! Very very cool of you.


    Now¡­ I just need a fire!


    ¡°Hey Screech¡­ quick question about your [Elemental Magic]?¡±


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    ¡°Yeeeeeeeeeeeeees?¡±


    ¡°How exactly does it work?¡±


    ¡°I use MP and turn it into magic!¡±


    ¡°Uh huh. I meant like, the more intricate workings?¡±


    ¡°Oh I see! I thought you wouldn¡¯t want to hear about that because you don¡¯t like when I talk really fast for a long time.¡±


    Off reflex, I almost give her a quip, a ¡°no shit Sherlock¡± if you will, but you know now that I think about it¡­ I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s just naive, trying too hard or, whatever¡­ but Screech takes everything VERY literally. If I told her ¡°yeah you don¡¯t say¡± then she¡¯d clearly fail to recognize the actual issue, so against my initial judgment, I¡¯m going to try my very best to NOT get her lost in the sauce here.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it when you do something like that without any warning before you do it. I appreciate you being conscientious about when and where you decide to go into a spiel, but if I specifically ask you about something that would go into a ¡®spiel¡¯... feel free to do that. Just don¡¯t talk too fast.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°Well okay then! So right now I¡¯m going to break into a ¡®spiel¡¯ and that¡¯s fine?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She pauses for a moment longer, and if she were currently summoned, I have no doubt she¡¯d have proceeded to rapidly blink in my direction. For a monster with such a high intelligence stat, you really think she wouldn¡¯t get as bewildered by this stuff as she does.


    ¡°...Right! My [Elemental Magic] is a skill that allows me to convert my MP into different forms corresponding to elemental affinities that I have control over. This ¡°conversion¡± that I just mentioned can be used in various different ways, the skill is extremely pliable and can fit a lot of different circumstances, which is to be expected given it¡¯s a skill innate to my species of monster.¡±


    ¡°A what now?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to talk about that or [Elemental Magic]?¡±


    With how deadpan her tone is at all times, I have to remind myself that she just asked a legitimate question, and that she isn¡¯t sassing me. Or hell maybe she¡¯s just playing 5D chess and she is in fact sassing me right now? Hell if I know.


    ¡°It can wait, continue with what you were explaining please.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty! As I was saying there¡¯s a bunch of different ways that the skill can be used. In comparison to the rest of my skills except for [Grasp Of Morrigala] its application range is incredible! The main downside is that barring a few demonstrations of its might, the overall firepower of the skill as a whole is on the very low side. And as for what damage it can deal, the MP to damage ratio is often skewed out of my favour when compared to other classes and creatures. That¡¯s also not even counting the stamina deficit I run into when casting but I guess that¡¯s also not too much of an issue if I¡¯m with you since you can heal my stamina right? Right? Right R-¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Am I talking to an NPC or a metamancer right now?


    ¡°Right! Admittedly I¡¯m not that old so I haven¡¯t really thought of too many ways to use it outside of what I just mentioned but I know it has a lot of different ways to use it! For example instead of just shooting more fireballs I could split that boulder in half!¡±


    ¡°...Which one?¡±


    There¡¯s like, at least a dozen of them in the vicinity.


    ¡°All of them! Well not all of them at once. That wouldn¡¯t be possible I wouldn¡¯t have enough MP for that BUT I could definitely do at least four of them at once!¡±


    ¡°...And what purpose would that serve?¡±


    ¡°A demonstration!¡±


    ¡°...That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay. Well anyways like I said! [Elemental Magic] has a lot of uses. It conjures and manipulates various different magics based on what I can understand and the strength of that magic is determined by how much MP I use in the creation of the spell. That¡¯s about the short of it!¡±


    ¡°The short of it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah the short of it! Would you like to hear the long of it??? Oh I¡¯d so love to talk about the long of it! Please say that¡¯s a yes please say that¡¯s a yes please say that¡¯s a yes please say that¡¯s a yes please say that¡¯s a yes please say that¡¯s a yes please say that¡¯s a yes-¡±


    ¡°MAYBE! It¡¯s a mmmmmaybe. But before that, you are still hungry, yes?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah I definitely am! What about it?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically, you could use your [Elemental Magic] to just create a single flame, right?¡±


    ¡°Well obviously.¡±


    ¡°...And then maintain that flame, without turning it into a massive explosion?¡±


    ¡°...I haven¡¯t tried that before! That¡¯s a great idea!¡±


    ¡°Well then!¡±


    [Summon].


    ¡°Give it a go.¡±


    ¡°Alrigh-¡±


    24!


    ¡ª


    ¡°Plfeh.¡±


    Screech makes a noise adjacent to a wretch, one I can¡¯t quite put to letters¡­ but I¡¯m sure just the description deposits a noise in your mind you¡¯d rather not imagine.


    Though, she¡¯s not deterred for a moment either way.


    5!


    ¡°Bleh.¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ what, the fourteenth ball of flame to have gone kaboom now? Bright side, they¡¯re lasting longer and exploding less spectacularly, so we¡¯ve got a good thing going here, but they¡¯re ashy when they go boom now. Not just hot and fiery, which is, less pleasant.


    Screech is coated in a fine layer of the stuff, and I¡¯m not faring much better. And if not for [Fable Bearer] allowing the constant reorientation of health and stamina from Jasper and Jerry to me and Screech, I¡¯d either be dead or down a few potions, and Screech would be having nap time. But fortunately, this is not the reality we live in, and I am merely low on MP!


    But before that can become a proper issue, Screech finally¡­ sort of¡­ semi succeeds?


    ¡°That was a lot of fun! But I think I got it this time? Instead of trying to cast one spell I¡¯m chain casting multiple different spells consecutively! Instead of channeling a bunch of MP into one spell I¡¯m splitting one MP into at least ten different spells each, which results in the flame having almost no heat, but it¡¯s not blowing up! Anyways why did you ask me to do this?¡±


    Waving a hand over the now floating flame, I nod my head approvingly. Not quite hot enough to cook something, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get it in a moment.


    ¡°Well, you need something to cook meat with right? Unless you were just looking to eat it raw?¡±


    ¡°Yeah but what about it?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m going to use your skill, to cook the Stalker.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhhhhhhhhh that makes total sense! So it needs to be a little hotter then right?¡±


    ¡°Just a little, yeah-¡±


    1!


    1!


    1!


    1!


    1!


    1!


    1!


    1!


    This might take a moment.

 C60-Into The Frying Pan

    Ahhhhhhh¡­ what a nice day, you know? Sun¡¯s shining, roasting a monster over the fire, with a hungry little fiend practically drooling over it on my shoulder¡­


    Well, I¡¯d rather Screech be focused as opposed to not being, well, that. She is the one conjuring this fire we¡¯re using right now, so¡­ who am I to complain?


    ¡°Is it ready yet?¡±


    I¡¯m also not going to complain about that either, because she¡¯s managed to cut down her rate of asking it from once every few seconds, to once every minute, so I¡¯m chilling. She can ask her once per minute annoying question all she wants.


    ¡°Not quite, give it five or six more minutes?¡±


    ¡°So the sixth time I ask, it¡¯ll be ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet? Is it ready y-¡±


    ¡°Time won¡¯t magically multiply if you just ask me that a half dozen times. It¡¯s still gonna take six minutes.¡±


    ¡°Dang.¡±


    ¡°So, while we¡¯ve got the downtime here, I¡¯m gonna go ahead and ask you some questions. Oh, that includes you as well Jasper.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°Nothing that important, just wondering if you wanted a free skill?¡±


    ¡°...Mm??¡±


    ¡°This thing,¡± I stick a thumb out at the slowly browning meat of the, admittedly sloppily butchered Stalker. ¡°Dropped an ¡®essence¡¯, which gives a skill to anybody who has an appropriately matching class. I figured you¡¯d probably satisfy that criteria?¡±


    ¡°Mmmmm, mmmmm? MMmmMMmmm, mhm?¡±


    ¡°Alrighty! Now how do I use this thing¡­¡±


    C¡¯mon, just work out for me here game, don¡¯t make me navigate UIs for half an hour¡­ Stalker Essence, use it on Jasper¡­ and-


    Incompatible!


    Pardon?


    Now hold on a moment, whaddya mean INCOMPATIBLE? The Stalker was literally the same race as Jasper hello? How compatible do you gotta be for this to work?


    ¡°Oh, uh, sorry Jasper, guess it¡­ didn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°...M.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know it¡¯s weird. Might as well just try it out on everybody, see if anyone at all can use it. In fact, hey Jerry!¡±


    ¡°...Yes?¡±


    Incompatible!


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    ¡°W-wha?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t do anything, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Is it ready yet?¡±


    ¡°Nnnnnnno. Give it five more minutes. Now, let¡¯s see if you can use this¡­ Though I doubt it, I do indeed sincerely doubt it.¡±


    Use Stalker Essence on Screech?


    Y/N


    Wha-ehag-okay. Why can she use this? How does that make any sense at all? You know what? At least one of us can use it.


    Yes.


