Iggy and Baloney ran in circles nearby, firing at the enemies.
It occurred to me that a video of how the Awoken clan was progressing would have caused quite a furor, inviting envy, upset and complaints to the developers; while my army of minions tore up mobs at level four hundred, the clan members sunned themselves and occasionally smiled at another level up. In reality, this was the exception — experience was nice, but leveling up skills required personal involvement.
In the meantime, my five servants and the two pets finished off both basilisks, which respawned more often than the other mobs. There was a break in the sequence of battles. Bomber descended from the dune to collect the loot and I decided to finally get to grips with my new skill ranks.
The fun in Disgardium only really began from level one hundred; even the skill ranks below one hundred were at zero, i.e. null rank.
The previous day, after I’d dealt with the organizational questions of constructing the temple and figured out a mathematically optimal route for leveling up the clan, I’d started to get down to myself. I started by studying the ranking system thoroughly but didn’t settle on a choice. The choice was final, so it demanded some serious thought.
I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time that night, tossing and turning in bed, calculating builds and trying to predict how events would develop. This was mostly what determined which branch of unarmed combat would be most useful. In the end I forgot about sleep and let the calculations take over.
Everyone knew that Disgardium was a very competitive game. Success within it meant success in life, and so nobody was in a rush to share any important information.
But some information could still be obtained. For money. I didn’t have a spare thousand phoenixes, so I had to climb into my capsule and pay for a pack of ranking guides with gold. I didn’t have time to study them all, of course, but discarding the sections of builds that had no relevance to me (which I shared with my clanmates, of course), I read the important parts.
After rank one, you had to put in a lot more effort to upgrade your skills. Almost by a factor of one hundred. Meaning, to gain one level in a rank one skill, you had to put as much effort in as it took to level it up one hundred times at rank zero!
It was good news that all the moves and abilities related to the skill grew in level alongside it, regardless of how often they were used. That allowed me to level up Crushing Hammerfist, Stunning Kick and Combo all at once. As for Archery though, which was still at rank zero, Quickshot was now twice as high as Explosive Shot.
My current base damage was three hundred and eighty-two hit points. This meant that at level one hundred unarmed combat, my standard attack dealt three thousand damage and change, and my Crushing Hammerfist — almost two hundred thousand! But that was against a defenseless target at my level. In battles against top players and high-ranking mobs, the numbers fell catastrophically, and they were the only kind I fought…
At every rank starting from the first, skills gained new capabilities that increased their moves.
I opened the panel and focused on unarmed combat. A selection window popped up:
Unarmed Combat rank 1 reached!
Select a progression path. Keep in mind that your decision is final — you will not be able to change it. You can set an additional development path after you reach your next skill rank.
Path of Elements
Depending on your chosen element, your unarmed combat moves will hit at range, freeze enemies, deal bonus damage or ignore armor. In addition, you will be able to instantly move across short distances, slow time in battle and summon a Star Ally.
Path of Trickery
Your unarmed combat moves have a chance of maiming, immobilizing, blinding or even instantly killing the enemy.
Path of Justice
If you choose the Path of Justice, the effectiveness of all your skill’s combat moves returns to its base value, but then ignores all penalties in battle against enemies at a higher level.
Path of Solitude
One who travels the Path of Solitude may resist hordes of enemies, hitting all around him with every strike.
Path of Defense
You can block and reflect enemy attacks, returning damage in part or even in full depending on your skill level and luck.
Unarmed combat wasn’t the most popular skill, but still had its hardcore fans, some of which successfully reached rank one. Almost every path had been tried and rated. Adepts of fist-fighting had come to a single conclusion: the Path of Elements was the most balanced and easily adapted to any situation, since you could switch between elements at any time you weren’t in combat.
The Path of Trickery only gave a pathetic percentage that the perk would proc at low levels; only every millionth hit would kill instantly (although it worked on any target and at any level of health), and every thousandth would maim. A plus was that the blinding or broken bone debuff wouldn’t heal in battle, but there were far more minuses in this path.
The adepts came to the same conclusion against the Path of Defense — too much depended on the situation and on luck, which few had leveled up seriously.
The Path of Solitude, on the other hand, was worth attention. Particularly in a strong clan, in contrast to the name; one hundred percent of the damage against an individual target spread out in waves against nearby enemies, which worked very effectively against packs of mobs. A player who chose the Path of Solitude multiplied their DPS[7] severalfold, which increased their value in a raid group.
