I had gained the most experience because I had done the most damage. Just for being in the group they would get experience, but if they had also participated in the fight, then they would have earned even more. Power leveling them was looking like a very real possibility.
The last window was the best at of all of them, but it wasn’t related to leveling.
Healing reached Advanced Rank!
Advanced Healing
Base Heal of 5000 at level 1.
Cost 1000 MP per cast.
Crazy undead monkey stink! The cost was high, but my damage potential just became ten times stronger!
Talk about good problems to have. Just one battle and suddenly I had an additional 90 attribute points to spend, plus the 10 I already had saved. This gave me a lot of options. If I followed the Head Mistress’s advice blindly I could pump everything into Wisdom and be that much closer to 10,000 for the next bonus. It was so far away though.
The benefits of going just Wisdom wouldn’t only come when I reached the bonus. If I put everything in Wisdom I would have a regen rate of about 2200 Mana Per Minute.
Another option was pumping everything into Intelligence. This would also only slow down my progress to 10,000 Wisdom by 5%. If I had 1800 levels to go until that next bonus, it would only take 100 extra levels to get the Intelligence bonus.
Was it even possible to reach that high of a level though? I had no idea what the level cap was or if there even was one. The Head Mistress had mentioned 10,000 in her explanation, so perhaps that was a clue. What level was she I wondered?
There was also the option of getting Constitution, Dexterity and even Strength to 100 for the bonuses. The best thing about it would be that I didn’t have to wait. For 83 points I could get Constitution and Dexterity both to 100 for the bonus. It would take 136 for Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength. Constitution and Dexterity seemed like no-brainers, but did I need Strength for anything? With my buffs, I was already really strong. For survival’s sake getting the bonuses at 100 seemed like the wise thing to do.
I began by putting the needed points to get Constitution to 100.
Durable Body
Instead of 10 HP for each point of Con, you will now receive 25.
All damage taken reduced by 5%
Enhanced Endurance
Stamina doubled.
25% less stamina used.
Toughness Synergy
Because of the close relationship between Strength and Constitution, your high Con now reflects this. Every 5 points of Strength acts just as 1 point of Con would.
Seeing my Health Points increase from a base of 590 to 2500 in an instant allowed me to relax more than I had been able to in days. With the additional 800 HP from items, I was at 3300! I hadn’t even realized I had been so uptight. The increase in Endurance and the relationship with Strength were nice little bonuses as well.
The large increase caused me to take a second look at Russ. With his 600 Con he had just over 25000 HP and if my calculations were right, 10000 of it was because of his talent. If his HP was calculated like mine he would have had closer to 15000. He really was a monster.
Dexterity came next. I didn’t hesitate.
Light Step
You have surpassed the normal human limit for agile reactions. Due to this, it will seem to others as if you float off the ground when you run.
Speed Increased by 20%
Quick Reflexes Increased by 20%
Speed Synergy
Due to the relationship between fast twitch muscles responsible for Dexterity and how they help when lifting heavy objects, for every 5 points of Strength, it will be as if you have an additional point of Dex.
Seeing the bonuses from Con and Dex, I was convinced getting Strength to 100 would be worth it for 53 points. I dumped the 17 points I had left into Strength and would finish it off soon.
I was also leaning toward getting Intelligence to 1000 before aiming for 10,000 in Wisdom, just because of how far away from 10,000 I really was.
There was so much about me that had just changed that I didn’t have the time to fully realize just how much. Examining my arms and abs, I looked and felt like an amateur bodybuilder.
Glancing at Aeris, she was far too busy considering her own character progression for her to notice me. Taking in the rest of the group, they were the same. Zombie goo and all, everyone was still studying their screens.
Next, I considered what Advanced Healing really did for me. I cast Advanced buffs on my Intelligence and Wisdom. It gave me an incredible +300 to each stat. This increased my Mana Per Minute, Max Mana and my damage. With that, I was able to go Advanced In the Buff! +300 to all stats literally made me 3 times stronger.
Aeris had finally noticed me after applying the spells.
“How’d you do?” I asked, overlooking her newly red face.
Her mouth opened to say something, then closed as she took me in. She shook her head then responded, “You have no idea.” She smiled slyly. “I don’t think we should hide any longer. This is an opportunity we can’t afford to miss. We were only able to take out a handful of them before you came, but I think we may have been able to pull it off if it wasn’t for that Sergeant. And now… With you here, I think we should seriously consider fighting.” Her eyes seemed hungry.
The sudden jump in levels and power sent a cloud of Level Up stupor over the lot of them. Everyone wanted to face the army now even after I told them there were 250 of them; many of them twice the level of the Sergeant. It took me five minutes to convince them they weren’t strong enough to fight them face to face. I gave in when they came up with a compromise.
I deactivated Advanced Muscular Buff, which gave me enough to cast Invisibility on everyone. Skeleton Plate Mail I also scaled back to Skeletal Armor. This gave me enough Mana Per Minute to recover if I needed to if we had to fight.
Travis was excited to scout out the battlefield with his new stats and return to us covering three miles in seven minutes!