    Screech-Morrigala Adept


    Level 12


    HP 164/164


    MP 206/206


    Stamina 126/126


    Core stats


    Vitality-15


    Strength-7


    Intelligence-40


    Agility-12


    Sub stats


    Endurance-12


    Luck-1.2


    Mana-20


    Dexterity-12


    Skills


    Basic Healing LVL 2-The caster may choose themselves or any target within 1 meter of themselves, healing them for 2+0.45% of their max HP rounded up for 1 MP every 0.45 seconds for as long as they choose to keep the skill active.


    Enchanting Call LVL 1-Let loose a cacophony of birdsong, affecting those nearby in a variety of ways. Allies are healed for 10+3% of their HP to a max of 20 and gain a 10% boost to their agility, strength and vitality for one minute. Enemies are damaged by 1% of their max hp to a maximum of 100 and are ¡°disoriented¡±, randomizing their agro to any nearby foe. Costs 30 MP, 30 second cooldown


    Song of Wrath LVL 1-Let loose an ear piercing shriek, dealing 10 true damage to any individual that hears it. Individuals that are damaged by Song of Wrath are ¡°disoriented¡±, resetting their aggro to its base state. Enemies outside the direct field of damage are instead aggroed towards the caster. Costs 10 MP, 5 minute cooldown.


    Stalker¡¯s Sight-Concentrate on a target and mark them, allowing the user and their allies to perfectly track the target. Marks last for five minutes each and can only be applied via line of sight. Costs 5 MP.


    Grasp Of Morrigala LVL 2-Target an entity and attack their mind directly with your full focus, heavily restricting their movement based on intelligence and level difference. With a wide enough gap, targets can be completely suppressed or harmed according to the user''s will. MP cost scales according to target.


    Morrigala Metamorphose LVL 2-Alter your form into whatever you so desire, diverting invested stats into any other category so long as it remains in line with the chosen form, stats converted can be penalized based on whether or not the chosen form makes sense. When inflicted with 10 or more damage at a time, the transformation is cancelled and 10 stamina is lost. Costs 20 MP.


    Passives


    Elemental Magic LVL 1-Gain the ability to create basic attacks of either water, earth, fire, or air. The strength of these attacks vary based on environmental factors and MP used in their creation, uses magical power for damage scaling instead of physical power. Magical power is determined by intelligence as opposed to strength.


    Seeker Of The Divine-Having come into contact with a shred of divinity, your consciousness has undergone intense changes. Each point of intelligence is 1.6x more effective, each point of mana is 1.3x more effective. Your perception of magic is heightened by vast amounts, various illusions will fail to affect you.


    Atrophied-Having meddled with the wrong side of the arcane in various ways, your body has become permanently altered. Each point of vitality, strength, and endurance are 0.5x as effective. Using MP consumes stamina at a heightened rate, stamina cannot be recovered without proper rest.


    Diminished Presence-Receives less aggro.


    So what¡¯s new here¡­ Ah, [Stalker¡¯s Sight], alright. That¡¯s just alright, doesn¡¯t hurt to have, I guess. Though it just had to be on Screech, who has a hard limit on her MP usage¡­? Eh, whatever¡­


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°What just happened? I feel kind of weird!¡±


    ¡°You got a new skill.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So that¡¯s what happened a while back! I was always wondering what that feeling was!¡±


    ¡°A while back?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I found something really interesting, it had a similar feeling to those Mana Truffles, but a lot more¡­ erm¡­ delicious.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh¡­¡±


    In a rare display of pausing in a sentence, I swear I can feel her consciousness blip for a second, like she¡¯s being sucked back into whatever moment she¡¯s thinking of.


    ¡°So uh anyways is it ready yet?¡±


    ¡°Give it four more.¡±


    ¡°Oka-¡±


    ¡­


    Hm?


    ¡°Screech?¡±


    She¡¯s not moving, perfectly still¡­


    ¡°...Screech?¡±


    I move to wave a hand in front of her, but¡­ I can¡¯t move either.


    The hell?


    You have received a summons from a higher authority.


    Accept?


    Y/N


    With sleek silence, an entirely black box of text appears before me, everything unmoving, the entire world still.


    What the hell¡­? Are these really level ten activities right here?


    ¡­What if I press no?


    I kind of¡­ really wanna go with no, the contrarian within me roars strong¡­ but at the same time, I REALLY shouldn¡¯t say no here. As much of a contrarian as I am, I¡¯m also a very curious man.


    So, how do I press the ¡°yes¡± button? I¡­ can¡¯t move.


    ¡°-y¡±


    ¡­? Screech? Is that you ol buddy ol pal?


    ¡°W-¡±


    Wait, wait wait wait¡­ time isn¡¯t frozen, just¡­ moving really slowly?


    Let¡¯s try this again¡­


    Pushing my arm forward with all my might, it very, very, VERY, slowly begins to move forward, inch by inch reaching towards the message before me. And finally after what feels like an ENTIRE, MINUTE, my finger hovers just above the ¡°yes¡±!


    ¡°H-¡±


    Aaaaaaaaand, doink!


    And the entire world blacks out.


    ¡ª


    As did my mind, apparently, did I just pass out for a second there?


    ¡°Hello, Koth, was it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I rub at my forehead as I sit up, having previously been lying flat against the ground. The sun is¡­ glaring, which is wrong, it¡¯s like ten o''clock right now. Or well, glaring isn¡¯t quite right. It¡¯s not noon, but more of a bright morning?


    ¡°Ah, yes, my apologies. Even in virtual reality, a sudden reality shift can be very disorienting. Please, feel free to take a moment to reorient yourself.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh¡­¡±


    Who the heck is that talking to me? God my head hurts¡­


    The entire place is¡­ opulently bright, it¡¯s like a¡­ Greek ruin I¡¯d say? Except it¡¯s not, y¡¯know, ruined. After another moment, the sound of running water meets my ears, along with birdsong, all the traditional ambience you¡¯d associate with the perfect romanticized morning.


    ¡°Sorry, just give me a second.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, of course.¡±


    I simply breathe in and out, allowing my eyes to adjust to the new sun in the sky. And then turn to face the voice that¡¯s been at my side since I¡¯ve appeared here.


    And¡­ there sits a woman, decked out in a suit and tie, very rank and file-like, black and white. In contrast, the table she¡¯s at is very much ¡°heavenly garden¡± in its vibe, a pure white trimmed in blazing gold.


    So¡­ given she¡¯s mentioned virtual reality and is, literally wearing a suit, I¡¯m gonna go out on a limb and say she isn¡¯t an NPC.


    ¡°Hup¡­¡±


    Sucking in a breath, I push myself to my feet, striding forward before pulling out a chair opposite to the woman before me.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Hmhmhmhm¡­¡± suppressing a chuckle, she brings a fist up to her lips before clearing her throat. ¡°That¡¯s certainly a casual greeting.¡±


    I merely raise an eyebrow in response.


    ¡°Huh? Should I bow down in reverence or something?¡±


    ¡°No, no, nothing as absurd as that. It¡¯s just, you¡¯re not exactly expected to adapt so quickly you know?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no point in tweaking out is there?¡±


    ¡°Quite so.¡±


    ¡°Welp, you brought me here for a reason, right? Mod of some sort?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, you could say that. To be more specific, I¡¯m a part of the compensation branch of the Company.¡±


    I tilt my head at her given the lack of explanation as to, well, what the hell that is.


    ¡°...The compensation branch?¡±


    ¡°Very on the nose, yes, I¡¯m aware. It¡¯s my job to negotiate with users who have something that¡­ needs to be changed.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Koth? You strike me as the kind of man to like to get to the point, so I¡¯ll do just that for you. You have been on the receiving end of quite a few oversights in the game¡¯s code. Some in your favor, others not, I am here to make you aware of what those things were, and then we can discuss compensation.¡±


    ¡­RIGHT THEN!


    ¡°...You mean bugs?¡±


    WIth a scoff, she lightly shakes her head. ¡°Yes, bugs.¡±


    ¡°...Am I gonna get my unique passive taken?¡±


    ¡°Oh heavens no, perhaps modified somewhat, but we¡¯d never go that far with adjustments.¡±


    ¡°Right then. So, what¡¯s up?¡±

 C61-Improbability

    With a resounding clap, the woman before me nods slightly before speaking once more.


    ¡°Well, how about I start us off by simply listing every ¡®bug¡¯ that¡¯s come your way so far then! Let¡¯s start at the beginning, shall we? To begin with, Jasper was it? The Wild Hunt of your server is a bit of a relic. The issues with that questline were something caught fairly quickly by the wide sweeps, and patched a few days past release! But¡­ you were even faster.¡±


    ¡°Soooo are you gonna tell me what that is or-¡±


    ¡°In due time, come now, everything must have some flair to it, no?¡±


    ¡°...You know, you¡¯re not wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? So as I was saying! Completing the first stage of her related quest, counted as completing a questline of¡­ let¡¯s just say, higher rarity.¡±


    ¡°...Whaddya mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, something along the lines of completing the final stage of her entire questline? Your character was marked as having completed that! Which¡­ opened up something, shall we say, unique?¡±


    ¡°Literally how does that even happen?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡±


    ¡°Clearly, so, what¡¯s gonna happen then?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, this is a non-negotiable issue that needs to be addressed. Your character information will be adjusted, and we can¡¯t give you too much in return given it was the only genuine bug to find its way into your playthrough so far.¡±


    ¡°But like¡­ why though?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s at least three other things that we need to go over still, and you¡¯re not technically losing anything from this¡­ you¡¯re just having a few progression notches ticked off, you¡¯ll be fine. But, given it was an issue that we missed which is now leading to this, I suppose it couldn¡¯t hurt to give you at least something in return. You¡¯ll be given one level in recompense, is that fine?¡±


    ¡­Hollup, whole level? For the thing that supposedly is going to be the least lucrative out of what I¡¯m about to be offered? That¡¯s pretty nice¡­ I¡¯d ask for more, but I¡¯m not sure I want to push my luck here. At first I thought this was going to be pretty one-sided so I was just kind of going along with the motions to get back to the game itself, banter a bit and say ¡°thanks¡± then dip¡­ However! That has now changed, I smell the dosh.


