by Aaron Oster
Name: Potent Mana Herb+
Durability: 10/10
Rarity: Rare
Quality: Good
Effect: Restores +15 MP per second for 20 seconds
Name: Potent Stamina Herb+
Durability: 10/10
Rarity: Rare
Quality: Good
Effect: Restores +15 STA per second for 20 seconds
“That’s new,” Emma commented as Sam handed her the sparkling yellow herb. “I’ve never seen one that has a restore over time effect.”
“Guess we’ll just be seeing better and better items as we level up,” Sam replied, more than happy with the find.
Sure, it wouldn’t give him a big boost all at once like the regular Potent Mana Herbs, but after the time had elapsed, it would have restored a total 300 MP. That was three times as much as a Potent Mana Herb and twelve times as much as a regular one!
“Should we get going?” Emma asked as she rose from her crouch and looked around at their surroundings.
“I dare say we should,” Gordon said before Sam could answer. “This place is quite unnerving, and I should like to leave as soon as possible.”
“In other words,” Sam said in a flat voice. “It’s creepy as fuck.”
“Can’t argue with you there,” Emma replied with a grin.
They set off once more through the fog, winding their way through the trees and jumping at every small sound. Just because Sam couldn’t be hit by crippling fear debuffs didn’t mean he couldn’t feel fear, simply that it wouldn’t lock him in place and prevent him from thinking clearly.
They ran into several more groups of the Haunted Young, and this time, Sam finally took some damage. It was not pleasant. Their claws left deep gouges on his skin, which burned like acid and his Recovery did absolutely nothing to block out the pain. After checking his logs, he found that it was a damage over time effect, lasting a full ten seconds in which he took a whopping 80 points of damage.
He managed to defend himself with the next group by using his Mana Cloak, and while they were wailing ineffectually on his shield, Emma, Barry, and Gordon attacked from behind. After they’d defeated the fourth such group, both Gordon and Barry reached level 18.
“Alright,” Sam panted, slumping against one of the creepy trees. “I think we can use this opportunity to take a break.”
Emma slid to the ground as well, in complete agreement while Barry and Gordon chose their sub-classes. They’d both been very secretive about what they’d be choosing, so neither he nor Emma knew what it was.
“I wish I’d have an excuse to call one of those Inquirers,” she complained.
“Why?” Sam asked. “You do realize that it’s dangerous, right?”
“Yeah. But the last time you summoned one, you got a five-level boost! I could really use one of those right now.”
“How much further until you reach level 17?”
He knew she would be getting more XP for kills here than he did, due to her lower level. So, in theory, she should be advancing faster than him.
“Another twenty thousand. You?”
“About the same,” he replied.
They’d been focusing on letting Emma deliver the killing blows to raise her up faster. There seemed to be many factors in how the system determined XP allocation, and one of them was who delivered the final attack. There was also their contribution and several other things he’d yet to figure out.
“I have selected my sub-class,” Gordon announced haughtily. “We may be on our way.”
“God, you’re annoying,” Sam muttered, using Inspect on his dog nonetheless.
CANINE COMPANION
Name: Gordon
Breed: Tervuren
Class: Beast-Rogue
Level: 18 (2%) - HP: 310/310 - MP: 10/10 - STA: 440/440
Status: Pleased
Companion animals are a special breed of monster, created by our illustrious Overlord. They were created specifically to help those competing in The Rules.
“What kind of sub-class is that?” he muttered.
“One that is available only to those of my kind,” Gordon replied. “The Overlord is aware that your tiny simian minds would be overwhelmed by its sheer might and, thus, does not extend this offer to your kind.”
“Good for you,” Sam replied flatly. “Guess we’ll get to see what the amazing mutt can do when we find our next monster.”
“Indeed, you shall, simian!”
Growling to himself, Sam got back to his feet and began stalking off into the woods. Emma was on her feet in a flash and caught up to him quickly.
“Is it just me, or are things getting worse between the two of you?”
Sam debated telling her to buzz off, but seeing as they were stuck here together, decided against it.
“No. It’s not just you. Gordon’s been acting like more of an asshole recently, and I’ve been responding in kind. I’d say things between you and the bird aren’t all peachy either.”
She sighed but nodded in agreement.
“Barry’s been acting like a real dick recently. Even more than usual, I mean.”
“He hasn’t tried to crap on me in a few days,” Sam mused.
“No, he tried that just the day before last. He hasn’t tried that since we were captured yesterday.”
“I guess it is past midnight, so it was technically yesterday,” Sam said thoughtfully. “Come to think of it, Gordon’s behavior shifted about the same time.”
“So, it’s just our perspective that’s off then,” Emma replied.
“I guess,” Sam answered. “Seeing as we haven’t really slept since we left The Classy, it just seems like longer.”
Sam peeked back over his shoulder and watched Gordon and Baron Von Tweet, who were bringing up the rear. The bird was perched on the dog’s back, something which Gordon detested. But despite all the fighting, the two of them seemed to be getting along just fine. Maybe it was the stress of this whole situation that was prompting the two of them to act out.
