by Arthur Stone
No player in the history of X has ever encountered an Elite Ethrian Necromancer Lich! You receive +1750 Knowledge progress points. Bonus +1 level to any basic skill. You also receive 1500 distributable craft skill progress points. The leaders of the Explorers League may present you with a reward for adding creatures you have discovered from your personal bestiary to the league archives. Congratulations! Keep discovering new things to unlock more generous rewards!
The message was not set in pure black. Dark had not gone blind. The blast had immediately knocked out his senses and hurled him at the tower.
He had considered the idea that the blast might exceed his calculations.
But not by that much.
Bombs were expensive toys. Tossing them at mobs was like hunting ducks with shotguns loaded with diamonds instead of birdshot. The top clans spent days or weeks mining saltpeter and other ingredients in order to assault an enemy castle in a massive battle. Or for other similarly impressive ends.
And equally impressive rewards. One bomb was nothing. It would cause minor damage, over an area of several square meters. But five hundred bombs? It was unlikely that anything in their area of effect would survive. The gates of the enemy castle would collapse, or even a wall or tower, and defenders who had not managed to leave the area in time would perish.
No single player could gather so many bombs without paying inconceivable sums of real-world money. But, for sake of argument, say one player had gathered that many. What would happen? Well, one character could only carry one bomb at a time. If accompanied by a pet and a mount, that carry limit grew to three. Even adding a large wagon to the mix would only increase the maximum to eight.
Suppose this rich player found a clearing where the whole arsenal could be deployed against a huge crowd of mobs for a mess of distributable progress points. What then? Could that player build up a store of bombs there? Well, this world was full of other players. They were always looking for anything of interest. If they encountered a pile of bombs stored up by someone else, they would carry them off in batches without so much as a thank-you note.
Dark had none of these difficulties. He could toss gold coins in all directions on the hilltops and highways without attracting the interest of a single soul. This was one of the largest multiplayer games in the world, and yet he was alone. For him, saltpeter was liberally available.
There were no clans to control the mines. And no competitors to sabotage him. He could mine away, day in and day out, without any interference. After a time, he could return to the same places—because resources, like mobs, had a respawn time.
Not that he could sell the saltpeter to anyone, either. Any use he could think of for the saltpeter should be immediately taken advantage of.
Dark had not dragged the bombs in one by one. Nor had he used carts, which could only ferry a limited number. One more comical loophole in the game had helped him: a barrel could hold 200 bombs. However, that barrel could not be carried in a wagon. The wagon would not budge if so loaded. But a cart could hold four barrels of oil, as long as the player pulling it was strong enough.
That was how Dark had brought in the oil. Each day, for the past ten days, he had made a trip to the trenches around the Black Blood Temple. There, he had filled the barrels and used the boat to bring them to the abandoned village. He had kept to the shallows—the depths of the Perished Lake creeped him out, and he suspected that some monster lived within. Once he had moored the boat, he had pushed the cart up the slope, a sweaty business, and then pulled it to the city.
Back to the bombs. A mine cart could, as it turned out, be loaded with enough raw materials to make 400 bombs. Then this cart could be rolled up to the city. In his field camp, Dark had produced bombs.
Though the mine cart could carry hundreds of bombs in raw material form, once they were finished, it could only transport five at most.
Dark could make about two hundred fifty bombs in a day. In total, he had crafted nearly twenty-five hundred. Just under a thousand had lined the lowest floor of the tower, and another fifteen hundred had filled thirty barrels, placed so that when one of them exploded, its neighbors did, too.
He hadn’t stopped there. Having brought all of the carts into the city, he managed to drag them out without much effort. Then, he had filled them with dry wood and covered them with pitch collected from the rooftops. Nearly every house had a bucket or two available. Dark had placed forty barrels of oil about, mixed with sulfur and tar. It was the game’s version of napalm: It burned hot and stuck to practically any surface. When it contacted flesh, it caused unending pain and damage until it went out.
All of this seemed like an implausible amount of work to accomplish, of course. In the real world, a month would not be enough. In X, Dark had managed it in just ten days.
There had been other work to do, as well. Many things. He had needed to burn wood to make charcoal, for instance. Eating on the go, cutting back on sleep, doing everything he could to save time. Squeezing every last bit out of each and every minute.
The three bombs dropped from the tower roof had destroyed the fruits of his labor in an instant.
Along with an army of zombies crowded into the most material-intensive trap in the history of X.
Dark had not considered some effects of using such a huge number of bombs, however. He had been sure that he was fifteen yards away, as so was safe.
That had been very wrong. The game’s explosives apparently had a noticeable stacking blast effect.
The blast wave had hurled him into the wall at a neck-breaking height. He had survived the collision but had lost three-quarters of his hit points and suffered several debuffs, which still prevented him from seeing clearly.
Of course, it had been worth it.
No base experience was awarded for explosion kills, yes. But half of the distributable experience was still given to him, and it was a lot. He had paid ten days of hard labor and a reasonable amount of pain and suffering for the experience.
In the end, he had even survived the fight.
