World-Tree's End
Page 3
Silpher reappeared closer on the ground and belched loudly, sending out a wave of yellow smoke that burned holes in the petal. The smoke seemed to clump together, forming a thousand tiny needles in the air. Silpher pointed a bony finger at the floating man, and all the needles fired at him like bullets.
Flying acid needles, huh? That all you got besides Vaporize?
Vincent used Zero Field to stop the needles before they reached him. Before he could send them flying back at their owner, though, the skeleton snapped his bony fingers, and all the needles detonated, covering Vincent’s line of sight with explosions. The force of a thousand blasts shoved him backward at high speed, and he skidded over the lake. He righted himself with Zero Field and slid to a stop, but he heard a whoosh behind him and turned.
Silpher appeared, standing on the water. His boots seemed to let him walk on the lake like it was ground. A mithril blade covered in ghostfire had replaced his hand cannon, and he sliced through Vincent with a downward slash. The attack carved through Vincent’s chest, burning the flesh around the cut, and sent him plummeting into the water. Overhead, the skeleton swapped out his sword for his hand cannon.
Silpher’s first shot boiled the lake around Vincent as he struggled to drink a potion under the churning water. The pirate skeleton landed his next attack with a direct hit.
You’ve died. Respawning at Daiglass 0167.3076.0775.0729…
Chapter 2
One moment, Vincent was sinking through boiling water as a wave of mana rushed toward him. The next second, he found himself in bed near the daiglass shard. When he sat upright, he discovered Monika beside him in a sleeping gown. Even the way she snored while lying sprawled on her side imitated his real wife.
Vincent tried to think where ARKUS would’ve even gotten information about how Monika slept. Maybe it found an old video where I was poking fun of her sleeping. Or maybe she fell asleep playing Titanus Online one time. Either way, this is a bit too eerie.
He quietly slid his legs off the side of the bed, grabbed a few items from the daiglass shard, and then made his way into the hall. The creaky floorboards gave him some trouble, but if the copy was as accurate as she seemed, he doubted Monika would wake up for anything short of a full-volume alarm.
In the kitchen, he found more baskets of fruits and vegetables waiting for him. A single square apple had been set out with a note beside it that read: Sorry, I only found one in the whole Garden. –Monika.
Vincent quickly ate the apple, but he savored the last few bites.
Perception Level Up: 394>395
Your other stats are closer to leveling up.
After taking the items from one basket, he headed outside and into the dark. Normally, the faint glow of the worlds covered the sky above, but without them the Challenge World felt almost as dark and eerie as a Dead-World. He hurried up the petal and traced his path back to the lake. This time, he brought along his remaining Checkpoint Crystal from the war at Risegard. With that item, he would be able to respawn within a few seconds of dying instead of waiting two weeks. He activated it and left it nearby, so he’d have a chance of catching Silpher off guard if he lost another fight.
Vincent waited by the lake and stared into the dark. Eventually, the silhouette of Silpher in a new rowboat approached. This time, the skeleton stayed on the boat and tilted his pirate hat in a welcoming gesture.
Silpher wants to know if you’re here to challenge him or to fish? (Challenge/Fish)
“I doubt I’ll defeat you in the dark, so let’s fish,” Vincent answered.
Silpher’s jawbone opened with a high-pitched chuckle, and he waved for Vincent to join him in the rowboat. The Ranger hesitated, somewhat worried it was a trap, but he climbed aboard regardless.
Silpher rowed them away from the shore while humming a happy melody. Once they reached the middle of the lake, a fishing rod appeared in his hand. He handed it to Vincent before equipping and setting down a tackle box. The skeleton readied a second fishing pole and attached a worm on his hook before casting it into the lake. Vincent noted that Silpher’s hook hand seemed to flex and move, making the one-handed skeleton much more dexterous than he’d first appeared.
