by Rick Scar
Rank: Epic
Charged: 700/1400
Description: It will absorb any cursed energy, transforming it into mental.
Requirements: None
Characteristics: Allows you to control up to 60 creatures, making them obey all your commands against their will.
The amplifying device has been discovered.
Number of targets x2.
Cost reduced.
Limitations changed.
Energy required: 100 influence points and 70 mental energy points per 1 creature
Duration: Until the target dies, or until you set it free.
Restrictions:
1) You spend 3 influence points and 3 mental energy points per second when subduing another player;
2) 2% chance to subdue powerful ancient creatures;
3) You cannot subdue those with 100% mental magic resistance;
4) You cannot subdue those 30+ levels higher than yourself;
5) If it becomes known that the crystal has been restored, you will be wanted across your entire Floor. Some will seek to take the crystal from you, while others will want to destroy it.
Having read the updates, he realized they were totally worth all the effort, particularly the ability to subdue the enemies 30 levels stronger than himself! The IP spending, however, was only down by 30%, so the issue he had with paying this price hadn’t been resolved fully. Will had a plan for earning a tremendous amount of IP, but it would have to wait until later.
The last thing he had to check was whether Nanel could control the crystal’s power. For this experiment, he could get some of the rats that inhabited the cellar… but no. It did not befit the royal couple to hunt rats. Better have a servant do it for them.
Chapter 235. Are You Ready?
A ll Nanel’s attempts to use the crystal failed. It could be the game settings preventing any NPCs from using it; her role as merely an amplifying device; her lack of knowledge; or maybe some other particular conditions.
Nevertheless, the time they had spent experimenting was by no means a waste. Withdrawing the crystal, Will shrugged at her. “At least we’ve made sure it no longer hurts you. You’re stronger now, my queen.” He smiled gently.
“You’re right. But I… I’m not sure.” Leaning her back on the cellar’s cold wall and crossing her arms, she looked down at the floor. A couple of rats she had recently tried to subdue were scurrying about. “I thought I’d feel something… something that would tell me more about myself. But I felt nothing but a tingling sensation. I feel lost. Will I ever find out who I am?”
It wasn’t the first time she had asked this question. Sitting on an empty keg, Raven smirked. “You? You’re a beautiful young girl. My wife. An adventurer at heart. Your past matters, yes, but only as a part of who you are now. A tiny part. Don’t overthink it. We will write our own story, and you will go down in history as a great ruler.”
She nodded with a small sigh. “Yes. Of course. Sorry for being oversentimental. I tend to do that when I’m near you. Let’s go back.”
Will left his kingdom shortly after and headed for the third floor. He had important business here. Evil-In’s pendant. He could complete its second requirement within the next week, and this item could give him a real edge in the upcoming tournament.
After finding the perfect spot, Will called out, “Hey! Attention! All newbies here! I have a great deal. Come up! You will not be sorry!”
Half an hour later he was surrounded by a very diverse crowd: players of all the races and classes this game had. The newbies murmured among themselves while they waited for the famous player to explain why he had called them. Seeing almost six hundred players in front of him, Will finally stopped inviting more people and started to explain: “So. This flashmob is a simple one. Each of you will get to loot the mobs you don’t even have to kill. Your task is to run about this area, get as many mobs as you can to chase you, and bring them here to me. All the drop is yours, unless any sly bastard gets their hands on it before you, but that’s totally your problem. If you accidentally get under my attack, you can only blame yourselves. The more mobs you bring here, the better. Once they attack me, just wait to collect your loot.”
Will realized this was going to be real carnage, but it was a great solution to his problem.
Soon, he was running about those vast, rocky plains, using almost all his skills and scrolls to destroy hordes of weak mobs, mowing these helpless things down like grass. Unfortunately, he had to take a break at least once an hour, waiting for the mobs to respawn and for his energy to restore. That number and diversity of the monsters was proving to be quite the challenge, even though he was a high-level player.
As the day neared its end, most of the newbies that had been blessed with his sudden generosity started to leave, but more were coming in their stead… but there was no one to replace Raven. When he told them to come back tomorrow, plenty of them did, followed by long trains of mobs behind their backs. They dashed about frantically, trying to get their mobs to attack someone else, but Will left without helping them out.
It was 10 p. m. An uncommonly early hour for him to come back, considering how late he had been staying in the game recently. His brain was already getting used to it; he was no longer getting a headache when playing for too long.
***
The measured sound of running water coming from the bathroom stopped and, after a short while, Sarah came out with her bathrobe untied and drying her hair with a towel.
“Good morning,” her girlfriend’s sweet voice came from the bed. Sarah had only met this girl a month ago, but the development of their relationship was a pleasant surprise.
“Are you awake? Want some coffee?” Sarah smiled at her dark-haired lover’s beautiful face.
“Yes, thanks. You’re an early bird today.” Yawning, Diana tossed a fine shirt on and, after putting her feet into some fluffy slippers, shuffled toward the bathroom.
