Sleeping Player (Project Chrysalis Book 3)

by John Gold

Fortress mana storage, stores 100000000 mana

  Class: Unique

  Durability: 1000/1000

  The fragile, delicate heart gets slipped carefully into my inventory. A unique fortress mana storage I got from a local boss for a unique quest!

  In the cave, I find a small book covered in cryptic writing. It’s leather-bound, and the words are written in blood… I decide to take it with me so I can have them analyze it at the academy.

  The whole battle was strange. Why was the demon chained to the stump? Why was he suffering when he could do ten million damage across such a large area?

  The island is dead, just a chunk of lifeless rock. My feet crunch across the gravel. Even the fish in the surrounding water are dead, their corpses littering the beach.

  I get back to Kkhor without incident. In the port, I buy new clothes, though I take care to dirty them up so I still look poor. Then, I stop by the slums for some fresh produce—I want to celebrate finishing my quest and unlocking my second specialty.

  It’s an early winter morning, it’s snowing, and the market smells of delicious food. All of Kkhor is enveloped in a white fog.

  When I get back to the room, I see Kirk sleeping on the desk, as is his wont. Half an hour later, the smell of food wakes him up. Of course, it could also have been the noise I was making gnawing on roast chicken and fresh vegetables.

  “How long have you been back?”

  “Half an hour. I already drank a liter of milk and ate a meat pie—you were sleeping so soundly that I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “What??”

  “I’m just kidding. I dozed for a couple of hours, and then I sat down to eat. Anyway, business. Have you found Femida?”

  “Not yet, though I can tell you for sure that she isn’t in Radaam. The spirits haven’t checked the other continents, but don’t worry. You gave me a good enough description for them to find her. There shouldn’t be any mistakes.”

  As soon as we have some free time, we get back to work on Kirk’s body, getting him up to the eighth level.

  And that is how the two illicit doctors spend yet another winter morning.

  For lunch, I go see Anri and hand him the strange book. He’s revolted when he sees it and asks me to give him a detailed account of everything that happened on the island. I decide not to tell him about the 10000000 damage, figuring that would give away the modification I did. We schedule the battle for my second specialty for tomorrow.

  “If you win, you can fight for the title of scholar. You haven’t used magic in the arena yet, but you’re going to have to this time. Your opponent will be a mage swordsman—don’t underestimate him.”

  I just lie in the snow until the evening, off by a new flowerbed. My aura of life is pumping at full power, and I doze off, carefully hidden behind one of the beds. There aren’t many people here, so I can rest after my long journey.

  Spell scaling +1

  +88% spell area

  The aura has a radius of about nineteen meters and approximately the same effect as my weaker healing. As the area grows, the density of the magic and its effectiveness fall. Right now, it’s almost half as strong as it used to be, though the nature around me is still livening up. Everything is blossoming, despite the fact that it’s winter, by the time I walk away.

  Finishing up Kirk’s body modification takes half the night. He hasn’t been this happy since the day we met, and watching him is an interesting experience. First, I just enjoy seeing him fall asleep with a smile on his face. Then, I start to envy his ability to sleep. My emotional field is always heightened, and I can relax the tension when I snooze. Kirk goes through stronger emotions, kind of like a child, and he goes to sleep happy and emotionally worn out. I used to hate wasting time sleeping; now, I realize how ridiculous that was.

  I doze by the flowerbed until lunch, enjoying the aroma of the spring forest. The grass weaves its way around my body, hiding me from view. Shoots start to make their way up the nearby wall.

  Some girls come by in the morning to enjoy the flowers. They stroll by my body, think it’s a step, and dash off toward the dorm after furtively picking a few blossoms. All I had to do was grab their legs and yell, “Brains!” That was fun.

  The battle for my second specialty is over quickly. My opponent is a fire mage who decides to incinerate me with his first attack. Really? Clothes ruined again?

  He takes quick hits to his larynx, his solar plexus, and the crown of his head, the last one coming from my elbow. The battle lasts less than twenty seconds. I just wish I could make him pay for my ruined clothes—half my cloak and pants are burnt off. Unfortunately, I have to go buy a mind mage robe at the store for Academy of Magic students.

  Second specialty selected: Life Magic

  Life Magic spell effectiveness +100%

  Anri gives me my second Life Magic specialty and tells me to make sure I show up for work this evening. In the meantime, it’s off to the Space Magic department for me. There’s going to be a lecture today.

  Proximus is the dean of the Space Magic department, and he’s there waiting for people to show up. A very old man, he still looks fit and trim. He has gray hair and blue eyes, and he makes a point of just wearing everyday clothes.

  I’m able to chat with him about the phenomenon I noticed over Nemida Island before the start of the lecture.

  “What you saw were rudimentary natural portals. They only exist on the magic space level, which is why one of the wanderers theorized that they are a way to automatically balance density in the magic space. The same way atmospheric pressure brings about changes in the weather, natural portals in the magic space correct the density of magic energy in our space. For example, a portal could open on Tanatos and pull magic energy somewhere less dense. That’s how the rebalancing works.”