    ¡°Could you give that level to one of my summons instead of me? Or more accurately, give straight up experience instead?¡±


    What looks like a snort almost rips through her composure, but with a slight nod of her head she amends the breach a moment later.


    ¡°I suppose so. What exactly is it that you¡¯d want that experience to go towards?¡±


    ¡°Depends, how much experience would you be giving me if it was in place of a level up?¡±


    ¡°Depends, what would you be giving a level to?¡±


    I respond to that one instantly, it¡¯s a simple matter of who the highest level is. If she¡¯s level twelve, logically giving her a full level''s worth of experience would be the most efficient use, given she¡¯s, you know, higher level and thus takes more to level?


    ¡°Screech.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. 2238 exp then. And what will you be giving that experience to?¡± She asks with a knowing smile.


    For the second time, hollup. I thought I was gonna have to talk my way into letting that one happen, but she just gave it to me outright? Is she¡­? Eh, whatever, questions that can be answered within a short timeframe, for now, go with the moment.


    ¡°To Jasper.¡±


    She¡¯s basically my frontliner. She¡¯s far more capable of keeping up with enemies than I am with her heavily boosted stats, and whilst I am able to be somewhat on par with her speed wise under the proper condition, I¡¯m definitely not on par strength skill or skill wise. The first ¡®skill¡¯ being my perception speed and the second ¡®skill¡¯ literally being our skills.


    She just has way more than I do. She¡¯s much more versatile in a straight fight, while I can provide options from incredibly far away. Logically, there¡¯s no reason for me to expedite my own growth when I don¡¯t stand to provide anything from gaining that growth. For the same reason that I took Jasper as opposed to any other monster despite concerns raised about her, it¡¯s more efficient to give her the juice.


    ¡°Then, the matter of the first issue is decided. Your character information will be corrected, and your tamed monster Jasper will gain 2238 exp. Then, let us move on shall we?¡±


    I simply nod in response, though I also take care to adjust my posture just the slightest bit. We are, what would colloquially be known as, locked in.


    ¡°Your monster, Screech?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°There are two issues pertaining to it, both of which are negatives for you. First of all, its AI is¡­ not quite non-functional, but it¡¯s not functioning how it¡¯s supposed to either.¡±


    ¡°...Whaddya mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, without spoiling too much about the game itself, it acquired a class that it reasonably shouldn¡¯t have, or more specifically, an item. You see, all monsters are generated using rather basic rng. Most of them have no unique qualities, but about every¡­ one in a hundred or so will have a unique trait. Some are more or less rare, and Screech¡­ its trait is among the rarest. It has a one out of thirty five million Omnidirectional Mana Perception at high grade, pushing that probability up to one out of two billion.¡±


    ¡°Ehi-whau-gha-what.¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite. You¡¯re a very lucky man Koth. Now, in basic monsters, this trait manifests in them being drawn to any source of mana potent enough to leave any traces. Additionally, an item, of which I might add only three of which have spawned so far, happened to spawn within the range of its perception. This was so, unfathomably unlikely, that it somehow never came up in testing! Because you see, the baseline programming of the game is that any NPC which happens to have a class above rare will end up possessing a higher level of intelligence, not the stat, literal intelligence.


    ¡°Hold on, hold on, you¡¯re losing me a bit here. What never came up in testing?¡±


    ¡°Patience, patience, you acknowledged it yourself, yes? Everything must have some sort of flair with it. Please, allow me to continue. Screech¡¯s original class and race would be that of a Great Crossing¡¯s Eagle, which would normally only have the minimum amount of intelligence provided to every monster. But, because of those aforementioned incredibly unlikely circumstances, it ended up getting an epic class.


    Now, outside of specific scenarios, NPCs aren¡¯t supposed to change classes, but, this one did. It was an item meant to be used by players, but NPCs technically don¡¯t have any restrictions preventing them from using items. Drawn to it, this particular one used it, and thus, an anomaly was born.


    An NPC without any proper intelligence, gained it of its own volition. However, this was done without the assistance of the usual turn of events. And consequently, its more default intelligence and advanced intelligence that it should possess from its newly acquired class have overlapped, causing a few issues, but other than that¡­ It¡¯s a true one of a kind so far in this game''s history, nothing else quite like it exists. You¡¯re very, very lucky to possess it.¡±


    ¡­I, wha, what do I even say to that? Oh boy oh gee I sure am a lucky duck, like, what?


    ¡°And that¡¯s all without it even having found you, the probabilities get even more absurd when you factor in your involvement. You managed to generate a rare quest with a luck stat of something along the lines of six by simply walking down a path! This could¡¯ve been any number of quests, dozens could¡¯ve appeared right there, but out of those sixty something possible rare quests, one of the only three with a high mana density item were rolled! Within the detection range of that thing¡¯s Omnidirectional Mana Perception! It¡¯s absurd!¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I get it! The chances were like, one out of, trillion in a bajillion or something, I¡¯m very lucky.¡±


    ¡°Closer to one in a bajillion, but indeed you are, but because of this frankly insane turn of events, an issue arose with your class.¡±


    ¡­I wait. Surely I don¡¯t interrupt for the third time in a row, that would just be poor manners at that point. I kinda vibe with the whole story telling she¡¯s doing right now.


    ¡°Surely you noticed when you saw Jasper¡¯s proper class, that a hidden condition was partially fulfilled?¡±


    ¡°Something along those lines, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ hmmm, how much to say¡­ that¡¯s the pre-condition to a¡­ certain series of quests, shall we say? And it¡¯s supposed to be partially filled in for every monster with a class of epic or above within your possession! I¡¯ll spare you even more of the nitty gritty, but the game tracks the classes of NPCs with a certain system. Currently, it views Screech¡¯s as common, despite it in actuality, being an epic class.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ in other words, I¡¯m missing one of those conditions because of a bug?¡±


    ¡°Not technically a bug, she is still that common race¡­ it¡¯s just overlapping with its class! Which, happens to negatively impact you! Just like its personality.¡±


    ¡­Pardon?


    ¡°So, now that we¡¯ve addressed these two issues, allow me to tell you what will happen. First, obviously, its registration will be corrected to epic and properly apply to your class condition. And secondly, a developer will personally go through and correct its intelligence to properly work. I¡¯m well aware you¡¯ve suffered some issues with it, which is to be expected given the base instincts of a common monster have overlapped with the higher intelligence of a magic based epic class. I did watch some of your gameplay before speaking to you.¡±


    ¡­What?


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, what? Has it not repeatedly failed to work with your orders, I¡¯m well aware its speaking patterns have caused you some issues understanding it. So we¡¯ll go ahead and fix that for you momentarily.¡±


    So like¡­ literally overwrite her personality with a new one?


    ¡°Uh, no? I¡¯m not really having that much trouble with it. I¡¯d prefer if you didn¡¯t do that actually? Could you give me, like, literally anything else in exchange? I mean, still change how her class registers or whatever, but definitely don¡¯t do that second one?¡±


    ¡°...I suppose so? I won¡¯t claim to understand why you wouldn¡¯t fix that, but if you¡¯d rather something else that could be arranged. This is a rather large issue you¡¯re simply overlooking, so¡­ I suppose you could be granted a proper request, what would you like?¡±


    I look at her funny for a moment, the complete nonchalance of what had just been proposed before, rubbing me just a little bit the wrong way. I don¡¯t wanna jump to conclusions or anything, but to me that sounds like personality death. Some would consider that to be a fate worse than death, and even if Screech is just an NPC¡­ What the hell man, don¡¯t do that.


    ¡°Well¡­ what¡¯s on the table?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ how about a weapon of some sort?¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡±


    Now it¡¯s her turn to look at me funny!


    ¡°...We just gave you two thousand experience and you doubt that?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. But I don¡¯t really need a weapon? I¡¯m not the one who¡¯s going to be fighting up close and personal for at least a while.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair enough. A skill hand might be a bit much so I won¡¯t offer that for this alone, but¡­¡±


    I butt in before she can continue, clearing my throat before speaking.


    ¡°What about information?¡±


    ¡°...What about it?¡± She asks, tilting her head at me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say you can answer a few questions I¡¯m curious about? Refuse to tell me if it¡¯s too much, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that can be done. Go ahead, ask a few questions then.¡±


    Right! I didn¡¯t really have anything specific in mind, just¡­ it¡¯d be nice to clear some things up!