The battle had turned out better than he had hoped.
His vision was recovering now. Dark rose and staggered over to the wall, leaning against the ramparts and looking at the tower.
It had turned from a tower of stone to one of billowing black smoke. At the base of the tower, the cloud expanded dramatically over the whole city block. Large, smoking fire burned in several places. Nothing else was visible.
There was something else off to the side, dozens of yards from the tower. Outside of the blast zone, thousands of pieces of zombies were scattered everywhere, farther than the smoke. A severed arm lay at Dark’s feet. He could touch it to bring up the loot screen, since access to even the tiniest piece of an enemy’s corpse allowed that.
Right. Loot. That’s going to take forever.
Gradually his hearing was returning. The roar of the flames grew, though still muffled, intermingled with the continued crumbling of walls.
A sudden, wailing howl swept through the city, drowning out all other noise. A massive form rose in the smoke. One moment later, it stepped forward, a giant figure with an immense, bloody halberd. Continuing his howl, the boss waved his free hand in panic, attempting to beat out the flames burning him in several places.
“Just die already!” Dark shouted in irritation.
He had no fear that the monster would hear him. Even ordinary zombies never lost their target. They could pursue for hours. This was an elite. Most likely a boss.
Once he put himself out, he would attack Dark. Any attempt to escape would only waste time.
If death was going to come after all, let it come.
But he had some fight left in him.
Drawing an arrow from his quiver, Dark fired it at the target. Even at a hundred yards away, it would be an easy shot due to the monster’s size. The distance was closer to fifty yards.
You deal the Dark Warlord Go’adzas, Eternal Lord of Omertis, 14742 damage.
All
of those bonuses and elixirs had paid off. Nearly fifteen thousand damage, and that against a boss!
Light Magic was great for fighting the undead.
Here, have another one.
He shot with a second arrow, and the boss ceased fighting the flame, raised his halberd, and charged at Dark. The blow wouldn’t just sever the player in two, but the wall as well.
After shooting one last time, Dark raised his hand and hit the boss with Suffering. The monster dropped the halberd, staggered backward, and howled as he waved his hands through the air. He was burning with bright flame as the “napalm” coursed under his armor. Dark could tell his suffering was intense.
Especially now that is was multiplied by three.
In the next ten seconds, Dark managed to let loose two additional arrows. When he was hit, the boss’s health bar flashed ominously. It looked empty, so little was his remaining percentage of hit points. But still Dark’s attacks were not enough. The lord’s starting hit points were simply too great, even for his devastating Light Magic attacks.
Ceasing his howl, the boss knelt down, picked up his halberd, and stared at Dark. Flames burned in his eye sockets, promising his enemy a quick, cruel death.
Stepping backwards without meaning to, Dark grabbed the invulnerability potion he had found in the incestuous cave underneath the hut. Drinking it, he tossed the bottle away, drew his bow and fired, then pulled out another arrow, but by then, the boss was within striking distance.
He swung.
The top of the wall collapsed into so many blocks, and Dark was thrown violently to the side. He spun through the air. There was no pain, no trauma at all, no confusion—nothing could affect him negatively.
He couldn’t even suffer a scratch.
For twelve whole seconds.
When he neared the pavement, he bounced off before hitting it. Some physical force intervened him, sending him back up, spinning him further away.
At the end of this complicated path, the potion’s duration ended, and Dark at last crashed to the pavement. He lost some of his few remaining hit points, but not all, as his speed had been reduced significantly after so many rebounds.
Rolling over, he rose to one knee, raised his bow, and shot another arrow at the inexorably advancing boss. Drawing another, he let it fly, and reached for one more. His Stamina had reached zero. Too much had happened.
The earth’s rhythmic shaking ceased then, and the boss slowed. He began to sway, then half-spun around and crashed with such force that the remaining tiles on nearby houses, somehow spared from the bomb blast, shattered at last.
Another victory log was presented to Dark.
Note: Personal victory! The Dark Warlord Go’adzas, Eternal Lord of Omertis, is slain! Common Boss. Level 58. Location sensation level: 30%. Personal sensation level: 80%. Note: this was an undead creature. 1.5x experience! +88740 progress points received. Note: this was an undead creature. 1.5x distributable progress points! 17748 distributable progress points received.
The following skills played a significant role in this battle: Physical Attack, Acrobatics, Ranged Weapons, Physical Evasion, Reaction, Accuracy, Physical Critical Hit, Luck, Tirelessness, Magic Accuracy, Magic Critical Hit.
+992 Physical Attack progress points.
+386 Acrobatics progress points.
+3298 Ranged Weapons progress points.
+949 Physical Evasion progress points.
+274 Reaction progress points.
+18855 Accuracy progress points.
+365 Physical Critical Hit progress points.
+2849 Luck progress points.
+964 Tirelessness progress points.
+57312 Magic Accuracy progress points.
+2496 Magic Critical Hit progress points.