Once Vincent got a worm on his hook, he cast the line into the lake. They sat in silence for several minutes, and Vincent wondered if anything was supposed to happen. He’d half-expected that accepting Silpher’s offer would lead to an alternate challenge or questline. When he looked over at the skeleton’s happy-looking skull, Vincent understood.
Oh, he just really enjoys fishing. Alright, then.
A few minutes later, Silpher reeled in a big red fish and proudly showed it to Vincent.
“Wow, good catch. I’ll screenshot that.”
Vincent took a picture using his HUD command, and then Silpher tossed the fish back into the lake.
“You don’t eat them?”
Silpher shook his head.
“No wonder you’re all bones!”
Vincent almost berated himself for the lame joke, but Silpher replied with a high-pitched laugh and even slapped the side of the boat. The skeleton’s pleasant personality put a smile on Ranger’s face, and he spent the next three hours catching fish and making lame jokes. Surprisingly, Silpher laughed at each one.
Finally, the skybox started to brighten as morning arrived. They’d both caught a dozen or so fish, and Vincent tossed his newest catch back into the water just as Silpher glanced at the sky. The skeleton put away his fishing rod and rowed them back to shore.
“You know I still have to fight you, right?” Vincent asked, feeling guilty.
Silpher nodded, but his skeletal face still appeared happy.
“You’re not going to go easy on me just because we fished together, are you?”
Silpher chuckled in reply.
“Can you at least tell me if you drop alchemic materials? That’s the only reason I’m fighting you.”
Silpher shrugged, seeming unsure of the answer.
“Any chance you’ll just give me your items?”
Silpher shook his head.
When they reached the shore, Vincent stepped off the rowboat and started eating the food Monika had prepared for him. With his levels boosted, he took a fighting stance without weapons. Vincent hadn’t bothered bringing any of his remaining basteel weapons.
The only way I win is if I hit him with Voidfire. I need to manage that even if I die in the process.
Silpher equipped his hand cannon, but he remained in a relaxed position, waiting for Vincent to start the battle.
I need to take advantage of Vaporize’s two-second charge-up time. With my high Agility and Perception, I have all the time in the world to react. I can’t play so defensively this time.
Vincent kicked off the ground toward Silpher, but the skeleton teleported away. His momentum took him skidding over the water, but he used Zero Field to circle around, creating a wave below his feet. Static filled the air, and he spotted Silpher on the hillside. Vincent launched himself in that direction, readying Voidfire in his hand. When the flash of mana left Silpher’s gun, Vincent hurled his attack and followed its path through the enemy’s beam.
He gulped down a mega-ether, knowing he’d have at least two seconds before Silpher fired again. When he felt static touch his skin, Vincent spun around to find the skeleton had teleported to the edge of the lake. That time, Vincent cast Void Gun, hoping to catch the boss off guard with a smaller, faster attack. The spell zipped by the skeleton’s head as it dodged away just before unleashing Vaporize.
With his superhuman speed and reflexes, Vincent tossed Voidfire in front of himself a split-second before the boss’s spell could strike him. He equipped another mega-ether to drink, but Silpher appeared beside him with a mithril sword in hand. Vincent had expected the skeleton to move into close range at some point, and he pushed himself away from the first slash with Zero Field. A massive wall of ghostfire trailed after him, but he picked up speed as he flew away and drank a potion.
Some of the ghostfire washed over Vincent, but it didn’t do enough damage for him to worry about it. He fired another Void Gun, but as expected, the skeleton teleported away. Vincent couldn’t hear the normal whoosh of the boss reappearing because of the wavering mountain of ghostfire, but he caught sight of Silpher breathing clouds of yellow smoke. The skeleton unleashed a building-sized cloud, which then clumped together to form tens of thousands of needles.
Vincent fired Void Gun before Silpher could point and send his needles flying. The boss sidestepped again, but that time the attack clipped the side of his skull, leaving a semicircle missing from the side of his head. Vincent rocketed upward before the needles were launched at him, and he flew as high as possible, avoiding explosions as they detonated where he’d been floating a second ago.