“Aren’t you going to work today? I thought you had a fashion show to prepare for,” Sarah said. As she opened the kitchen cabinet door, she voice-commanded one latte and one cappuccino from the sophisticated coffee machine.
“Yeah. But I don’t need to be there until eleven,” Diana’s muffled voice said.
Confused by how fast their relationship had developed to the point of moving in together, Sarah was still happy to have Diana: They were like-minded and she was understanding about her work emergencies and late hours because her own job was much the same.
When Diana came out of the bathroom, healthy sandwiches and two mugs of steaming coffee were waiting on the kitchen table.
“Good morning again.” Hugging and kissing Sarah on the cheek, Diana sat down to the table. “So, why are you up so early today?”
“Well, since that video by those… er… philosophers has gone viral, we’re getting so much mail and so many calls from… er… some eccentric people.”
“Ahahaha. Do you mean the Roswell conspiracy believers, dear?”
“Yes. Them too. But this time, we have a player coming by plane to share some very special information. They insisted on meeting face-to-face and sent us a very special video. I haven’t seen it yet.”
Diana smiled. “Oh. Are you teasing me? Is it top secret?”
“No. Not at all. But the boss decided to hear them out.” Sarah shrugged, took a sip of her coffee and looked at her girlfriend.
“Oh, I see. But… 7 a. m.? Really?”
“It’s because of the time zones. Damn them.”
***
The two of them came face to face in the channel’s small meeting room. The player was female: a young girl who looked confused and was casting frequent glances around, as if she was trying to spot a stalker.
“Hi. I’m Sarah Whitehall. What’s your name?”
“Do I really have to tell you?” The other girl spoke very softly, keeping her head down.
“Can you say it a bit louder, please?” the reporter asked gently, realizing her vis
-à-vis was probably not used to talking to strangers, or maybe even to leaving her home. What could make this sociophobe reach out to us?
“My name is Mystical Darkness.”
Sarah briefly scrolled through her notes, struggling to remember where she could have heard this name before, but it wouldn’t come up. “Hm. I feel like this name is familiar, but I can’t remember exactly… Okay. Let’s cut to the chase. What exactly do you want to tell us?”
“Video. I’ve brought a video. I want every player to see it. Every player.”
Arching her brow in confusion (and still unaware about what kind of video this was exactly), the reporter asked the question that had been puzzling her. “But why would you come in person, and so early? I get the impression this journey has been hard on you. It’s 2045. We could have arranged a video conference, or a drone delivery.”
“I… I want an interview. To give one, I mean.”
“Oh. An interview? What are you going to tell us?”
“About my visit to hell.” The player looked up, her eyes gleaming with delight: a stark contrast to her words.
Oh my God. Is she insane?
***
Rose was a shy, quiet girl. It was only when she entered the game as Mystical Darkness that she could be different. Like a true nerdy kid, she lived her real life when playing the game as a strong solo player, and she considered herself a pro. There was nothing wrong with playing Ascension solo; this game had lots of single-player quests, but Rose was just as alone outside her game capsule. No friends. No boyfriend. Only her parents, who were too occupied with the family business to give their daughter all the love and care she needed.
It all started with the Box of Wishes; or rather, with her decision to watch the recording of her challenge. The sight had stirred some really painful memories, making her switch the screen off and pull away.
As a child, she had dreamed of having a real friend. Someone who would always be there for her, listen to her and help her out. At the age of nine, she finally found one: a boy of the same age who lived next door. The time they spent together was the best time of her life. But their friendship crumbled when his family moved to another state.
Who could ever think that a childhood memory like that, one she could barely remember, could be shaped into her worst fear? The system took this memory and altered it. In the new version, her friend’s family didn’t move away; they were killed, their bodies cut to pieces, and packed into boxes to be – ironically – transported to other states.
These horrific scenes would play over and over in her mind, hypnotizing her. They revealed her fear of loneliness. Next came the image of her parents burning alive. She could hear their bloodcurdling screams. It was from her childish fantasies of revenge; overcome by a grudge, she would sometimes wish they were dead.
The monster-from-the-box distorted her early memories beyond recognition. She saw her classmates (whom she hated for never inviting her to any parties or sleepovers) being tortured, their little bodies skinned alive, piece by piece. There was a special device on her head that prevented her from closing her eyes whenever she tried. It was a long, long walk down the streets of her grudges, loneliness, and silence; a never-ending line of nightmares, screams and demonic laughter surrounding her all at once. The monster inside the box seemed to feed on her fear, like a vampire would feed on blood, scaring the shit out of her again and again to squeeze every last drop out of her.
***
Peering at the screen, Sarah did her best to contain her nausea. She had gone dizzy at the sight of the scattered entrails and severed heads belonging to strangers. How could this nerdy girl find it in her to handle that?
Soon the video was seen by everyone who read the news on the internet, including Will. But the female player’s nickname was omitted.
When asked whether she would keep playing the game, Mystical Darkness replied instantly, “Sure I will. That’s exactly what makes Ascension so fascinating.”