Nobody ever chose the Path of Justice. Not a single player had decided to level up the skill for years for the sake of a remote chance to win against high-level opponents. But this branch happened to suit me more than all the others. I wasn’t frightened of the prospect of the skill returning to its base values, because leveling it back up here in the Lakharian Desert was a realistic goal — it’d take a day or two in the heat of battle. And the ability to fight against any level I wanted without losing accuracy or damage was just what the doctor ordered! Especially considering one pleasant fact; as I leveled it up, the moves would ignore more and more of the enemy’s armor.
I weighed up all the conclusions and made my decision.
Unarmed Combat level 1
Rank: 1 (Path of Justice).
Damage dealt without a weapon increased by 10%. Attack accuracy increased by 10%.
Continue to improve this skill by fighting enemies of your level or higher for additional bonuses and new special attacks.
6 training points available. Pay a visit to a master of unarmed combat to study new special attacks!
Crushing Hammerfist of Justice level 1
Deals 160% of standard damage.
Ignores armor: 0.2%.
A simple calculation showed that the damage from my main attack no longer shone with fantastic numbers: just eight hundred and forty. Well, that was something I could fix. I needed to visit a trainer, upgrade Stunning Kick and Combo, and maybe check out a few other skills since I didn’t need to level them up separately anymore.
Two more skills demanded my attention: Resilience and Persuasion.
Resilience rank 1 reached!
Select a skill progression path:
Path of Equanimity
You completely ignore all damage for the first 3 seconds of the battle.
Path of Life
You absorb 1% of damage taken, using it to automatically recover health, mana or your class resource.
Path of Reflection
1% of damage taken is reflected and ricochets back to the enemy.
Path of Stubbornness
A magical shield with a durability equal to 300% of your mana surrounds you at the start of the battle.
Path of Justice
The effectiveness of the skill returns to initial values, but from now on you completely ignore penalties in battles against enemies at a higher level than you.
I liked consistency. I chose the Path of Justice again. Whatever happened with the D
estroying Plague and the Sleeping Gods, this choice would let me stand up against even global bosses. If, of course, I leveled up the skill again, which wouldn’t be easy because of my racial ability to withstand aggressive environments and breathe underwater.
Resilience level 1
Rank: 1 (Path of Justice).
Resistance to all types of damage increased by 1%. Pain sensation reduced by 1%. If your health drops below 10%, the Diamond Skin of Justice ability activates.
Continue to improve this skill by fighting enemies of your level or higher for additional bonuses and new special attacks.
Stoneskin skill transformed!
Diamond Skin of Justice level 1
For 1 second, you are covered in a diamond skin that fully absorbs all damage. Removes all crowd control effects and debuffs.
The Persuasion skill was the fastest to deal with. There were no progression branches there, the new rank just added something interesting:
Persuasion level 1
Rank: 1.
When talking to intelligent beings, you influence their consciousness and reduce their critical thinking. During the discussion, your reputation with your interlocutor is effectively one level higher than it is in reality.
Your eloquence is reinforced with the ability to see how your words influence the mood of those you speak to.
Once done with that, I brought up my profile to see the big picture.
Scyth, level 150 undead (hidden)
Rank: Junior Gladiator (hidden).
Clan: Awoken (hidden).
Real name: Alex Sheppard (hidden).
Real age: 16 years (hidden).
Class: Herald (hidden).
Primary characteristics
Strength: 154.
Perception: 164.
Endurance: 330.
Charisma: 179.
Intellect: 100.
Agility: 150.
Luck: 775.
Secondary characteristics
Health points: 126,600.
Mana points: 17,260.
Vindication points: 169,000 (inactive).
Plague Energy points: 1,100,000.
Restoration rate: 2475 health per minute.
Base damage: 382.
Bonus to ranged damage: +108%.
Bonus to critical damage: 418%.
Bonus to magic power: 130%.
Bonus to movement speed: 155%.
Bonus to damage resistance against insectoids: +50%.
Bonus to damage resistance from poisons: +100%.
Bonus to damage in battles against players: +5%.
Bonus to chance to stun enemy: +5%.
Bonus to chance to get upgraded loot: +30% (maximum value reached).
Bonus to chance to get a unique quest: +30% (maximum value reached).
Bonus to dodge chance: +280%.
Carrying capacity: 2890 lbs.
Accuracy: 840%.
Merchant discounts: 50% (maximum value reached).