  “That’s some awfully odd research work for a wanderer! And what kind of raw magic strength can flow elsewhere on its own? That just doesn’t make sense. Why don’t portals do the same thing? Shouldn’t the magic field around our portals be heightened?”

  “That’s a tricky question about the wanderer. His theory was described in a poorly preserved book, and it was only based on the odd way he drew out the logic that people decided he was a wanderer. There were a lot of unfamiliar terms that were originally thought to be ciphers. As far as magic energy flows, that’s simple. Our space is made out of three main layers: the physical world, the magic space, and the astral. The continent’s portal network creates paths through all of them and prevents magic energy from flowing freely. To quote the book I mentioned, ‘Natural portals only work with the magic space layer, creating something like a buffer in the astral that we see as small islets.’ It was this theory that laid the groundwork for the study of how to work with the astral.”

  “In other words, only raw magic energy flows through those miniature portals? Temporary buffers are created in the astral to connect the source and the consumer. Hm, so, could you use those portals like we use normal ones?”

  “Only theoretically. Think for yourself, young man. First, you have to find them, and they only form in areas with a heightened or lowered magic field. The fact that you were able to do so is already a miracle. Second, you wouldn’t teleport to the physical world; you’d find yourself in the astral buffer. In theory, there should be an analogous natural portal in that buffer leading to some random point. When I had just started working with Space Magic, I had similar ideas. It was later that I developed a spell that combines natural and ordinary portals, letting you travel via the natural ones. It’s a simplified teleport spell, with the part about the final location and the mental body left out. Would you like to give it a try?”

  “Am I correct in guessing that there aren’t any more people in the world capable of using it?”

  Proximus smiles and holds out his hand, offering a deal without the quest. I shake it.

  “You’re right. I’m glad I lived long enough to see whether my spell works.”

  The mage laughs. />
  “Anri had a lot of good things to say about you, and I can see why.”

  You have an offer to learn Magic space teleport

  The spell teleports you into a buffer space in the astral

  Requirement: Space Magic 500

  Mana: 25000

  Accept: Yes/No

  “Thanks.”

  You learned Magic space teleport.

  It turns out that some mages have their own designs, including this spell. Of course, there are a few nuances, including that you have to find a natural portal and then find a way out of the astral. The enormous mana cost has to do with the fact that I’ll be taken to a special pocket in the astral, and also means that it’ll cost more if I want to take someone with me.

  In the evening, I show up in the Life Magic department. Anri and the administrator are already waiting for me, and they take me into another room where they cast silence to protect us from curious ears. It’s only then that we begin talking.

  “The demon you killed on the island was a huge help. The book was his diary, and, without going into detail, he was made into live mana storage that could be sacrificed to summon Beelzebub.”

  “So, was he summoned? And was that… What was his name? Ekron?”

  The swordswoman smiles and exchanges a glance with Anri. The latter nods.

  “Ekron, a wanderer, only summoned Beelzebub’s soul—his mental body, which is currently wandering around somewhere in the astral. For Beelzebub to come to our real world in the flesh, it takes an enormous amount of energy which they were planning on gathering with the help of sacrifices. It was going to be an enormous, seven-sided seal. Your demon was one of the victims prepared for the sacrifice. When you arrived on the island, the demonologists panicked and started the ritual early. That black stump you described was a trap, an astral energy conductor that your light hammer almost destroyed. It stopped the ritual, too. You have no idea how lucky we are that you were able to pull that off.”

  “What was so lucky about it?”

  “They were going to sacrifice all of Kkhor! Do you get it? A whole city offered up to summon one of the Inferno’s highest demons. But Ekron won’t be stopping there!”

  “It sounds like I have a new quest.”

  Anri takes over from there, as Greta is overwhelmed with emotion. She needs time to calm down.

  “We have a quest we need to give to someone the academy trusts. You’ve already shown that you can hold your tongue and keep your cool around demons, and the fact that you’re that blasé when Greta mentioned sacrificing an entire city leads me to some very interesting thoughts.” The mage smiles, and I say nothing. If he only knew how many sacrifices I have under my belt. “The last time, demons invaded two thousand years ago, and the demonologists back then were able to find a way to kill the higher demons in our world and drive their souls back to the Inferno. Afterward, there was a witch hunt, with people out looking for scapegoats, and the demonologists were accused of summoning the higher demons themselves. For an entire month, they were slaughtered everywhere they were found. The result was an earthquake and a tsunami that wiped Kkhor off the face of the earth. Parts of the city have been under water ever since. The demonologist guild was in one of those regions, and it’s still deep underground.”

  “Underground? You said the city was flooded.”

  “Yes, that part of the city was flooded, but the emperor then gave the order to dump soil there so they could rebuild the city. There was a hidden motive, too. Many died in the earthquake and tsunami, and it was simpler to bury the whole lot than fish out the survivors. The mages hated the idea of burying them alive. Instead, they covered everything but the streets in soil, giving the people who were still alive a path to safety. That saved many lives, though the water later receded. Whole streets appeared deep underground, as did the ghosts of the people who lived there. Actually, there are several blocks under Kkhor populated exclusively by ghosts. Our underground pipes were built on top of them, even joining in places, though everything was closed off and collapsed after the ghosts showed up. Right now, we need the notes the demonologist guild kept, and they’re down in the ghost city. That’s the only place we can find information about ways to drive the Inferno’s higher demons out of our world.”