I’m not sure if he can get me this high up, Vincent realized, chugging potions. He spotted a twinkle below and then darted away from a wave of mana. The Vaporize curved to follow him, but Vincent found it easy to track and avoid the attack at that distance.
If we can’t hit each other, this battle will drag out until I run out of potions. I’m just going to have to do something risky. I’ll turn this fight into a coin flip just like I did with my Shadow Self in Titanus Online.
With his mana full, Vincent rocketed himself downward at the speck far below on the petal. He brought his hands together, gathering the wild flames of a Greater Voidfire. Unlike the smaller variants, this one still felt uncontrollable, and he remembered several times that Izrid had almost killed himself with the attack. Vincent knew Silpher would just teleport away if he threw it directly, so he planned to miss on purpose, hoping the wild flames would reach the boss.
Static ran along his skin, and he saw the light of Silpher’s cannon as it readied to fire. Vincent tossed Greater Voidfire to the left and watched the attack miss the boss by several meters. As Silpher’s attack fired through the air, Vincent used the remainder of his mana to redirect himself at an angle. He heard the explosion of black flames as he avoided Vaporize’s epicenter, but the outer layers of the beam still ate through flesh on his left side. He continued downward at high speed before bouncing off the petal several times.
Vincent climbed to his feet and tried to drink the only ultra-ether he’d brought with him. He saw the black flames flickering and spreading across the petal, but he had no idea if he’d hit Silpher or not. As he finished the bottle, a whoosh sounded beside him, and then Silpher jabbed his mithril blade through one of Vincent’s lungs. The skeleton had lost his hook hand and most of that side. It even looked like a third of his skull had been eaten away by the black flames.
Vincent tried to cast another Voidfire, but Silpher unleashed a wave of ghostfire directly from the blade buried in the Ranger’s lung.
You’ve died. Respawning at Checkpoint Crystal…
Vincent reappeared within view of the black flames still withering from this Greater Voidfire. His sharp eyes narrowed on the silhouette in the distance. Considering Silpher knew whenever he approached the shore, Vincent assumed the skeleton would know he’d respawned. He readied his black flames in one hand and a Zero Field in the other, but Vincent didn’t move from that spot.
He’s injured, and I doubt he has infinite mana. He’s got to be pushing his limits. I’ll catch him if I’m patient—just like with fishing.
His eyes stayed on the shape in the distance, but he kept his breathing slow and steady. The far-off figure remained just as still, almost like he was thinking the same thing. As another minute passed, Vincent considered drinking a mega-ether, but he knew any movement at that point might give Silpher a chance to attack.
Another minute passed with neither moving, then Vincent blinked, and the silhouette vanished. He heard the whoosh behind him and spun around while casting Zero Field. The spell stopped the mithril blade just inches from his neck, and as Silpher unleashed his wave of ghostfire, Vincent countered with his black flames.
The black fire snuffed out its green counterpart in an instant, and only broken shards of bone remained of Silpher once the flames had withered away.
Vitality Level Up: 370>373
Spirit Level Up: 398>401
Resolve Level Up: 371>374
Perception Level Up: 395>398
Agility Level Up: 369>372
Strength Level Up: 368>371
Holy crap, Monika wasn’t kidding about that the stat boost from these bosses. It’s a shame they have a ten-year respawn.
Vincent looked at the dust left behind and picked up item crystals that held stacks of gild. He started to worry he’d destroyed any valuable items, but then text appeared.
Congratulations on defeating a boss on this Challenge World. You may choose one soulbound item as a reward.
Silpher’s Coat (Soulbound) – A lightweight and comfy black coat. There are ancient and complex runes etched all over the inner lining. | Bountiful Treasure – The user may store an amount of mana equal to their total mana reserve within this coat. However, the act of storing mana requires a 50% conversion cost. Damage to the coat reduces the amount of mana it can store.
