by John Gold
Margul took the name Drako, which is what the wanderer Crius had been called in the last era. He was the first person to reach Tanatos, and he lived there alone for almost a year and a half. And while Margul made fun of him and his attempts to survive at first, he eventually came around to admiring his strength. And it wasn’t even the wanderer’s physical strength. His willpower and urge to consistently push himself were impressive, as was his attitude toward life, power, the world around him, and his convictions. The wanderer spent days hunting and practicing both his magic and his hand-to-hand combat. He despised armor, preferring just a sword and a shield. He wore the simplest clothing he could sew in makeshift conditions.
After observing him for half a year, Margul decided to show up personally and have a chat with Crius. The wanderer turned out to be interesting to talk to, and he was completely open about himself. He’d picked the super-mage class, one that drinks the blood of intelligent creatures to boost its own strength. After taking the blood, he used alchemy to turn it into something like potions that he could drink during battle. They boosted his magic and physical strength, pushing his body to its limit, though the resulting hangover left him much weaker than usual. Prolonged battles earned him long-term debuffs, so Crius started wandering the earth alone. Other players were afraid of his strength, not to mention the way he got it. There was no vampire romance to be found. It was a battle when the potions ran out, and he had to bite into his opponents to drink some of their life-saving blood. For enemies that were too strong, Crius used close-combat techniques. If they were too many, and his potions ran out, he switched from magic to the sword.
Crius spent more than ten years wandering the world, though he finally reached Tanatos, where he was able to train in peace and quiet. Finally, Akashi’s group arrived, and he left with them. But it was the year spent talking with Crius that made up Margul's favorite memories of the previous era. Crius never learned that he was talking with one of the world’s strongest gods.
Having been reborn, Margul picked the life mage class, learned how to fight hand to hand, and developed a personal style. Drinking blood ran counter to his principles. Margul didn’t want borrowed or temporary strength, so the wanderer named Drako, who joined the Black Rose clan after just a year of playing by himself, based his strategy on swords, daggers, hand-to-hand fighting, and sky-high resistance.
Another couple of years went by, and two more gods from the large pantheon were able to be reborn. That was how Rimida and Fox appeared. They joined the clan as well, as Bernard had already laid the groundwork for a path to join the high-level players. That was the second reason he was still in the clan. Gods, even after rebirth, were just as proud as ever, with the same strong personalities, and they weren’t about to bow the knee to anyone. Because of that, they never played in the same group, though they were always in the same battle faction. Right then, for example, Drako’s group and Bernard’s group were participating in the Third War of Faith, which was raging between the trinity and Veresal, the patron of mages.
Bernard was talking with Drako.
“Does anything bother you about the way things are?”
“Are you talking about the war? Or the demon attack?”
“I’m not sure. I have this feeling, like someone’s watching us, and that this is all going according to someone’s plan. It’s like there’s a third party who knows what both sides are going to do.”
“We’ll find out soon, my friend. If they do anything, it’ll be during the pitched battle for Pragada. Veresal’s main temple and forces are there. If a third party were to get involved, it would change the balance of power, enabling them to finish off the depleted victor.”
“You’re right—we’ll find out soon. I just hope it isn’t the end for all of us.”
A total of six former gods were on the trinity’s side in the war against Veresal. Nobody had any idea where the war was going to lead or who that third party was.
***
I just arrived at the hall where Anri and I first met. He’s sitting at the administration desk again, bringing in new students. I’m always surprised by his optimism, the way he looks at life. Even here, doing work he doesn’t like in this dusty room, he’s cheerful and lively. He’s overweight, like a ball—bald, old, and loving life.
He notices me immediately from behind the desk. Yet again, I’m interrupting a meal.
“Hey, Anri. I won and earned my tenth-level magic mastery.”
“I know—I’ve been waiting for you since lunch. All right, forget the formalities. I have questions for you.”
Anri is in a hurry, so he quickly offers me the astral, spell scaling, and item identification skills.
You learned a skill: Astral
Astral +1
+1% immersion into the depths of the astral, first astral layer unlocked (1/10
…
You learned a skill: Magic vision
Magic vision +1
+1% magic vision detail
…
You learned a skill: Item identification
Item identification +1
0.01% chance of identifying items correctly
…
You learned a skill: Spell scaling
Spell scaling +1
+1% spell area
When I was reading my books on the astral, I found out that there are ten layers. Each of them has a thousand sublayers. Layers and sublayers are completely different things, however. The spatial pocket I fought in, which has its own items, is in one of those sublayers. At its heart, the astral is a world of mental bodies and the souls of the dead. I have plans for how I want to use it, though it’s going to take a while for that to happen.
That identification skill is practically useless for me. Magic vision, on the other hand, lets me see spells being used even in complete darkness, and I’ll be able to differentiate between different kinds of magic with time. The boost to the area effect of my spells is the cherry on top. What if I expanded my dragon breath ten times? And what if I multiply the charge by ten? I can’t wait to give that a try. All I have to do is pass the trial for the Hunters.