Note: You have discovered a new creature: The Dark Warlord Go’adzas, Eternal Lord of Omertis. Common Boss. Level 58. Base XP: 5800. Note: this was an undead creature. 1.5x experience! Health: 558440. Mana: unknown. Stamina: unknown. Aggression: aggressive, socially aggressive, summons horde, extremely vindictive, pursues its prey tirelessly. Magic abilities: unknown. Poison level: unknown. Chance of valuable loot: extremely high. Description: The undead form of the greatest warrior of Omertis, a lord who believed himself to be invincible. But death always wins in the end, and when it did, it forever bound the treacherous aristocrat to his lost city. All who risk stepping inside the walls of Omertis take a great risk. The centuries have no hold over Go’adzas. He will forever remain the great and cruel warrior of Ethria.
No player in the history of X has encountered the Dark Warlord Go’adzas, Eternal Lord of Omertis! You receive +8000 Knowledge progress points, +4000 Luck progress points, and +2000 Charisma progress points. Bonus +6 base skill levels, +2 craft skill levels, +1 stat level, +5000 distributable progress points, +2500 craft skill progress points. The leaders of the Explorers League may present you with a reward for adding creatures you have discovered from your personal bestiary to the league archives. Congratulations! Keep discovering new things to unlock more generous rewards!
Note: Check Global Announcements. And do not forget to choose a name for the hero star you have earned! Otherwise, its bonuses will remain inactive.
Choose a name? Dark had never thought of that.
Nothing came to mind.
Alert! The player Dark has, for the first time in the history of X, destroyed a dangerous monster: the Dark Warrior Go’adzas, Eternal Lord of Omertis. In addition, he defeated another dangerous monster: an Elite Ethrian Necromancer Lich. He accomplished this alone, without the slightest assistance from any other players. A great achievement worthy of the history books! Congratulations to this outstanding player! Continue achieving great feats and you will be rewarded!
Under this red message visible to all players, he saw a light blue one that was seen only by him.
Note: You have accomplished a global achievement! +7 distributable base skill levels, +5 distributable craft skill levels, +5 distributable stat levels, +3 distributable craft stat levels, +250 Charisma progress points.
Note: You have accomplished a great achievement! +3 free levels, +10 distributable base skill levels, +8 distributable craft skill levels, +8 distributable stat levels, +4 distributable craft stat levels, +1000 Luck progress points, +2500 Charisma progress points.
Note: You have completed your third great achievement! You receive your first Hero Star. You get a bonus! +50000 distributable base skill progress points, +20000 distributable craft skill progress points.
Select a name for the Hero Star you have earned!
Dark was a hero. Perhaps his level was still lower than DimaBilik’s, but he had matched him in achievements, for sure. He now dominated the global announcement chat.
How would the game react to this news? Would it react at all? Had he been a fool to disobey the voice of his mysterious adviser? Or had he executed a brilliant play? Would that person or people try to contact him again? Or would they now ignore him?
He didn’t know. But he could only imagine what was happening in the forum.
Chapter 55
Hello from an Old Friend
Total stat levels: 49 +21.
Character level: 8 +3.
Mastery level: 7.
Eyes glazed over, Dark looked at the next trophy: some kind of helmet, level 48, with a bunch of rewards issued for discovering it. Its stats were probably excellent, but he couldn’t be sure. After the battle, his brain was taking a break, so he found it supremely difficult to concentrate.
The boss and two of the elites between them had six powerful items never before seen in the modern history of X. This was a seventh, recovered from the final huge ghoul.
He estimated the zombies’ number with a sigh. He would lose a whole day, at least, looting every one of these monsters and bringing their loot outside of the walls. It had to be done urgently, before a new batch of monsters spawned within the walls. Their respawn period was unknown to him. Perhaps, like the ghosts, it was thirty hours. Bar
ely enough time.
He wanted to instead explore the city while it was emptied of hostile mobs.
Bosses were rare monsters in this world. He doubted a moderately sized city could have more than one. Besides, this boss’s name indicated that he was the one who ran the place.
When he was attacked, every aggressive being in his domain ought to come running.
He needed to optimize his looting process somehow. How, when his head refused his demands that it think straight?
Perhaps five or ten minutes of rest would do him good. Get his mind off things for a moment. Sometimes that helped.
He rose and turned into the nearest alley, then sat on the lowest step of a stoop that ran up to the door of a huge estate. It was a decent place to get his mind in order. None of the wasted army was visible from here. He could think about something else now, rather than mentally toil over the prospect of collecting loot.
He could check out his stats and skills screen. See how much the fight had pumped them all.
Or, he could check out the forum. It would feel pretty good to see the abundance of new messages about him. Nearly all of the topics would be devoted to the discussion of a player named Dark. And theories about the victories he had just achieved.
One of whom was a boss. Even strong parties were often defeated by bosses.
Of course, none of them had any way of knowing that Dark’s position allowed him to spend two and a half thousand bombs with impunity. He had been fortunate that the blast had failed to take Go’adzas’s health to zero. Since the boss had been finished off by something other than the blast, the system had declined to penalize him.
As he considered these things, Dark opened the forum. All other thoughts left his mind immediately.