“The battle is going at full force. The mages on both sides are using zombies and skeletons as foot soldiers and healing or resurrecting them. There are no signs that either side is winning.”
“Very well,” I replied.
The plan was to wait at the rear of the battlefield and only attack injured enemies as they retreated for some easy experience. We had agreed that we would only attack a Lesser Skeletal Sergeant or lower.
Thankfully the troops seemed to all be controlled by magic, so I doubted there would be any retreating. Our group was made up of too many power-hungry gamers. This was not a good idea.
Everyone spread out in their smaller groups as we had planned. The attacking army had advanced a quarter of a mile across the battlefield. We were technically safe for the moment since everyone was shrouded in my Invisibility spell.
It was a light show of lightning, ice, and fire. Spells were hurled down on the opposing armies from both fronts.
Our view was very limited from our distance, but everyone was satisfied that we hadn’t been seen. The lich at the side of the vampire was directing the zombie army. Even now the vampire had yet to rise from his seat. It seemed the battle was little more than a spectator sport for him.
The skeletal force aligned against him was smaller in number, but the Skeleton Legionaries were higher in level—at least in the 400s or higher. There were also Skeletal Captains in the low 700s. Many were too high of a level for me to know for sure.
Just as the Vampire had his Zombie General, the Head Mistress had her Skeleton General who towered over the battlefield. He had two large horns of a bull sticking up from his bone helm and his level was too high to see. His armor itself looked familiar because I was wearing its lesser counterpart. Immediately I cast Force Learn.
Your Skeleton Armor has evolved to Skeletal General’s Defense.
For an extra 200 MPM, I now had a sure fitting bone helm similar to that of a samurai Kabuto with two horns reaching up to either side of my head. The armor
now fit me head to toe, with a skull covering the majority of my face, the jaw missing, and I peered out of large eye sockets that barely hindered my vision. I couldn’t wait to try and buck some low-level zombies with my horns. There was no way I wouldn’t at least try it.
After twenty minutes of back and forth, the constant death and resurrection of zombies and skeletons was getting boring. We weren’t the only ones who were tired of the stalemate. The vampire finally stood up from his chair.
In the blink of an eye, black cords shot out of the pale man’s hand and sucked the life out of his own zombies. It took less than a minute before they all lay motionless.
The skeletons stopped where they stood in response.
A male’s tenor rung out. “Dearest Lilith!” the vampire called. “How rude of a welcome you have given us!”
I could almost hear her snort from a quarter of a mile away. “You bring the stench of rotting flesh into my realm and you call me rude?!” she rebuked.
“Oh yes! I have forgotten your sensitivities! You are still very much attached to your flesh!”
“Enough!” she demanded. “You dare attack me?! Your superior?!”
“Head Mistress or not, you are a succubus, Lilith! Talented?! Sure! But you are a lesser being despite your many talents! Swear your allegiance to me and I will let you live! If not… Either way, you will stop this abomination of fraternizing with the human world! Though I do applaud your creativity! Today I will take my rightful place as your master or drain the power from your lusty corpse!”
A similar black cord proceeded from the Mistress’s hand and leeched the power from her own skeletons. Even her general was drained.
“Come then, child! Today I will teach you an everlasting lesson!”
The sudden intensity of power radiating from the pair sent the orcs and dark elves running for an exit. They were the only creatures that weren’t already dead or leeched to death by the black cord spell.
I suddenly felt like throwing skeleton bones against the wall as hard as I could. Idiot! How had I let everyone talk me into doing this? 14 other newly leveled up ex-gamers had new power to test on creatures that looked at us like steak with legs, covered with BBQ sauce.
An uncoordinated mob ran right toward us, making for the exit behind us.
Chapter 19 – A Master’s Duel
I counted two dark elves and eight orcs coming at us without any formation or clue that we were in their way. Besides the obvious danger of having eight level 400 tanks heading right at us, I feared there might be stealth users that I couldn't see. Being invisible myself didn't make it possible to see others that were invisible.
The orcs were probably not weak to Light magic.
A Health Bullet hit one in the shoulder, knocking one off balance but little else. It was confirmed my Healing spells wouldn’t really affect them. Alpha Bullet it is.
My attack set off the rest of my group. Spells flew, bows sang, Russ ran to the center of the exit with two other guys not nearly as big as him, and a few rogues inched to better positions at the flank of our ridiculously small defensive line.
Multiple strategies played through my head in a moment. Logic came so easily to me now and my wisdom attribute was obviously doing more than just affecting my spells.
The selfish approach would be to try to kill every single one of them without anyone else getting the last kill. This would give me the most experience.
The selfless strategy would be to buff everyone else and go into full heal mode. It might even be the only approach where everyone would survive. One Orc was twice the level of any of our bashers. Heck, they were nearly twice my own level.
Because of the danger, our only hope might also be to do as much damage as possible as quickly as possible. Going into healing mode might get people killed.
There was one thing I could do quickly before the Orcs reached us. They had just noticed us after I had cast a Health Bullet. I turned to the two fleeing dark elves. They were only about level 300.
I formed up an Advanced Health Bullet for the first time. It cost only about a fifth of the 1000MP, making it efficient and deadly. With over 40% spell strength increase from Wisdom bonuses, 20% from Intelligence bonuses, and 50% from my scepter and their weakness to light magic, it would be devastating.