  “Aren’t there other demonologist guilds?”

  “That’s the only place the information was stored. We need you to get it.”

  Great, you’re sending me down into the city of the dead! Why don’t you be done with it and drop me in the Gray Lands? Both of them tense up after they make their ask.

  “What’s the reward?”

  They’re terrified I’ll say no! It’s like the feeling you get when you go to the bathroom—Greta exhales and replies with a smile.

  “Access to your duel for the title of Life Magic apprentice or fifty thousand gold. Complete confidentiality. You have three days to prepare, and then I’ll take you to the entrance to the ghost city. Tell Anri when you’re ready to go. I’ll find you afterward myself.”

  I need to get my scholar title, and then I’ll go see those undead.

  It’s noisy and crowded in the swordsmen quarter. There are all kinds of different warriors, from samurai to spearmen, and they’re wearing everything from heavy plate armor to light assassin cloaks. One whole street at the near end of the quarter is lined with stores selling all kinds of equipment for fighters. The sound of metal, whetstones, and yelling traders rings out over the steady flow of people making their way through the quarter, most of them headed toward the enormous gate on the other side of the street. It opens out into the city, where all kinds of adventures await.

  Back when I was living in Sural, I noticed that the best stores are in the market’s back streets. The only people who visit them are the ones looking for the really good stuff.

  When I arrive, however, I realize that it’s already getting late. Most of the stores are closed. Only the smithy is still open. The young blacksmith, hammer in hand, is making spikes out of a shimmering metal. It smells kind of odd in there. My nose tingles, and there’s a shroud hanging over the smithy.

  “Don’t go in there if you want to stay alive. The accursed metal does mental damage.”

  The old woman, who I didn’t notice—ridiculous!—is sharpening a scythe. She has deep lines on her face, and she’s wearing old clothes stained with weapon oil.

  “Thanks, though that’s actually the kind of blacksmith I’m looking for.”

  There’s a small store at the front of the one-story smithy. The blacksmith is working under an awning, his muscles rippling. Most of his attribute points are in strength and stamina.

  As soon as I walk into the shroud, I understand what the old woman was talking about.

  Damage received: 1000000 (ignored: 12500000)

  6400/6400

  The scary old lady would be enough to scare off most players, and the more curios among them would die in the first second. The blacksmith sees me as I walk in.

  “I don’t have many visitors, and especially not while I’m working. Are you looking for something, young man?”

  “A blade, the cheapest and simplest you have.”

  The blacksmith drops his hammer on his foot, but that doesn’t stop him laughing.

  “Accursed blades, vampire swords, mind weapons…” Another peal breaks out, and the red-hot metal he’s working on falls to the floor. “And you’re here for my cheapest blade?”

  There’s a secret lurking in each of the city’s dark alleys, and I just found one of them. The blacksmith is an artifactor with mental modification. Only people with strong resistance to mental damage can work with palirin, a cursed metal, and only mages can modify their mental body. There aren’t many artifactors willing to dump all their attribute points into their strength and stamina.

  “You know, when palirin is heated up, it does mental damage. Only artifactors with mental modification can turn it into a weapon, which is why I have to work practically around the clock to keep up wit
h all the orders coming in.”

  “Who uses weapons like that?”

  “Mostly mage swordsmen and lone wolves. An evil spirit hides in accursed blades, doing damage to their owner. It’s a symbiote that sucks health from the owner but does more damage than usual weapons. Vampire blades take health from the enemy to restore their owner’s health. Each blade has a satiation attribute, and it goes back to being a normal blade once it’s saturated. That passes quickly though.”

  “Is that legal? Isn’t it forbidden magic?”

  “Nope. Everything’s aboveboard, and swords like these are permitted.”

  “What’s a mind weapon?”

  “Mage swordsmen use them. The palirin lets them cast a spell on the weapon so it does extra damage, though each sword is unique—they’re laced with the blood of their owner. That connection is what unlocks the ability to cast spells with the blade itself.”

  We agree that I’ll work for the blacksmith for seven days, and he’ll make one mind blade for me in return. A simple weapon will be my payment for helping him out tonight.

  During the day, I work with the swordplay instructor. Despite my beggarly look, he takes me seriously, and I can’t beat him. He’s a sword master with tons of experience under his belt.

  The next day, I have my battle for the title of scholar, and it’s the first time I use magic to win. Across from me is a girl in the light plate armor of a mage swordsman. The first thing she does is throw up a diamond shield on top of a magic shield, and then she summons two snake golems. For a normal battle, that would be a standard tactic—when you don’t know what your opponent’s strength is, you make sure you’re safe, and then start probing him.

  “Light hammer! Maximum.”

  But that’s not me. An enormous hammer made out of pure white light smashes the diamond shield and the girl into the ground. In the explosion, the two golems and the girl are killed. I feel the shock wave even from thirty meters away, and the thunder peals in my ears. The battle lasts just seconds. On the other hand, it’s valuable experience for me.