    ¡°Do Jerry and Jasper have any traits?¡±


    ¡°Jerry? No, Jasper? Er¡­ uhm¡­¡±


    She clicks her tongue as I wait patiently, smiling at her all the while.


    ¡°...Yes, is it one I can tell you about? Ah-hah-hah-haaaabsolutely not! You¡¯ll have to figure that one out on your own time.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ what about karma? How exactly does karma work when it comes to NPCs with positive karma, and vice versa?¡±


    Was it really, THAT bad for me to have ten? Did I have to get stabbed for it?


    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s a fairly simple one. Negative karma in society is heavily, heavily frowned upon. Having even one is enough to get you ostracized, given it¡¯s usually increased from despicable actions or crimes, pagan Gods the like¡­ but, having ten? Well, you did get one karma for a kill, yes?¡±


    ¡°...Uh huh?¡±


    ¡°If you got only one karma, for one kill, what does ten negative karma say about a person?¡±


    ¡°...Ooooooooooooooooh. Okay that makes sense. Well-¡±


    ¡°Actually, no questions for this one, I¡¯ll give you one helpful nugget of information, and then we can move on to the last issue!¡±


    ¡°...And that is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d stick around in your current area for a little longer than you¡¯re probably intending to. You¡¯ll find there¡¯s probably a bit more to it than you¡¯d expect?¡±


    What the heck is that supposed to mean?


    Oh, she probably figured out just about now that, well, that might¡¯ve been a little bit vague given the ninety degree tilt I¡¯m giving her.


    ¡°There¡¯s a fair amount of things that would particularly pertain to you in your locale. You have much more to gain by staying than you do leaving, trust me.¡±


    The heck do I have to gain by staying around Pierre¡¯s Karst? I mean, there¡¯s a bunch of monsters and strong ones, sure¡­ but¡­ ah, whatever, if that¡¯s what I¡¯m being told I probably shouldn¡¯t take it lightly. I¡¯ll stick around for a few extra days or something like that.


    ¡°Now! As for the last issue, you recall what I said at the very beginning of this meeting, yes?¡±


    ¡°...Something about doing compensation.¡±


    ¡°Shortly after that.¡±


    ¡°B-oh, unique passive¡­ what about it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep that as it is.¡±


    ¡°Dammit.¡±

 C62-Not So Bad

    Smoke wafts up, dying embers slowly whittling away, patches of grass that had caught aflame from Screech¡¯s intermittently sustained fire having smoldered to dirt. My eyes trail up, and what do I see?


    ¡­I really do like stars, you know?


    It¡¯s nice¡­ seeing them. Up in the sky, without anything to obstruct them. It¡¯s a sight so rarely implemented, and obviously one you¡¯ll never see in the real world, or at least, not where I live anyways. It¡¯s one they¡¯ve also done really well in this game, constellations weave together nearly seamlessly, it¡¯s clearly not just thoughtlessly placed, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was a quest or lore related information with how much effort there is placed into this.


    Well, either way, I be cooling. Sometimes it¡¯s nice to just unwind from a giant info dump with some relaxation, you know? Roasting something over the fire, tuning out the constant ¡°Is it ready yet?¡± From Screech, just¡­ basking in the moment.


    Definitely not coping or anything, not like my strongest passive got gutted or anything. Definitely not.


    ¡°Is it ready yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...Really???¡±


    ¡°Haaaah¡­¡±


    Nope, can¡¯t be angry, I literally asked to keep this. It¡¯s not that bad either way, it¡¯s endearing in a way if you think about it.


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s ready. At least I think it is? I¡¯m no expert, but it looks pretty brown to me.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it¡¯s supposed to look?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just hear me¡­ you know what? Yes, that is how it¡¯s supposed to look.¡±


    ¡°Great! How much can I have?¡±


    Despite the roasted meat being well over double her size in total, I get the feeling she¡¯ll still somehow eat the entire thing if I Give all of it to her, so I¡¯m not going to make the mistake of saying ¡°as much as you want!¡±, because it will end poorly.


    ¡°Depends on how much Jasper and Jerry want.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°So do you just never get hungry then?¡±


    ¡°Mmmm, MmM.¡±


    ¡°Right then, Jerry?¡±


    ¡°...Yes?¡±


    ¡°How much would you like?¡±


    ¡°Of¡­ what?¡±


    This time I can¡¯t help but let my hands glide to the side of my head, I¡¯m so very disappointed. Grasping at my temples, I take in a deep breath so as to not continue shouting at my summons, because I could already feel the flinch from Jerry with just the movement of my arms, despite him, y¡¯know, not presently having a physical form.


    ¡°Of, the food, right there.¡±


    ¡°O-oh.¡±


    ¡°How much, would you like?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m alright.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re sure.¡±


    Because he doesn¡¯t sound very convincing at present.


    ¡°Uh-uh huh.¡±


    ¡°So, what, can you just go without eating forever as well then? Do you not feel hunger, do you not want to eat anything? You can vocalize these things better than Jasper can. Please, articulate, would you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°You have a passive that¡¯s literally based off of eating things to grow stronger, don¡¯t you? How does Screech have more appetite than you?¡±


    It¡¯s kind of genuinely baffling to me. He¡¯s remarkably average in every way, he doesn¡¯t have a trait like my other two summons as I¡¯ve come to learn, he¡¯s level six, has few skills and alright stats. The one thing he has over anything, he¡­ doesn¡¯t care to use apparently?


    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Fine! How much do you want me to eat?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s much better.¡±


    I¡¯d far prefer him speaking up rather than remaining a stuttering impassive mess, I imagine he¡¯ll be much more useful that way if he can actively coordinate with the rest of the ¡°party¡±. Though, counterintuitively, he flinches in that very Jerry way as soon as he raised his voice.


    ¡°I-I mean-¡±


    ¡°As much as you want. I did just ask that after all.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°Please, answer the question if you will? Screech is practically about to tear my shoulder apart with how hard she¡¯s gripping it. So, the sooner you answer, the less lacerations I¡¯ll get, yeah?¡±


    She¡¯s been dealing damage as of late, so the sooner she¡¯s not doing that the better. Not that much, but it is building up¡­


    1!


    ¡°You know what? I¡¯ll just summon you, chop the thing in half, you and Screech can both have one half each, that cool?¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡±


    I mean, provided butchering allows me to butcher already cooked things? I should have a knife on hand¡­


    Pulling the roasting stick away from Screech¡¯s fire, a notification finally goes ahead and pops up!


    +78 cooking exp!


    Ah, lovely.


    Now¡­ knife, work with me? Let¡¯s go butchering¡­!


    Oh, it actually appeared! R-a-d-i-c-a-l and that¡¯s this chunka meat chopped right up!


    +1 butchering exp!


    Offering the part of it still remaining on the stick to Screech, I [Summon] Jerry in front of the chunk that hit the ground.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Have at it.¡±


    Screech practically slaps the stick away from me with a gust of wind (first time she¡¯s used anything but fire and it was for this. Wonderful.) and hops off my shoulder and straight to the ground. I don¡¯t even need to look to figure out what happens next.


    Jerry on the other hand is a bit more hesitant, but with no further communication from me and nothing to stop him, after a few seconds he does bite into the offering before him.


    Ah, it feels good to be a man providing for his family.


    Leaning back just enough to not topple to the ground, I continue to smile up at the night sky, the smoke now having drifted far, far away, but¡­ all good things do have to come to an end.


    In other news! I can¡¯t beat around the bush forever¡­ I do need to take a further look at these revisions, uuuuuuugh¡­


    The updated version of my passive and its add on, let¡¯s see¡­ how did I even let this happen?


    ¡ª


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    ¡°Indeed! All it offers is just the teensiest bit broken, as you might imagine?¡±


    ¡°What about it specifically?¡±


    ¡°Well, how should I put this¡­¡± The woman before me taps her chin once, twice, and thrice, before sighing with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s the foundation of an entire class you have there? The limit of a skill''s rarity that you should be capable of getting at your level with a common class should be epic, and even then that¡¯s about a two percent chance? But you just so happened to get an epic, a rare, recycled both, and managed to roll the one percent chance on the only unique that you were eligible for? Frankly, it¡¯s ridiculous. If I were you, I¡¯d be afraid of your karma Mr. Koth. Good things don¡¯t happen this frequently without consequence.¡±


    I shrug in response, I¡¯m infallible you know? And I¡¯m right a hundred percent of the time, ninety percent of the time.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, no need to take my word for it. But, your skill will be adjusted, and there is no room for argument on that front. The only thing you have control over is what you¡¯ll get in return.¡±


    Right¡­ so, they could give me a material item of some sort, or maybe more experience or whatever, but at the same time, this is a unique rarity ability, first of its kind ever in the entire game. I¡­ kind of just wanna keep it!


    ¡°Is there a way for me to say, get it back in the future¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ now that you mention it, I suppose there is¡­ a way.¡±


    ¡°And that would be?¡± I ask and lean forward just the slightest bit.