Chance to avoid critical damage: +5%.
Chance of critical damage: +100%.
Chance to detect invisibility: +5%.
Fame: 455.
Skills
Unarmed Combat rank 1: 1.
Riding (no rank): 7.
Crushing weaponry skill (no rank): 1.
One-handed sword skill (no rank): 1.
Cartography (no rank): 1.
Night Vision (no rank): 77.
Swimming (no rank): 66.
Stealth (no rank): 82.
Archery (no rank): 80.
Persuasion rank 1: 1.
Resilience rank 1: 1.
Crafting and professions
Cooking: Expert (195/500).
Special skills and abilities
Destroying Plague Immortality: 11.
Depths Teleportation: 11.
Ghastly Howl: 25.
Plague Reanimation: 5.
Plague Fury: 1.
Plague Pestilence: 3.
Class skills
Divine Revelation (spontaneous).
Imitation: 9.
Lethargy: 5.
Liberation: 27.
Cloak Essence: 9.
Divine abilities (inactive)
Unity.
Touch of the Sleeping Gods.
Sleeping Invulnerability: 1.
Sleeping Vindication: 1.
Achievements
Morituri te salutant! — 1
Explorer — 1
The Lich is Dead! Long Live the New Lich…
First Completion: Treasury of the First Mage
First Kill: Sharkon, Underground Terror
First Kill: Crusher
First Kill: Mok’Rhyssa, Rock Queen
First Kill: Murkiss
First Kill: Chuff, Queen of the Swamp Needlers
First Kill: Shog’rassar, God of the Sarantapods
I Came, I Saw, I Conquered — 1
I Came, I Saw, I Conquered — 2
That Doesn’t Happen!
I’m on Fire! I am the Fire!
Divine emblems
Shog’rassar’s protection.
Pets
Iggy, level 91 swamp needler.
Crash, level 33 diamond worm.
Hidden status: K-class Threat with potential A.
Hidden status: Initial of the Sleeping Gods.
Hidden status: Legate of the Destroying Plague.
Money: 745,890 gold, 11 silver, 64 copper.
Honor badges: 10.
I liked what I’d seen and was more glad that my numbers would be changing soon with such a rate of growth.
* * *
I cleared out my inventory before the guys came back from the fort. I’d saved up heaps of cooking ingredients by then. Some of them were well known in big Dis, but the dishes were very expensive due to a lack of resources. Which made sense; I doubted those Tumbleweeds got farmed often. I’d seen only two of them even after spending almost three full days in the desert.
Royalties from the cooking guild motivated me to level up the craft. My recipes (Well-Done Carp in Sour Cream, Miner’s Fish Soup, Marinated Filet of Swamp Bighead with Onion and Herbs and Fried Spicy Stone Grabber, Stuffed with Herbs), which I’d invented back in the sandbox, enjoyed some popularity and were bringing in around ten thousand gold every four months.
Pulling out my portable stove, I started a fire and began to equip the crafting gear that I’d so fortunately bought in Darant. Chef’s Hat, Chef’s Apron, Kaizen Chef Knife. I pulled out the Universal Portable Stove, spices and other ingredients, and started experimenting.
My stocks included twenty-five Basilisk Fillets…
“Oh, finally getting back to cooking? Nice!” Bomber interrupted my calculations, returning with some loot. “By the way, let me give you this too…”
He dumped a pile of various kinds of meat and guts at my feet and also gave me some strange ingredients, such as Eye of the Desert Arachnid and Vulture Eggs.
I started cooking, carefully experimenting and getting a negative result in the form of a ruined dish over and over again. It seemed my crafting level was far too low for the rare ingredients.
“Hey, bro!” Bomber, bustling around and actively working his nose, put a shoulder on my hand and ‘helped’ me ruin the next dish. “We’re getting an ocean of free experience, and that’s awesome, but tell me, are we planning to keep hanging around here like this?”
“Yep, Bomb, this is it until Distival,” I answered, a little annoyed having failed to pull my pot off the fire quick enough. “We discussed this, the temple and leveling up are our main priorities. I need to get Iggy up to my level, and Crash needs to mature as fast as possible too. Enjoy the moment. Any player would envy you right now.”
“I know, I know, bro. I’m just… bored, I guess.”
Bomber took a bottle of beer out of his inventory, opened it and finally calmed down, stopped pacing and interrupting me. He lay down, took a swig and squeezed his eyes shut in revery.
The Destroying Plague Page 33