Anri pulls me away from my thoughts.
“Have you selected a second specialty?”
“Yes—Life Magic.”
Anri stops eating, completely taken aback by my reply.
“You know, people usually pick combat or protective magic. Attack mages pick the same battle specialty. Only healers go for Life Magic with both specialties, and you’re certainly no healer!”
If only you knew how wrong you are, Anri. I’ve already healed more than most healers the world has ever seen. Healing millions of damage, pushing myself as far as I can go, and that’s just the beginning.
“I’m different, like you said. But I’m going to need Life Magic for a very long time.”
“Got it. Okay, I’ll stop by for you tomorrow morning, so be waiting for me in your room. I’ll have a job for you to do before you can pick up your second Life Magic specialty.”
“It isn’t going to be a battle?”
“Hardly that simple. To get your second specialty, you’re handed a quest you have to complete before you can even step foot in the arena.”
The rest of the day is spent modifying my mental body. In the evening, I do some more work for Anri, and Kirk falls asleep right before morning, having barely finished my sixth-level modification.
Mental body modified (6/10)
Resistance to mental damage boosted to 40%
Mana restoration +60%
There are downsides to not being able to sleep. That feeling of blissful forgetting, when your consciousness clicks off and your body can rest, is wonderful. And when you wake up after a good night’s sleep… That’s happiness, and it’s important to value those moments. LJ was able to, and I’m starting to understand him.
In the morning, an escort arrives to take me to the administration building.
Anri isn’t alone. There’s a gray-haired woman there weari
ng the combat outfit of a space mage. I met her once in the life department—she’s a mage swordswoman and in charge of the academy’s combat quests.
“Good morning, Anri. So, I’m going to have to fight for this one?”
“I see you know who Greta is.” The woman nods, and I can tell from her emotional field that she recognizes me. The guards at the gate probably told her who I am. “Your job will be to clear an island of monsters.”
“Wait, I’m supposed to go clear a whole island of monsters by myself? And they’re strong, too—Levels 1500–1700.”
The woman smiles, her face crinkling.
“For some reason, when we got the quest to destroy demons, Anri suggested you. He was absolutely sure you’d be fine.”
“Got it.” Evidently, he remembers the battle at the lone tree. “So, what’s the quest? What do we know about the island?”
“A demon was seen on Nemida Island a week ago. It was around Level 2000, though we don’t know what kind it was or where it’s from. The next day, the whole island was evacuated. Nobody was hurt—the demons let everyone go. But the island has been turned into a fortress, with traps and animals they’ve turned everywhere. The islanders petitioned the emperor for help, and he tasked us with the job. We don’t want to raise a ruckus about a demon invasion in the Darin Empire, so we need to do this ourselves.”
“Oh, yes? You mean, by sending me in alone against a strong demon, right into his lair?”
Anri smiles.
“You can take the trial for your next title for free.”
That makes it easy—I’m saving myself ten thousand gold.
“I’m in.”
I have two weeks to complete the quest.
The island is three days south of Kkhor, though that’s about eighteen hours of running for me. And even if the demon is strong, I’m nobody to be trifled with. A lone, abandoned island, lots of opponents, and nobody watching. It’s perfect.
I wait until the next morning to get started, as that’s when my body is fully modified.
Mental body modified (10/10)
Resistance to mental damage boosted to 50%
Mana restoration +100%
Poor Kirk sleeps until lunch again, and I set out for Nemida Island. I’m wearing a tattered cloak, my shirt and pants are simple, my feet are bare, and my face is dirty. The city guard doesn’t stop me, and I’m able to leave the city in peace via the port. The only thing I’m wearing that doesn’t fit the overall picture is the life mage ring with the Roman numeral X.
As soon as I get out onto the water, I switch on my life aura, using ten streams of consciousness and boosting the area it covers. Even the water around me changes, becoming somehow more pleasant. Duckweed and other floating plants appear instantaneously. The wake I leave behind me is covered in seaweed.
Life Magic +1
Life Magic spell effectiveness +827%
I haven’t had much time to work on my skills lately. I’m only able to boost my Life Magic by 16, though that’s pretty impressive for such a short time given the fact that it’s already above 800. One stream of consciousness keeps my seal for walking on water going, which means that my Space Magic is climbing slowly, as well.
I’m running along the Ocean of Darkness, the second largest in Project Chrysalis. Radaam stretches out along the right side; the Ocean of Terror is on the left. Legend has it that death itself fought with an unknown enemy somewhere around here. Nobody knows who the winner was, but the traces left over after the battle are still visible—enormous cracks in the seabed and islands, an aura of death and light, craters, and even a couple of waking volcanoes.