    ¡°We could give you a nerfed version of it, but give you a way to get it back after reaching a¡­ certain point in the game. Would that perhaps be acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what point in the game that would be.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, well, I¡¯ll let you in on a secret. That¡¯s a skill you automatically get whenever you acquire a certain class. Call it a hunch, but I have the feeling you¡¯ll end up getting that class at some point. So, instead of giving you a reacquisition method for that particular skill, you get that skill now in the form of a nerfed variant, and it¡¯ll acquire its full power when you get the corresponding class. Additionally, you¡¯ll also get a whole other skill slot to use due to [Bearer Of The Promised Fables] no longer taking one up. Is that¡­ acceptable?¡± She tilts her head at me with a knowing smile. Though, I¡¯m not sure what it is she knows¡­


    ¡°I¡­ suppose it is.¡± I nod in response, getting to keep a version of it for now that¡¯s just weaker overall and getting it back later doesn¡¯t sound too bad, especially if I¡¯ll be stronger in the long run. If anything that¡¯s good for me, since even if this gets nerfed it¡¯ll still probably be really good, just not¡­ as good.


    After a moment, she clapped to catch my attention once more. ¡°Then we¡¯ve come to an accord! Every problem is addressed, and everything shall be set right in due time. I take it you¡¯re satisfied?¡±


    I simply nod, I¡¯m not all that miffed about this, everything went fairly well, really. I¡¯m not going to try and argue with devs that much, I figure it probably won¡¯t end that well. I¡¯ve found it¡¯s usually best to trod carefully in situations like this in the past.


    ¡°Good, good. Oh and¡­ if I may be so bold¡­?¡±


    ¡°...Yes?¡±


    ¡°You might want to work on that smile of yours.¡±


    Wh-pardon? Oh, yeah I guess I am smiling. I haven¡¯t needed to correct it in awhile. None of my summons ever point it out, and I¡¯ve been spending a lot of time with them as of late, for, obvious reasons.


    Hey-what the hell is she doing pointing it out though??? I get it¡¯s a creepy look but- ¡°Rud-¡±


    And my vision blacks out.


    ¡ª


    Oh, right, because it wasn¡¯t that bad of a deal.


    Fable Bearer-All monsters under the user''s command gain a 25% increase to their stats. All monsters with a class of rare or above heal an additional 1% of their HP per 3 seconds while in [Recall]. The user may convert the HP, MP, or stamina of themselves equivalent recovery for a monster under their control at the cost of their own MP depending on how much is transferred.


    Oh holy gut¡­ I mean, they called it [Fable Bearer] for real this time, but what the hell they nerfed the best part of it! I can only take stats from MYSELF now, rather than everybody, which is¡­ yikes. But, on top of that!


    Latent Potential-This individual is destined for greatness. Upon fulfilling it, they will gain one extra skill hand, and an existing skill will be improved.


    This thing! Which is cool, doesn¡¯t do anything right now, but an extra free skill is nice! Very, very nice.


    Despite the nerf¡­ I keep smiling, it¡¯s not really that bad. I¡¯ll get it all back at some point.


    It¡¯s a raw, unfiltered smile too. Of which I now take conscious note of. Jasper doesn¡¯t care, Screech doesn¡¯t care, neither does Jerry¡­ well, Jerry might care, but not that much.


    It¡¯s nice, just to be sitting here.


    [Summon].


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted you to be out as well, it¡¯s a nice night.¡±


    ¡°...Mmh.¡±


    To my left, a ravenous gluttonous beast which shall not be named, at my right, the inverse, and at my side, an oversized house cat.


    Shame none of them are real, it¡¯d be nice to just stick around somebody who doesn¡¯t mind a face.


    ¡­But this isn¡¯t so bad either.

 C63-Through The Dark

    As usual, my body¡¯s a little sore, spending so long without any proper movement doesn¡¯t do you much good on that front, and it¡¯s not like I have particularly high quality immersion gear¡­


    Eh, whatevs! Now, let¡¯s get down to business!


    I [Recall]ed everybody before logging out, so it¡¯s not like I¡¯m in a race against time here or anything, they won¡¯t get mauled while I¡¯m gone, because right now none of them exist, but I would like to get back to gaming within a not significant amount of time.


    Okay¡­ huuuuup!


    One stretch¡­ two stretch, red stretch blue stretch, don¡¯t trip over yourself, get adjusted to being a normal person again, and¡­ cool! Now, what are we feeling?


    I¡¯ve got a bunch of ready made stuff, and it¡¯ll probably spoil soon enough, so getting around to that is the priority, but at the same time, I haven¡¯t actually eaten in awhile. It¡¯s uh, it¡¯s been a bit of a day you know?


    So, do we solve this issue with a proper meal? Ooooor, do we just chuck more than one thing in the microwave?


    Ding ding ding!


    Open up the nuggies, tear the pretzels out, wham bam in and in they go, slam beep boop bop, and now we wait.


    ¡°Du-dululudu-du¡­ Hey Luci?¡±


    ¡°Yes Ethan?¡±


    ¡°Disable the Immersion Gear.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, Ethan.¡±


    I¡¯ve left it on for a good while now. These things aren¡¯t usually prone to lagging or overheating, but you¡¯re always better safe rather than sorry, no? Like I said, not exactly a high quality model that I¡¯ve got my hands on.


    ¡°Du-dululudu-du, du-dululudu-du, du-dululudu-du, du-dululudu-du, du-dululudu-du, bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bop-bah, rabadingadabadoobadin-¡±


    Beep!


    YOINK!


    Indeed, those were the slowest thirty seconds of my life. But now, my prize of sustenance awaits me.


    I¡¯d go eat outside, but I get the feeling I¡¯d just be disappointed. Better to eat in house, the mundane is much better than the false glamor of the outside world.


    Oh also it¡¯s really cold out. Middle of winter, not very coolio.


    So¡­ I sit down, the plate follows suit, and the munchies thereafter.


    It¡¯s a very standard affair, follow suit some other necessities do, and just like that? I¡¯m once more ready to log back in.


    ¡°Luci!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ethan?¡±


    ¡°Please get the immersion gear ready, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Working on it now.¡±


    ¡­First time in a week that it¡¯s said anything else. Neat. Well, that¡¯ll take a minute or two, so what to do while I wait?


    ¡­


    ¡°Du¡­¡±


    Nah, don¡¯t wanna get that stuck in my head while I¡¯m playing¡­ what else? It¡¯s cold outside, not much to do¡­ I could¡­ shoot some of my friends a DM, I guess?


    Oh yeah, it¡¯s been a day, I wonder how Onesie¡¯s doing? Surely he¡¯s made some amount of progress by now? A fighting force of fifteen people total, was it? Fourteen guys and himself¡­ yeah I think that¡¯s about right. Fifteen people-surely have to had made some kind of dent in the game by now? They were level seven average last time we talked, and they¡¯re not exactly a group of incompetents, so¡­ couldn¡¯t hurt to check in, right?


    ¡°Hey nerdalerd how are u and your guild doing on omniscient?¡±


    ¡­I guess I could also fill him in on how I¡¯m doing as well. No harm to be done, plus I¡¯m probably better off than he is. Flex time BABY!


    ¡°Im at an average level of eleven now-¡± do I count Jerry in there¡­? Naaaaaaaaah. ¡°And I¡¯ve got a buncha different stuff, howzabout you guys?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond with the last message I sent either, so, now we wait. While we¡¯re waiting on that front¡­ Hm, how are Cassie and Rither doing?


    It¡¯s been a bit, I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t mind a check in as well.


    ¡ª


    You know what? Despite the lack of low stamina, with the most recent meal? It really feels like everybody is proper sleepy right now! Jerry and Screech are both quiet-well, for Jerry that¡¯s normal, but Screech is definitely more subdued than normal. Jasper is her usual self, in that she doesn¡¯t speak out unless spoken to, but¡­ I guess what I¡¯m trying to say is that Screech isn¡¯t being obtuse.


    For a moment there I was worried that the dev team, or whatever had ended up going through with that personality change or whatever it was, but with a simple question consisting of the words ¡°are you doing alright?¡± I quickly figured out how alright she was doing.


    Spoiler warning, she¡¯s still a yapper.


    Anyways! As we were.


    So, I¡¯m always up for some late night gaming, but there is one minor issue here. It¡¯s rather dark out, yeah? I¡¯m not sure how well that bodes with half the total of the team being sleepy, and the other half not having super duper magic sense. I¡¯m also not sure what exactly I should even be out here doing?


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    I know that, lady, who I¡¯m just going to start calling The Compensator (with an accent), told me that there¡¯s something around here worth my time? But I¡¯m also not sure how I should go about finding that. Especially given, the, you know, aforementioned darkness?


    Well, I suppose it couldn¡¯t hurt to just start with walking, right?


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Mmh¡­¡±


    ¡°It probably couldn¡¯t hurt to have you out and about right now, you have better night vision than I do, of that I¡¯m sure we¡¯re certain.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± [Summon]! ¡°Just you and me for now.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    I move to pat her on the head, but she shies away from the touch, taking a few steps away. Or, well, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d say ¡°shied¡± away, moreso that she¡¯s explicitly uncomfortable with the idea of it. Which is odd, given she was practically on my lap about thirty minutes ago?


    ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°...Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t pry.¡±


    Well¡­ where was i? Just¡­ walk around, leave behind the smoldering embers of this impromptu campsite.