That weird gleam in her eyes again. Shaking off a strong feeling of déjà vu off, Sarah asked the next question.
After seeing the video, everyone would have to decide whether they were ready for what this game had in store for them, and whether it was worth all the trouble.
Chapter 236. The Run Up to the Tournament
R aven was on a death race: he needed to kill enough creatures to become able to use the pendant. In the days that remained before his space tunnel expired, he killed and killed every small, defenseless creature he could find. They would probably be cursing him in agony if they could. Their bodies disappeared quickly thanks to the other players rushing to grab the loot they dropped.
In order not to waste time screaming his invitations on each new spot, Will asked Emma, who was still his video editor, to create a blog specifically for this purpose. They named the blog Station, since this was a place where mob trains would be arriving. Information about Raven’s next destination and the local types of mobs was posted there and regularly updated, just in case the reader had never been there before.
Three days after Will had started his genocide (or rather low-level-cide), the player traders were already roaming all around the different spots. Many asked “why” and “what the hell” is a player of 100+ level devastating noob locations. Multiple theories were floating around, but Raven never offered any explanations. He even killed the two scores of players who had pestered him.
During his tedious grind, Will still visited his kingdom briefly each time he exited the game, just to make sure it was all right.
His grinding companion was Hade, who was also gradually filling her monster body bar. The video of their power duo went viral, drawing Sarah’s attention. A week into the hunting festival (this was what Raven’s killing spree had been dubbed by the other players), she found him to ask for comments, but Will just shook his head and said nothing. Instead, he seized the opportunity to learn a few things from her.
“I saw an interesting interview last week. Can you tell me more about it?”
“Ahahaha. Raven is sly, but not as sly as the fox. Wanting something for nothing, are you? You know that’s not the way it works.” She waved a finger from side to side. “Give me something. Something that pays for the time I’m spending here with you.”
Will just shrugged and made a hesitating sound. “Oh, fine. I don’t really need to know that.”
“Okay, okay.” Sarah lifted her hands up, surrendering, and pulled a face that said “at least I tried”. “In truth, I don’t really know any details beyond what we’ve already told everyone. Except for the player’s nickname, but that’s all.”
“And?”
“What’s the use of knowing that?”
“Just curious.” He smiled, looking straight into her eyes.
“Ah, damn you. Okay. It’s not confidential, anyway.” Looking at the bustling players and screaming traders around them, she gave a sudden yawn and closed her mouth with her hand. “Her name is Mystical Darkness. She wouldn’t answer my questions about her level or her floor number, so I don’t know either. A real weirdo, I’d say. A thing in herself.”
Hearing the familiar name, Will realized where exactly she could have obtained that video. Lost in thought, he only just realized that a player was running toward them when he was already in front of them. His face and nickname were vaguely familiar, but it took Will some time to remember where and when they had met.
“Raven! Raven!” The other player was waving as he ran and smiled. “I’ve found you, at last!”
“Hi… Sailor.” The rogue made a sluggish wave back. It was the same odd man he had once met at Damila’s Dungeon entrance. The one who had told him about the Black Tonic. “Did you know this game has a handy feature called the chat?”
“Yeah, but you won’t open my messages!” Stopping next to them, Sailor flashed a sheepish smile to Sarah and turned his shining eyes to the rogue. “So? Have you found it? That thing I told you about?”
Should I tell h
im or not? Will considered it for a moment and, realizing it wasn’t a secret worth keeping, gave a brief nod. “Yes. You were absolutely right.”
“Oh, I knew it! I knew it! Burn in hell, you disbelievers! When will you pay me?”
“In a day or two. But, you know, it’s not actually worth five hundred gold. You gave me something to think about, but no useful hints. I would’ve run into it anyway, whether we had had our conversation or not. I can give you one hundred. That’s a fair price.”
“One hundred?! But… that’s… we agreed on five!” Shaking his open palms, Sailor stared at the rogue in disbelief.
“Sorry, I was just in character.” Clapping him on the shoulder, Will smiled a guilty smile.
The other guy’s brows jumped up. “In character? What character?”
“A rogue, of course. A bad, money-obsessed guy.”
“But… but I really need this money!”
“What are you talking about?” Sarah stepped in.
Feeling Sailor’s disbelieving eyes on him, Will told her the brief story of their first meeting and the dungeon’s mysterious dweller. While doing so, he got a sudden idea.
“By the way, let me introduce you to each other. Sailor, this is Sarah. As you can see from her nickname, she’s a reporter, and a real pro. What about getting interviewed by her? I’ll send you a short video of my encounter with that thing, and you can tell her it was you who told me this story. My video will prove that you were right all along. In return, you’ll forgive me those four hundred. Deal?”
Sarah didn’t mind conducting this interview; it could be really interesting. After thinking it over for a while, Sailor accepted the offer and left, reminding Will to pay him one hundred gold.
“Thank you for this material. Now we’re quits.” Smiling at Will and suppressing another yawn, she waved a hand at him, leaving the game.
***