“Maybe things will go back to normal once we finish this quest and get out of here.”
“Maybe,” Emma said, narrowing her eyes. “Is it just me, or is the fog getting thicker up ahead?”
Sam started at the abrupt change, but when he focused, he saw that the fog was indeed getting heavier. He also felt the sensation of being watched growing thicker.
“Stick close by, everyone. I think we may be coming up on the Boss’s lair.”
“That is highly unlikely,” Gordon said. “We have only been in this Dungeon for about thirty minutes. In all likelihood, we have simply come across what is known as a Mini-Boss. In Dungeons such as these, there is only one real Boss, as it is the source of the Dungeon in the first place. They do wish to protect themselves, so they create several lesser Bosses to do their bidding.”
Sam could feel his heart beginning to race as they entered the patch of thickening fog. If he focused, he could just about detect the faintest hint of green light from up ahead, and he had a feeling that whatever was waiting on the other side would not be friendly.
“This could be our best chance to gain some XP,” he said in a low voice. “So, I don’t think we really have any choice but to fight.”
Though this was a level 19 - 24 Dungeon, the final Boss was usually of an even higher level than that. Add to that the fact that their stats were often boosted far higher than any creature of their level, and it would make for an impossible fight at their current levels. Even with their amazing gear, there was only so much they could do if the Shtainerzeid was at level 26 or higher.
The only chance of success they had was if everyone, Emma included, was over the recommended level of 19. There was also the fact that their experience would be doubled upon completion. The fact that no timer had been put on the quest suggested that they wouldn’t fail if it took a few days, but they only had limited supplies and sleeping here wouldn’t exactly be safe. They’d also been told that the Boss would wander through his
own Dungeon, so there was a chance that they could run into him at any time.
Though Gordon was most likely correct in saying that the upcoming fight wouldn’t be in the Boss room, there was a chance, albeit a slim one, that the Shtainerzeid would make an appearance.
“Looks like the fog’s clearing up a bit,” Emma commented.
Sam had noticed as well, noting that the decrease in fog density allowed more of the green light to shine through. There was a thicket up ahead, surrounded so thoroughly by trees that none of them could see inside. An opening yawned just ahead of them, and Sam braced himself as he entered the creature’s lair.
11
The fog was no less thick inside than it was on the outside. However, that didn’t stop them from seeing the creature that lurked within. However, the monster wasn’t at all what they’d expected. A large, bony dog lay on the far side of the clearing, gnawing on a rotting bone. Its fur was patchy and unkempt, holes in its rotting flesh showing the bleached white bone beneath.
Its nose twitched as they entered, and when it turned to look at them, Sam could see that while one of its eyes was a milky white, the other blazed with the same green light as the other monsters they’d fought so far.
MINI-BOSS MONSTER
Name: Hound of the Shtainerzeid
Gender: Female
Level: 24 - HP: 1,240/1,240 - MP: 0/0 - STA: 1,300/1,300
Status: Aggressive
Greatest Threat: Howl
Back before he became the Shtainerzeid, Gimple had a fondness for hounds. When he was cursed, his hounds chose to remain loyal and were thus cursed as well.
“Plan?” Emma asked as the hound began to rise.
“It is a Mini-Boss, so it will only have a single area of effect attack,” Gordon informed them. “This will be a difficult fight but one that we should be able to manage if we work as a team.”
“Great,” Sam replied and not sounding very hopeful.
This creature had a monstrous HP and was a full 6 levels above him. The fact that it didn’t have a name and only had one AOE meant that it wouldn’t be as tough as a real Boss, but it would still be a challenging fight — a fight he wasn’t very confident in winning. If they planned carefully and used teamwork, they might just be able to succeed.
“It has no mana, so it’ll hit like a truck. Avoid its attacks if you can and avoid that AOE, no matter what it takes!”
That was all the time they had for planning, because the hound let out a throaty bark, then charged. It was way faster than anything they’d faced so far, so Sam cast his Over-Burn in her path, instead of targeting her specifically. However, the hound was quick and managed to swerve aside at the last moment, only being caught in the fringes of the blazing inferno.
You deal: -38 Damage to Shtainerzeid’s Hound (Over-Burn +16 Burn Damage)(Massive Critical).
“Damn it!” he yelled, blasting his Mana Burn after the creature and just barely hitting it.
If his Over-Burn using the Massive Critical multiplier had done so little damage, then this thing’s armor had to be off the charts.
Gordon and Barry disappeared, exploding from the hound’s shadow. Compared to the enormous beast, Gordon seemed like a puppy and Barry even smaller than that. Gordon’s mouth opened wide, revealing several rows of glowing yellow teeth as he latched onto the hound’s neck. Barry’s beak likewise seemed to expand, glowing yellow as he latched onto the opposite side of the creature’s throat.
Emma then appeared before it, her glittering blade slashing down and connecting squarely between the hound’s eyes. The sword blazed red for an instant as it connected, dealing even more damage. The three of them hopped back as the hound went down, and Sam targeted it with his Mage Bolt.