    Whilst it¡¯s, like I said, not particularly bright out, it¡¯s also not that difficult to just trace the side of the canyon. The non-sloped side especially is easy on this particular front.


    You know, the thought does occur, most of these walls seem to connect to each other at some point. And I¡¯ve seen two clearings in total by now. So¡­ is this place just kind of, one, giant maze? If I think about it like that, then, won¡¯t I eventually find something no matter what as long as I hug one wall?


    Hm¡­ that could work, not like I have any other plans. So, here we go!


    ¡ª


    First hour report! Hello gamers, god gamers, and plebs alike, this is Koth signing in. Hour one of our little moonlit walk? Me and Jasper have trounced about thirteen different chimera serpent things! Specifically, they¡¯re called Medusal Snares, but I didn¡¯t look to leave them alive long enough to figure out why they were called that.


    I would¡¯ve if any of them managed to survive more than two hits from Jasper, but each and every one of them were incredibly squishy, at an average level of ten no less.I dunno if they¡¯re like, magic hard counters, or, super high damage dealers but they have no agility, but either way they¡¯re not in the cards for me.


    In other news¡­ literally nothing has happened. I got about a hundred fifty experience from that little encounter, but, that¡¯s it. I mean, Screech also got that experience, cause I summoned her for individual kills, but that¡¯s it.


    Uh, sorry to leave you hanging? There really just wasn¡¯t much that happened. Moving on¡­


    ¡ª


    THE SECOND HOUR! EVEN LESS HAPPENED!


    Which is weird, cause there was usually at least one monster encounter per hour. There isn¡¯t anybody else in this whole area either, is there? So what¡¯s up with the low monster spawns? I was finding at least one goober every minute or two in the starter area¡­ Oh well, just keep on hugging this wall. Not like Jasper is miuch for conversation either.


    ¡ª


    The third¡­ hour¡­


    You know, I love getting invested into these little things, right? But this might be pushing it just a little bit. Throughout the entirety of the third hour, do you wanna take a wild guess as to what happened? Absolutely god damn NOTHING, it¡¯s absolutely ridiculous! Like I swear I¡¯m about to just go do something else entirely.


    If nothing happens during the entirety of the fourth hour, then buddy, we¡¯re doOH SHIT!


    The wall at my side suddenly caves in-no, caves in isn¡¯t right, it opens up, no that STILL isn¡¯t right, there was a massive crevice in the wall! I didn¡¯t see it, for, you know, obvious reasons, but it was still there! What are the consequences of this crevice I hear you ask? Well, you see, it takes me about half a second to find out!


    14!


    ¡­Ow.


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    Ugh¡­


    Pushing myself up, I dust myself off and take a look around, all to see pitch blackness.


    As is to be expected, but this is definitely an improvement over what I was just doing! An actual opening into a cave of some kind, woah, wow, holy moly even!


    Now¡­ Just need a source of light!


    And¡­ I have no torch. Hm, that might be a predicament.


    ¡°Oh Screeeeeeeeech!¡±

 C64-Flicker

    Tis a good thing she just learned how to maintain a fire like this, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have much fun exploring with constant grenade flashbangs lighting the way.


    I do feel kind of bad keeping her up, but it¡¯s not like she doesn¡¯t do it to herself. I mean, she was literally out for truffles around now in game time. Though, if I think about it, she did kind of only attack once during the night¡­ hm.


    Well, I¡¯ll keep this little foray short. And it might be shorter than I expected. Haven¡¯t quite found anything in this dusty old cave yet, but it does continue to stretch on. No monsters, no items, nada, zilch. Just more and more ground to cover. Actually, a thought occurs.


    ¡°Hey Screech?¡±


    ¡°...Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you sense anything?¡±


    ¡°Uh, give me a moment.¡±


    Definitely tired, what the heck is this, pausing mid sentence?


    A moment later, the fire goes out, and I do Screech the helpful little service of [Fable Bearer]ing her stamina back up to full.


    ¡­


    I¡¯m not gonna keep walking forward without a light, and neither is Jasper given I can feel her tail swish against my leg a moment later. So, here we stand, waiting for Screech to do whatever it is she does.


    I mean, I know she¡¯s using her trait, apparently? But I¡¯m not sure what exactly that entails¡­ like, is it just a normal thing for her? Is she using a skill of some kind? Somewhere in between there? Or like-


    ¡°Actually, I think I do¡­¡±


    Ooo! ¡°Whaddya think it is?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, it¡¯s not a very strong presence.¡±


    ¡°But you can feel it, right? Like, tell where it is?¡±


    ¡°Yeah-huh that I can. It¡¯s not too far ahead actually. I think we could get there at this pace in another five or so minutes?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ think you could lead us?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I could it really shouldn¡¯t be that difficult. I just¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, you don¡¯t need to say it. I realize I should let you get some proper rest. I figured you¡¯d be fine as long as your stamina was topped off, but I guess that¡¯s not all there is to it. Once we¡¯re done here I won¡¯t wake you up again for at least a few hours. Er, unless shit¡¯s hitting the fan.¡±


    ¡°...¡¯Shit¡¯s hitting the fan¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh, it¡¯s a saying for like, when a situation turns into a bad situation. You can think of it as a situation wherein I would get murdered without your help.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay! So erm, you wanted me to lead the way?¡±


    ¡°Yeah-huh, that I do. Lead away hun.¡±


    She blinks at me slowly once, then twice, before slowly turning her head forward to the path ahead of us, conjuring the same fire she¡¯s been using the trip so far.


    ¡°Just follow the flame and we should get to whatever it is soon enough.¡±


    Right, right¡­


    ¡°Thanks Screech.¡±


    Well, nothing to be gained by making this take any longer than it needs to, right?


    ¡°Jasper, let¡¯s pick up the pace a bit shall we?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    With a curt nod of agreement, that¡¯s all I need to know to be off to the races! Hup two three four hup two three f-


    8!


    Ramming straight into a wall, I fall flat on my back and promptly regret my choices, especially because I just sent Screech sprawling across the floor by falling over, and the light spawned by her is next to go out.


    Owie. There would¡¯ve gone my nose if this was real life. Anyways, the hell was that?


    Karst¡¯s Causeway


    Recommended LVL 11


    Would you like to enter this dungeon?


    Y/N


    Ah, alright then. A dungeon! A dungeon? The actual hell? I mean I guess this place fits the asthetic of one, but doesn¡¯t this feel like it¡¯s just kinda come out of nowhere? I mean c¡¯mon, aren¡¯t ¡°dungeons¡± supposed to be grand? Like an adventure standalone or a capping off a sick quest, not just something you find in the middle of a dank dark cave right?


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    ¡°What happened¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Screech, hit a wall of some sort.¡± I mentally mumble as I collect myself, sitting upright and [Recall]ing her a moment afterward. She kind of, er, took damage, so the first one doesn¡¯t work, but a moment later another [Recall] safely stows her away.


    Alrighty, up we go, upsy daisy, on your feet, now¡­ what¡¯s up with this wall?


    I rap my knuckles against the barrier before me, once again resulting in the same text popping up in my UI.


    Karst¡¯s Causeway


    Recommended LVL 11


    Would you like to enter this dungeon?


    Y/N


    Hm, so since this barrier is here, does that mean if I go in, I can¡¯t leave freely? Perhaps I should, perhaps, think this over before entering. Indeed, I should be a cautious little fellow and not follow a whim on this one, for that would be the optimal pl-


    YES. LET ME IN, LET ME IIIIIIIII-


    And¡­ the barrier just dissipates, my hand phasing through where it was a moment earlier without any difficulty.


    ¡°Alright Screech, could you please keep lighting the way for a little bit?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ guess so.¡±


    Alrighty, pop another [Summon] and wallah!


    Following suit shortly after her, the same fire as always flickers into existence, illuminating the vicinity of the cave. Nothing¡¯s immediately changed after entering this supposed dungeon, but I figure it probably won¡¯t stay that way.


    Okay¡­ step forward! Step right up!


    Nothing changes. Step forward again¡­ nada, no change in the air? Alrighty¡­ Oh, where¡¯s Jasper?


    I turn around to see her eyeing up the rest of the cave with a suspicious glint in her eye, not having yet stepped over the place where the barrier previously stood.


    ¡°Hey Jasper? You coming?¡±


    ¡°...Mhm.¡±


    And when she steps over that spot¡­ nothing happens! Crazy!


    ¡°Alright everybody, I¡¯d be on guard, I have a feeling we might run into a few monsters. And Screech¡­ is that presence nearby yet?¡±


    ¡°Y-wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm, wazzup?¡±


    She blinks a few times in surprise before saying anything, her previously sagging body straightening up at a moment¡¯s notice. Where she¡¯d priorly been struggling to keep her eyes open, now they slowly widen bit by bit.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot stronger now? Like it¡¯s everywhere! Hey you said we walked into a wall of some kind right do you have any idea what that was? Maybe it had something to do with whatever is happening right now because what¡¯s happening right now feels really really really weird-¡±


    ¡°Woah, woah, woah, woah, slow down for a second. Whaddya mean it¡¯s everywhere?¡±


    Tilting her head side to side, up and down back and forth, Screech finally ends the rapid series of movement, eyes now open, clearly wide awake.