King Kame (Soulbound) – A pirate-themed hand cannon. It even has happy skulls painted on the sides. An ancient power lies at the heart of this weapon. | Reckless Destruction – For a High+ cost, the user may fire the spell Vaporize using this weapon (Note: Vaporize normally has a Very High cost).
Green Flash (Soulbound) – Material Rating: 700 | A mithril sword imbued with haunting power. | Ghostfire Edge - The wielder of this blade may convert mana into ghostfire with the same rating as the blade.
Dang, I can’t sacrifice soulbound items to the tome. He sighed, and then looked over his three options one more time. I guess I shouldn’t complain when these items are so powerful. I would’ve given anything for a cannon or sword like this back in the day, but with my abilities, this coat is far more useful.
Vincent chose Silpher’s Coat, and it formed to his size and shape in a comfortable fit as he equipped it. Since it was lightweight, he didn’t need to worry about it disabling his Density Shield like armor would.
Builder Points: 82,045
Alright, I’m well on my way to escaping this world. I can only hope the other bosses are as generous with their gild drops as my dude Silpher. First, I should return to the Garden so I can recover my mana and grab more items.
Vincent started to head back to the Garden, hurrying down the steep slope of the petal. The skybox’s morning light had brought life to the small region of wilderness, and he passed numerous chirping birds and hopping rabbits. Even the fish in the lake swam around with enthusiastic energy. The Garden’s beauty caused Vincent to slow his stride as he took in the sights and sounds.
Near the house, he found Monika standing on a ladder trying to grab a green fruit just out of reach. She didn’t notice him approaching as she jumped, missed the fruit, and held tightly to the ladder to stop herself from falling.
Vincent pointed a finger at the tree and cast Zero Field. The fruit she’d been reaching for, along with several others, snapped from their branches and floated down into her basket.
“Oh, thank you!” Monika said with a surprised expression. “I was starting to fear I’d need to climb the tree, and heights—”
“Make you anxious,” Vincent finished. “Yes, I know. You never let that stop you from flying in a plane though. We even took a ride in a hot air balloon once, and you clung to me the entire time.”
Monika stared at him with a confused expression.
“Well, not you,” Vincent said, reminding himself. “I mean the person you’re based on.”
“You say such strange things,” she replied, climbing dow
n from the ladder with her basket. “Some of it sounds oddly familiar, but I can’t figure out why. Did we know each other in a past life? Is that why the Voice of the World-Tree brought you here?”
“You and I—” Vincent paused, struggling to explain. “We’ve never met. Not even in a past life. You’re just very similar to my wife. I guess ARK—the Voice—tried to introduce us for that reason.”
“Oh, you’re married,” she said, looking at the ground. “It’s no wonder you’re in a rush to leave this world.”
“My wife passed away a couple of years ago.”
Saying those words out loud reminded Vincent how little time had really passed since the update had started. He might’ve had more than a century of life experiences, but it always felt like he’d lost Monika only two years prior.
“I’m so sorry!” Monika said, looking like she might cry. She rushed forward and hugged him. “You poor guy. I’m sure you just want to go about your adventure, and I’m here just bothering you with all my questions and nonsense. I was being selfish and only thinking of myself.”
Even though she hugged him exactly like his wife always had, Vincent couldn’t bring himself to hug her back. He waited until she pulled away before turning to the house.
“It’s fine,” he said. “You aren’t bothering me, but I am in kind of a hurry. I just stopped by to get some items and restore my mana before I take on the next boss. I already defeated Silpher.”
“Wow, you beat him on your second try?” Monika asked, following him into the house.
“Well, I used a Checkpoint Crystal, so it wasn’t really a fair fight.”
“The Voice said those bosses are meant to be challenged by powerful teams of heroes. Beating him by yourself is incredible, even if you had an advantage. Did he give you alchemic items like you wanted?”