The bolt of mana flashed between them, slamming into the Mini-Boss and sending electrified mana coursing through its body.
“Nice shot!” Emma cried. “We must have done a load of damage with that…” she trailed off as her eyes went up to check the hound’s health.
Sam grimaced after he checked for himself. Their combined efforts had amounted to exactly 41 points of damage.
“We need to retreat. Now!” he said, as the hound staggered back to its feet.
Its armor was insane, and with such a big level gap between it and their party, they had absolutely no chance of winning. They would all be lying on the ground, completely spent, before they even managed to put even a dent in its massive health pool.
“For once, I agree,” Gordon replied, turning and fleeing toward the exit.
“I hate running!” Emma yelled, turning to run as well.
Barry flapped after her, winging his way toward the exit, and Sam was close on their heels. The hound was on her feet again, her entire body shaking. Then, she opened her mouth and let out a piercing howl. The others, who were already outside the ring of trees, only heard the sound, but Sam, who was just on the border, felt a force slam into his back and send him flying.
Shtainerzeid Hound’s Howl hits you for -182 Damage (Sonic).
You are Deafened! Duration: S 14
Sam groaned soundlessly as he hauled himself back to his feet and staggered from the ring of trees. His entire body ached horribly, and his head was pounding. He quickly used Recover, investing a whopping 600 MP and nearly draining himself completely. It only healed 120 of the total damage and left him with almost no MP. Had he had more mana, he would have invested more, but it was still regenerating from the brief fight.
Emma was trying to say something to him, but seeing as he was Deafened, he couldn’t hear her. Instead, he pointed to his ears then motioned with his fingers for how long. When the timer finally ran out, he nodded, feeling the odd popping sensation as sound returned.
“What the hell happened?”
“Caught the tail-end of the hound’s AOE,” he replied, moving his jaw around a bit to get his ears to pop.
“And it did that much damage?”
“Yeah,” Sam replied grimly. “Went straight through my armor and sent me flying. It’s a good thing we ran when we did.”
“That thing is way too strong!” Emma complained. “We barely managed to hurt it!”
“The reason we were unable to inflict any damage and Samuel took so much in return, was our lack of levels,” Gordon said.
“That still doesn’t make any sense,” Sam replied, rubbing at his head and wincing.
His HP was regenerating, but his headache didn’t seem to want to go away.
“That’s because your damage to higher-level opponents is reduced every 10 levels,” Baron Von Tweet said.
“Convenient of you to only mention this now!” Emma snapped.
“Hey, it’s not my fault you’re too stupid to notice the decreased damage against any monsters we battled that were over level twenty,” the bird replied.
“I noticed,” Sam said before the discussion could devolve into a fight. “But the damage wasn’t decreased by that much. We never really got an explanation about how level affects damage output. Didn’t you also say that stats doubled when certain levels were reached to stop weaker people from killing the stronger ones? If so, what the hell is the point, if the damage is decreased by those of lower levels?”
Gordon sighed, then waved his paw, and a window popped up before him.
DAMAGE & LEVELING
To prevent those of lower levels from simply donning Divine-level gear and going on a rampage, the Illustrious Overlord set several precautions in place. The first precaution is a doubling of all Attributes at certain levels.
They are: 35, 55, & 75
Furthermore, those under a certain level threshold will cause reduced damage to those who have gone over said threshold. This only comes into effect after level 20. Below is outlined how damage is decreased, using those under level 20 as a baseline.
20-29: Damage reduced by 45%
30-39: Damage reduced by 55%
40-49: Damage reduced by 60%
50-59: Damage reduced by 70%
60-69: Damage reduced by 75%
70-79: Damage reduced by 85%
80-89: Damage reduced by 90%
90-99: Damage reduced by 95%
100: Damage reduced by 100%
Once the level 20 threshold is met, the percentages will change, casing full damage to those within the limits of the threshold. The damage caused to those of higher thresholds will be increased as well. You can calculate this by removing the final percentage (100%) and shifting all the numbers down by one position.
The final way in which the Overlord protects those at higher levels is by giving damage bonuses against those below a certain threshold. Using the chart above, you can calculate the increases based on level threshold.
Sam closed the window, rubbing at his chin in thought. So, until they all reached level 20, they would only be inflicting 55% of their total damage to anyone over the threshold. In addition, the hound would be inflicting 45% more damage due to the differential, putting them at an even bigger disadvantage.
“Well, that would explain it,” he said, now realizing how close they’d come to dying.
“Nice of you to warn us what we were walking into,” Emma groused.
Both of their companions ignored them, seemingly more interested in preening and stick chewing.
“Guess we need to make it to level 20 then,” Sam said, checking his status. “That’s gonna be a whole lot of XP all around, so we’d best get to it.”
“I wonder if there are any other details that they’ve ‘conveniently’ forgotten to tell us,” Emma said as they headed back the way they’d come.
“Oh, I have no doubt that they have.”
12
LEVEL UP!
Congratulations! You have reached level 20! You have 5 new attribute points to distribute.