    ¡°I mean it¡¯s everywhere! That same presence I felt a moment ago is literally everywhere now! It¡¯s not particularly oppressive or strong but it¡¯s all over the place. I don¡¯t have any idea what could¡¯ve caused this. I know you said there was some kind of barrier but one that was able to block out this much presence wouldn¡¯t have let any leak through to begin with!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ do you think we should leave or like-¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°I was asking the expert, Jasper.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an expert?¡±


    ¡°Better than I am.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true I guess! But no I¡¯m really curious I wanna see what the heck is happening!!! Let¡¯s go!!!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be alright. Reminder, I can¡¯t die, and I definitely won¡¯t let either of you go bang bang, don¡¯t worry about it. Well, Screech? Just keep on lighting the way.¡±


    ¡°Gladly!¡±

 C65-Causeways Shade

    Drip, drip, drop. That¡¯s the sole ambience allowed to this place apparently. Or, well, besides the quietly crackling flame that Screech is maintaining.


    It¡¯s gradually been getting a little bit wetter the longer we¡¯ve been walking, and while I¡¯ve certainly noticed a difference in the way Jasper walks, her entire form bouncing about as she avoids patches of moisture, Screech doesn¡¯t even blink when a droplet plops down on her cranium.


    She¡¯s practically infatuated with our surroundings, and well, good for her to be honest. Despite her silence, her eyes flit about as she scans the cave walls, remaining stock still as she does whatever it is she¡¯s doing.


    Well, either way, it doesn¡¯t matter to me as long as she keeps the fire burning, so I¡¯ll just keep on keeping on, hm?


    On the other hand, Jasper seems to be having not as great of a time. As previously mentioned, she¡¯s very purposefully avoiding puddles, bouncing around me to an almost comical degree as she avoids any and all of it to the best of her ability. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s not just making a game of it, both because her tail is snapping back and forth, and also because she¡¯s not the kind of person to make a game of it.


    ¡°Would you rather just be insubstantial right now?¡±


    ¡°Mm-mm.¡±


    ¡°But why though?¡±


    ¡°MMh.¡±


    ¡°Whaddya mean you shouldn¡¯t? I¡¯m not going to explode if you disappear for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Mm-mm. Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then what is it about?¡±


    ¡°Mm, mmm?¡±


    Of course I remember [Blessing Of The Hunt], silly little skill that it was.


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    Pausing for a moment, Jasper¡¯s entire body sags before she whaps my leg with her tail.


    1!


    With enough force to deal damage apparently, crazy.


    And immediately after, tilts her head around our entire vicinity. Completing a full circle with the movement before staring at me once again.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure I follow.¡±


    I¡¯m pretty sure I see her left eye twitch in response, but she takes a moment to do anything else, just walking with me down this long, long tunnel.


    ¡°Everything alright?¡±


    Without a word of response, Jasper lifts a paw to the air, and whilst I don¡¯t feel anything, Screech¡¯s head snaps in her direction so fast I have to wonder how she didn¡¯t just break her neck. If I blinked, I wouldn¡¯t have even caught sight of the movement.


    ¡°Mm, mm.¡±


    ¡°Wow what in the name of the world is that!?¡±


    ¡°M-¡±


    ¡°The mana all around us just changed-changed principles I think? It¡¯s something entirely different that I haven¡¯t seen before what did you do-Jasper-Jasper was it?¡±


    ¡°Mm-¡±


    Fluttering down from my shoulder, Screech lands on the ground right in front of Jasper, looking her up and down as she hops from side to side.


    ¡°No you didn¡¯t change the property at all! It¡¯s still the same kind of mana. It¡¯s just denser and more concentrated than it was before! But that makes it feel so different that I mistook it at first glance! How did you do that how did you do that how did you do-¡±


    ¡°MM!¡±


    ¡°Eep!¡±


    Jasper¡¯s paw comes crashing down, smacking against the stone floor with an audible thwap. It wasn¡¯t even aimed at Screech, but she leapt back either way, anxiety ripping its way through the connection that¡¯s shared between us in the same moment. Though, it¡¯s quickly forgotten as her vision darts back and forth once again.


    ¡°Wait-no no no what did you do? It¡¯s gone now! Entirely gone-even the less concentrated mana from before! What did you do with-¡±


    [Recall].


    ¡°Alright, Screech? Chill for a second.¡±


    ¡°But WHY?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re clearly getting on Jasper¡¯s nerves?¡±


    ¡°M. H. M.¡±


    Yoinking her with a [Recall] sounded like a better idea than either literally grabbing her or walking in between her and Jasper, that¡¯s the only reason I did it. I don¡¯t think the ability to communicate with each other is disabled even if one is material and the other isn¡¯t, but switching her focus to me instead of Jasper for a moment probably can¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t mind answering some questions-¡± I shoot her a glare as I say that, swear to GUOWAD if she argues right now- ¡°But you need to ask them slowly no matter how excited you are. I don¡¯t think Jasper is nearly as patient as I am when it comes to this, and you two aren¡¯t exactly friends. In fact, isn¡¯t this literally the first time you¡¯ve gone out of your way to talk to her?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah! But she¡¯s always so boring she barely does or says anything!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And to that; she has nothing to say. I¡¯ll just step in on her part¡­


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s kind of rude.¡±


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    ¡°Rude or not it¡¯s true!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, damn.


    ¡°Mm, mm-mm.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re not going to answer anything?!¡±


    Yeah, me personally, I wouldn¡¯t take that either.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just decide that on a whim! We¡¯ve barely even talked yet that¡¯s-¡±


    As Screech¡¯s complaints fade in my mind, my gaze being drawn elsewhere as somebody else finally becomes the target of her¡­ expeditious ranting, I find myself just gazing down the tunnel. And then it clicks, no Screech means no fire.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you back out, just don¡¯t get in Jasper¡¯s face alright?¡±


    ¡°Wha-oh okay! Now Jasper come on please you can¡¯t just-¡±


    [Summon].


    Even preoccupied as she is, the fire Screech created is still managing, but it¡¯s definitely flickering a bit as opposed to before. Or well, it¡¯s a little bit more variable, if you will? At times it looks like it¡¯s about to wink out, and at others it bursts, well¡­ aflame.


    Even preoccupied as the other she is, Jasper continues to match my pace, walking alongside me. At last her apprehension with the moisture of the cave seems to have been placed to the side given she¡¯s not bothering to avoid puddles anymore, even kicking up the occasional splash of water, which I have very purposefully not been doing to avoid splashing her! Thanks, Jasper, the ¡°consideration¡± is appreciated!


    Alright, whilst they¡¯re bickering or whatever¡­ I¡¯m just gonna take stock of the situation. We¡¯ve been walking for about fifteen minutes now, and I¡¯m kind of astonished nothing¡¯s been happening. I¡¯m not sure what Jasper was on about earlier, but if she could manipulate the mana around here, then very clearly it has something to do with Wild Hunt, yeah?


    She does have [Trappings Of Magic], but that¡¯s only capable of yoinking attack skills, or at least that¡¯s what the skill says it does. I also don¡¯t think she used any skills? Or at least not one that I can see. [Blessing Of The Hunt], as I recall, allows the manipulation of ¡°Wild Hunt energy¡± or whatever it was called. So if that¡¯s just a variant of mana, like Screech seems to think it is¡­


    Then what the heck is it doing in this place? And why is there so much of it according to her? Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be a finite resource?


    Hmmm¡­ something about this doesn¡¯t sit right, are we sure this is a level eleven dungeon¡­?


    Tap¡­


    And what¡¯s with the water theme? I looked up the word ¡°causeway¡± as well, and blah blah blah, a causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water".


    So¡­ given the slight incline down this place has, we¡¯re clearly on top of or around some body of water right? Heading towards it? It could explain the long travel time this dungeon seems to support¡­ or maybe, we¡¯re heading into a more open area¡­?


    Hm¡­


    Tap¡­


    Tap¡­


    Either way, water¡¯s falling more frequently the further we move in, so clearly¡­


    Tap¡­


    Tap¡­


    Tap¡­


    Oh, wait a minute, that doesn¡¯t sound like wate-


    Almost immediately after the thought occurs, a figure shrouded in darkness comes flying into view, appearing just as Screech¡¯s flame flickered out for a moment, the disturbance providing it with just the right amount of coverage to get close. And instead of going for Jasper, it goes straight for me.


    21!


    But it¡¯s slow, much too slow to hit me anyways. Leaning back, I simply avoid the appendages aimed at my throat by limboing under them, and proceed to punch the thing in the throat.


    Without so much as a grunt or yelp, it goes flying back as Jasper¡¯s attention finally snaps back from the ongoing argument towards the assailant at the edges of the light of our ¡°torch¡±. Without a moment¡¯s delay after the fact, Jasper took off sprinting toward the downed enemy, and given it already wasn¡¯t fast enough to get the drop on me¡­


    Well, Jasper makes quick work of it.


    [Wild Hunt¡¯s Mark]


    122!


    Or, at least, that¡¯s what I would say if it actually died to that attack. Instead of doing so, it actually attacks back. Soldiering through the jaws in its side, one of the shadowy creature¡¯s appendages lash out upwards, striking clean through Jasper¡¯s side in return.