The water is glassy, night falls, and the stars reflect their light off the waves all around me. The smell of salt is in the air; astral creatures fly all around me. Sometimes, it’s like I turn off as I’m running, distracted by what’s swimming under the water. Imagination fills out the picture, and I sense fish, monsters, sea serpents, and even whales.
I get to Nemida early in the morning, and the first thing I do is climb up a tree to doze. At least, I doze with one eye shut. The other keeps watch on my surroundings.
Around noon, I wake up when a vine flies past my face. I take it to be an attack, jumping up and nearly falling out of the tree. It’s only then that I realize how lush the tree has grown in the six hours I’ve been relaxing in it. I forgot about my aura of life, and it just went on healing the tree and the plants growing on its trunk. I look down to see vines and moss, with ivy weaving its way through the crown.
When I climb down to the ground, I realize what I didn’t like about this place. Life has drained away from it. The trees have withered, there are no birds or animals, and the grass is dry. I don’t feel Death or Dark Magic, but everything’s about to die of old age. Switching to magic vision tells me that the problem is the crystals littering the island. They’re sucking in all the magic energy, depressing the natural field. The plants have to work harder to survive, and that has led them to age prematurely.
This is the first time I’m seeing a demon of this kind. He feeds less on souls and more on the mental strength they’re made of.
Barely visible eddies of air swirl everywhere in the sky. The magic field is stronger in them, almost as if they’re releasing constant flows of raw magic strength. I’m going to have to ask them at the academy what those are.
Just in case, I start shattering the vampire crystals. If they’re the demon’s source of strength, I need them gone. I head unhurriedly along the bank, destroying all traces of the demon that I can find.
Animal, Turned Wolf, Level 917
I notice him before he notices me. The wolf meanders brazenly out of the forest, studying me and waiting for a reaction. The same crystals I’ve been finding are jutting out of his body, only a little smaller. There’s no life in him. He’s just an empty shell the demon is controlling from a distance, meaning that he can feel me destroying the crystals.
The wolf rushes at me, though he’s dead a second later. I kill him with a dwarf hammer just in case my opponent is measuring me up.
A second wolf, which was watching us from the bushes, runs off into the depths of the underbrush.
An hour later, this part of the forest is clear of crystals. It’s a grove of deciduous trees, and the crystals are all dark red. Suddenly, the world turns different shades of red, the whole grove enveloped in a bloody fog. I can’t even see my own hands. My magic vision is useless, and it’s just my imp eye and advanced perception that help me spot and kill the animals rushing at me from different sides. The demon is using the bloody fog to provide cover for his attacks.
Twice more, I trip traps loaded with bloody fogs, and once, I hit a large group of bots, but the forest is completely clear of crystals by the evening.
I continue slowly around the island, shattering all the crystals I can find. There’s a cove with an abandoned village on the other side. No people or animals are left, but their boats are still there. The mages must have opened emergency evacuation portals.
The demon itself is sitting by a mine at the base of the island’s only mountain. His entire body is made out of the same kind of red crystal that was scattered all over the island. He’s three meters tall, with a humanoid body and hair made out of green crystals.
Demon, Ra, MoroKrai, Level 2077, local boss
His health is in the orange, less than half of what it should be, which means that the crystals I’ve been destroying were part of his body.
As he gets up, black and red smoke billows around him. His body clinks, the sound getting louder every second. I feel like I’m standing next to a huge resonator.
Damage received: 16000 (ignored: 81422)
6400/6400
The demon lets out a wild, malice-filled roar. For the first time, I regret having my empathy, the ability to understand the emotions living creatures are experiencing. The very fabric of space vibrates under his roar. Spirits start to pour out of his body, though none of them attack me. The demon cu
ts loose a wave of pure mental damage.
Damage received: 10000000 (ignored: 12500000)
6400/6400
My eyes fill with tears. It’s just for a second, but I see terrible pictures and souls suffering the way they did when I was in the shroud. The trees and grass crumble, the soil turns to sand, and I sink into it up to my knees. Everything living on the island dies. The demon’s captive souls are starting to abandon it, and it’s only now I notice that he’s chained to a black stump. The stump starts to pulsate; the demon starts to pulsate, too. He continues shrieking, filled with hate for humans.
“Hammer of brilliant light! Maximum!”
I overdid it a tad. My hammer slams down on the demon, driving his whole body underground, but then it explodes and throws me back fifty meters.
I’m going to have to buy new clothes. The ones I’m wearing are already ruined.
The roar stops, and the aura of hate dies away, but the island is dead. Just over half of the crystal demon is left. His legs have been torn off, but he’s still alive. Even with just one or two percent of his health, however, he couldn’t care less.
It’ll be eleven minutes before I can use my light hammer again, so I just polish him off with a dwarf hammer.
Achievement received: Titanbane. Twenty-fourth rank.
Kill an opponent 1200 levels higher than you.
Reward: +120 to all attributes
There’s something interesting in with the loot.
Ra, MoroKrai’s heart