Instead of firing quickly, I took a breath to aim.
Both of the dark elves had the same reaction when they saw us. A knife was drawn and they tried to go invisible.
Releasing my first bullet, it carried much more acceleration than Heal or Lesser Heal was capable of.
It tore into the center of the dark elf's skull. Head shot!
Other attack spells bombarded the dark elves as well. I wasn't the only one who thought to get them out of the way first.
I didn't wait for another reaction, but immediately fired another Advanced Health Bullet when I saw it hit.
It seemed like it was going to miss high. The dark elf was falling after my first bullet had hit.
Instead of missing it hit him in the temple, finishing him before he hit the ground!
I didn't change anything when attacking the second dark elf. My Advanced Health Bullet finished him by sniping him in the neck.
Turning to the Orcs, Olivia went all out casting a spell like her vine entanglement, but this was no small control spell. A small forest rose out of the ground at her beck and call. Not only did it entrap their legs but it dragged the lot of them together into a huddle.
It only momentarily hindered the massive green orcs. The average one was the size of Russ and it was obvious their strength attribute was at a stupid awesome level.
It was time to decide. Instead of choosing to just heal or attack, I would roll with the situation. My first course was to buff our tanks’ Constitution to the Advanced level. I didn't believe that an additional 300 Strength would help them do enough damage against the incoming squad to make it worth the mana, but making them able to take a few more punches could be a lifesaver for all of us.
Then my mouth dropped as I learned how much I had been underestimating my group.
Our casters unleashed what they were really capable of. Before the first Wind Slash struck, two other spells reached the orcs first.
A makeshift thundercloud formed above them and a bolt of lightning took advantage of their close proximity.
In utter defiance and in the face of the superior enemy, a giant black shadow in the shape of a hand hovered over their heads for no more than a second. It was the size of a truck.
It slammed down to the earth, driving the orcs into the ground. What in the Underworld was that?!
Aeris's wind slash was obviously charged—instead of the thickness of a sword blade, it hurled forward like the blade of a massive battleax. It sunk into the group at the knees, blood spraying, tying my throat in knots.
There hadn't been many creatures we had fought that seemed really alive. The orcs were close enough to human that it seemed more real to see them get hurt. Not that it slowed me down.
A moment ago the group of orcs had been tearing through Olivia's vines like children pulling up grass, but they were now staggering, some holding injured limbs or taking a knee.
Multiple spells hit them from all sides.
I prepared an Alpha Bomb, pumping 2k MP into the spell. Time for some experience.
It was clear that the power of this group had incredible potential.
Our tanks were no longer bracing for a fight, but watching us casters while scratching their heads. When Russ crossed his arms like it wasn't fair, I snorted, releasing my spell.
The concussion of Alpha Bomb sounded like a small thunderclap when it connected. Orcs were blasted off their feet and flew outside of the radius of Olivia's forest of entanglement. Orc and vine were left in pieces. Not a one of them was left alive.
Despite the cool effect, I was pretty sure I had only finished two or three of them. The rest had already been dead. No bonus experience for destruction?
Le
vel Ups streamed from the floor.
The power our mages had together was mind-boggling. I now believed Aeris when she said that they could have probably taken the zombies from before if it wasn't for their Sergeant.
Scanning the battlefield I didn't see any others coming our way, but still feared possible stealth users.
“Watch out for rogues! There might be some invisible enemies left.”
“It’s clear!” Travis called. “I was able to see through their stealth before. I think it's safe.”
“Still! Let my invisibility spell take effect again! Don't move too quickly or you will stay visible! Just to be safe!”
Everyone took my advice as I released Advanced Skeletal Buff on the tanks.
I saw Aeris and Olivia hug each other in victory and two other casters dogpiled them. The one with a brown mess of hair and a smug grin was the lightning mage, and a skinny redheaded guy with a black robe looked back at me. This was the guy that cast the giant hand dark spell. There was no way it was a normal spell, right? He nodded to me with dorky awesomeness!
I couldn’t help but give the guys a round of knuckle bumps. Gamer mage dudes unite!
Of course, our tanks weren’t exactly happy it was already over. They celebrated anyways. It was all short-lived, however.
Enormous energy was radiating from the Vampire and Head Mistress and was only growing. The first attack, a black ball of energy, shot from the Vampire’s hand.
The Mistress waved her hand and the attack exploded ten feet from her head. The concussion caused a thunderclap and knocked half of us off our feet. From her side of the battlefield, she was at least 500 meters away. We ran.
Stopping directly on the other side of the stone wall wasn’t an option. The wall was shaking.
It didn’t have to be discussed. We ran two more rooms before we finally stopped. Even from there the concussions seemed to send our internal organs trembling.
Sitting, I began to recover my mana through meditation and let it max out. When I was fairly confident nothing was following us, I released everyone's invisibility. It seemed the danger of any additional mobs had passed, and those that we might have missed would have likely run back home instead of trying to get a solo kill before we could respond.
Underworld - Level Up or Die: A LitRPG Series Page 16