    54!


    The exchange has a clear winner, but the shock of actually getting hit back after landing such a devastating blow seems to throw Jasper off for a moment, her jaws coming loose, allowing the creature to slip back into the shadows. I can¡¯t exactly blame her, given she doesn¡¯t get hit like that all that often. But it is unfortunate.


    ¡°Screech! We need a bigger light, whatever your concerns earlier were can wait for a moment, Jasper will give you proper answers in a moment.¡±


    ¡°M-¡±


    ¡°NON-NEGOTIABLE!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really!¡±


    ¡°Really???¡±


    ¡°JUST SHOOT THE DAMN FIREBALL-¡±

 C66-Unbridled Power of Ten Milliliters of Water

    FWOOSH


    Deciding not to question me any further, with a wave of a wing, a literal wall of flame manifests before Screech. This is the first time I¡¯ve actually seen her make any sort of motion to conjure something, so, maybe that¡¯s got something to do with this?


    Because as far as I¡¯m aware, this is a massive display of power in comparison to anything she¡¯s done before? It¡¯s not a stock still display of magic either, the entire thing advances down the cavern, nearly blocking the entire path with its bulk.


    ¡°Is that good?¡±


    ¡°I mean it¡¯s certainly a light! Kind of, y¡¯know, blocking our line of sight though?¡±


    ¡°Is that a bad thing? Didn¡¯t you want whatever that was dead?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but,¡± I wave at the conjured flames to demonstrate a point, ¡°do you think whatever it is, can¡¯t outrun that?¡±


    ¡°...Maybe?¡±


    ¡°I think it can.¡±


    ¡°Well I think it won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°And you think that why?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Shush up Jasper!¡±


    ¡°No no, she has a point.¡±


    ¡°Does not!¡±


    ¡°M-¡±


    ¡°Are we forgetting there¡¯s still an enemy around? Can we please pick up the bantering later?¡±


    It¡¯s a weird feeling to have to deliberate on somebody else getting squirreled by something. It¡¯s usually myself that I have to get back on track¡­ it¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing? I¡¯d rather have NPCs be entertaining rather than mute¡­ but we do need to get things done.


    ¡°Banter?¡±


    ¡°...Mhm.¡±


    Not gracing either of them with a response, I intrepidly step forward after the searing wave of flames, taking a quick look over our current stats¡­ and more specifically Screech¡¯s stats. That looked like a big usage of MP, so I don¡¯t doubt her stamina probably took a hit from that.


    56/120


    ¡­Yup.


    ¡°Alright you two, listen up. Here¡¯s our general battle plan, alright? Jasper, I know you like to go in and deal with enemies yourself, but there¡¯s no reason for you to really be leaving my side. Loathe as I am to admit it, I am vulnerable without you as my vanguard. At least to enemies with high speed anyways. You can deal good damage, but on that note, so can Screech.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing to be upset about, we won¡¯t be able to make full use of your phantoms this way, but that¡¯s alright. You can still send out your [Phantom Assailant] to farm MP and phantoms, right?


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Screech pops in, asking a question that, to be honest, I¡¯m frankly astonished she didn¡¯t ask immediately after I started speaking.


    ¡°You¡¯ll also stay close to me, but you¡¯ll be our main damage dealer for anything that doesn¡¯t run straight up to us to get shredded by Jasper. Every time you want to cast a spell, you run it by me first alright? You have a tendency to either use way too much or way too little MP on a spell, so just tell me when you want to cast and I¡¯ll let you know how much MP to use on it, okay?¡±


    ¡°Alright that sounds fine! But do I really need to talk to you for every spell?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...Okay!¡±


    Wait, wait, wait, one very important thing to make note of-


    ¡°Except for keeping a light present, you don¡¯t need to tell me every time you do that.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay!¡±


    The previous hesitation in her voice dissipates almost immediately, so I feel I hit that one on the head right there. On that note¡­


    ¡°...And don¡¯t be afraid to ask me about something if you find it questionable. I¡¯d rather you clear something up while nothing¡¯s happening than have it explode in the middle of a fight.¡±


    ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°Screech, I know you¡¯re a little¡­¡±


    How to say this without being an ass?


    ¡°Eccentric, but just use your common sense alright? You¡¯ve been speaking to me for a few days now, you know how not to get on my nerves to at least some degree, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yeeeeeeeeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡±


    I clap once, signaling the end of my little impromptu conference as the last flames of Screech¡¯s most recent spell flicker away.


    ¡°Jasper, like I said, stick to me. Don¡¯t break away from me for any reason unless you get the okay from me first. Always make sure you¡¯re within¡­ five meters of me, so you can teleport to me at any moment. Screech, stay on my shoulder so you can activate [Featherguard] at any moment and so you¡¯re also protected by Jasper, identify possible targets and then get the okay from me to cast spells at them. Are we all clear?¡±


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    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡­And I guess we have one last member to address.


    ¡°Jerry, you caught all of that?¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡±


    He really doesn¡¯t speak up, at ALL unless addressed. It¡¯s rather annoying really.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t need to summon you in any case, but just so you¡¯re aware, I might need to throw you in the way of an attack if worse comes to worst, body block something so as to not die. So just be prepared, alright?¡±


    ¡°W-wait, don¡¯t do that please?¡±


    ¡°...Alright, then what can you do besides that?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re here, taking up one of my summon slots, you need to at least be somewhat helpful. Your abilities aren¡¯t anything of note, and at our current point you¡¯re very, very underleveled. As far as I¡¯m aware, your only use is to be eating up hits that could be potentially fatal to Me Jasper or Screech when we¡¯re low on health. So, if you don¡¯t want to fill that role, then what else can you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Think on that, would you? I¡¯m all for letting you do whatever you think is helpful, but it¡¯ll at least have to be something. You can¡¯t just sit everything out.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jasper nods to nothing in particular as she strides to my side, tail flicking in some semblance of agitation.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Right, that should be everything, let¡¯s keep moving everybody. Screech, I know you find the mana around here just fascinating, but we can talk about it later when we¡¯re not in immediate peril alright? This is still a dungeon at the end of the day. And I¡¯m sure Jasper would be happy to share some of her knowledge on it after we¡¯re done.¡±


    Slowly, Screech¡¯s head tilts at Jasper, who merely sags in response.


    ¡°Alright! Now, let¡¯s start with finding the interloper. Screech?¡±


    ¡°Yeeeees?¡±


    Huzzah, [Fable Bearer]!


    ¡°Your stamina is back to full.¡±


    ¡°I noticed!~¡± She all but literally chirps.


    ¡°So, if you would, a light?¡±


    ¡°Right sorry about that!¡±


    Phasing back into existence, a gentle flame manifests before my eyes, illuminating the cavern once again!


    ¡­As well as another five different shadow creatures.


    At least they¡¯re in the light this time, right? Meaning I can actually properly make them out! Four of them are rats of some kind, whilst one is a lynx! That¡¯s moderately interesting, and given everything I¡¯ve seen regarding this place so far¡­ I¡¯d hazard a guess and say they¡¯re probably Phantoms? Similar to the one Jasper¡¯s [Call Of The Wild Hunt] makes at the least? It¡¯d match up with them being rats and a cat, cause¡­ Scourge, and a Stalker? Or maybe just a normal Lynx?


    Well either way I don¡¯t have too much time to mull it over, cause they come swarming towards us real fast.


    ¡ª


    The rats aren¡¯t too fast, in fact, I¡¯d say they¡¯re even slower than the actual rats that swarmed the Karst, which matches up with Phantoms yet again, because they¡¯re weaker than their living counterparts.


    Meanwhile, the lynx remains stock still, merely observing from a distance as its four allies charge us.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to manipulate the water all around us and cut them apart.¡± Screech notifies me just as I¡¯d asked moments prior, but¡­


    Huh, she can do that? I mean, I guess it is called ¡°[Elemental Magic]¡±, not just fire magic.


    ¡°Use 30 MP on that.¡± I shoot right back, not even bothering to move as the rats approach. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ll just get ripped apart by the incoming spell, so¡­ no need, right?


    Without a single movement on her part, the water around us practically roars to life, tendrils of the stuff forming from the walls and floor within moments. Puddles coalesce, droplets stop midair, moisture condenses in an instant at her command, and within the next, it all lashes out at her targets.


    Each and every dollop empowered by her spell comes crashing towards the phantom rats, some taking the form of bladed tendrils, others rocketing towards them like bullets, one gets sliced in half 64! Another gets pierced through by a drop no bigger than a fingernail 55! Each and every one of them get ravaged by the incoming tide, dozens of damage notifications ringing out in quick succession as the rats are utterly obliterated.


    And in their place¡­ all that remains is a now much bigger puddle. Not like they had any blood to tinge it red, I suppose.


    ¡°...That was only thirty MP?¡±


    ¡°It takes less MP to conjure something if it already exists in the environment,¡± Screech nods to herself. ¡°Meaning I can put more of it into the force of the spell!¡±


    ¡°...Good to know. Now, we just have one more to deal with!¡±


    The lynx almost seems intimidated, taking a step back¡­ and then another four rats appear right in front of it.


    Pardon?