Their multitude of familiars and pets were patrolling around and above the clearing, making sure nothing surprised them. Naturally, Sam had set up some wards, plus his mana senses were stretched to their limits to make sure nobody interfered or even spied on them.
‘Ugh, soon I need to deal with divination…joy…’ he mused before refocusing on his eagerly listening friends.
“Katie, just… listen to the voices. I have no idea how eldritch beings from the great unknown work…”
Sam told the eager young woman as she raised her hand. Then Puffball jumped into her lap, demanding to be petted through its body language, and Sam knew the crazy berserker was in safe-ish hands. Or tentacles.
Then he turned to Isabella.
“Yes?”
“Can we fail?”
“Well, based on my very limited sample size of one… probably…” Her face instantly fell so Sam hurried to continue. “But with your Mana Control level and general talent I don’t believe you – or any of you – are going to fail.”
“If you say so…”
“I do, indeed, say so…” He replied with a small smirk, which Katie’s friend returned somewhat hesitantly. “Any other question?”
“No question,” started Clarissa, “but if this gimps our characters, you’re going to be responsible!”
“Don’t worry, there will be no gimping here!” He tried to placate the dour healer while ignoring how Dan was chortling in the background.
He clapped his hands together and all sounds in the clearing vanished, his friends’s eyes on him.
“Alright, if there are no questions, then please start. Remember, let the process flow and only ‘interfere’ when you feel it would work. There will be some feedback from the process, so you won’t miss it!”
All of them gave Sam a determined nod before closing their eyes and settling into a meditative state.
“See you guys on the other side!”
As his friends began to wrestle with their mana, he also sat down, one hand near his sword, and began to browse the net leisurely. Might as well do something moderately useful while guarding his team.
For now, it would suffice to withdraw to a semi-private space and do the ‘ritual’ there, but as the game progressed and more and more people joined – some more important than others – when they were doing this ascension ritual it was a prime opportunity for some shenanigans.
Summoning demons, doing some stabby-stabby, releasing virulent poisons, manufacturing uprisings, crashing local markets, summoning even more demons…
Thus, people would do them in complete secrecy or behind an army of protectors.
Most of the local gaming news was filled with the regional reach to the top event final results and how the actual level to upgrade characters wasn’t a hundred but one hundred and one. Some people found it funny, some raged very hard against the developers. Intermixed with drama queens, influencers, and trolls, the battle raged on the forums over the issue.
Then naturally, the fact that at one hundred and one, the person’s mana gets upgraded into a core was revealed and everybody went bananas again.
Sam saw that enterprising people were already collecting information about the process, compiling the accumulated knowledge in specific posts. It seemed most people who tried the process now that a moderate amount of them reached the necessary level, reported that they got a simple Mana Core, which was what Sam expected.
It was like that in his memories too… Though, by the time the other Sam joined, there were rumors about higher-tier cores and some convoluted ways – read expensive – to achieve them.
Some poor shmuck was on the forums crying about their Fractured Mana Core as they were attacked by a monster during the process and had to interrupt it to defend themselves.
He also read over the political happenings of the region. To see which guild had beef with which other guilds, who was the current hero with the fifteen minutes of fame, and who was the big bad that everybody seemed to be hating.
“Huh…”
Apparently, it was him.
“Well, I’ll be…”
It seems, his meteoric rise through the levels had caught people’s interest, which led to the players and forum dwellers (and trolls, paid shills, and shit stirrers) to do some research on him. The fact he was high-leveled, rich (in the game) and the owner of a guild and a company that actually made a profit caused some emotions to emerge amongst the populace.
Frowning, he quickly composed a message to customer support, referencing and linking several posts that demanded his arrest, death, or worse, and asked them to deal with it. Calling him a cheater was one thing, but the other stuff was way beyond the line.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Surprisingly, he almost instantly received a response from the company.
“Let’s see… We apologize…bla bla bla… immediate action… please be reassured it shouldn’t happen again… against company policy…” he quickly read the boilerplate email. “Sure, but you only act when I call you out…bleh…” he spoke, his voice heavy with sarcasm.
Thankfully, they weren’t just blowing hot air, as the offending forum posts had already vanished with a note of warning about doing it again. As he refreshed the site, he could already see several posts complaining about the company stifling the freedom of speech…
The rest of his time was spent looking for nuggets of information he could make use of or could confirm things about his future knowledge. There were people soon starting that would make it big despite their later introduction to the game. He wanted to poach a few of them.
Just a few of them because he knew that a lot of them only reached the heights they reached because of the giant complex logistical machine behind them. Either via guilds that nurtured them or companies that sponsored them.
Some were simply egotistical or psychopaths that were impossible to work with. But here and there, Sam would be able to find a few diamonds in the rough…
He was about to switch to the meme part of the forums when he received a message on the account that most of his friends used.
Looking up at the clearing, he smirked at Clarissa, then began to outline the answer to her sister’s question.
“Anything to support the next generation…”
Closing the game screen in front of him, Sam looked up and focused his mana senses on his friends.
‘They’re close…’
He stood up and put his hand on his sword. If anybody attacked, he was pretty sure that the universe would choose this exact moment for them to strike.
Alas, as he felt the mana settle down around his teammates, no attacks came from anywhere. Not even a small attack by underground mole people…
‘Heh…can’t wait until 1st of April…’ he chuckled to himself before turning his attention to his friends.
They slowly opened their eyes, blinking away whatever they saw while they were closed, and let out varied noises.
Katie’s demented laughter echoed around the clearing, soon joined by Isabella. Dan let out an enormous roar while flexing all his muscles. Clarissa just pumped her fist and let out a ‘Yes!’.
“So, what did you guys get?”
Clarissa answered first. “Regenerating Mana Core. Less upfront mana, but my mana regeneration got… I think it’s called logarithmic growth with personal level.”
“Useful for a healer…”
“Indeed!”
“Dan?”
“Er, it’s called Tempered Mana Core because of the fire and ice mana… It increases my resistance against both and allows me to strengthen one by weakening the other.”
“Fun stuff…”
“Yeah, can’t wait to experiment with it…”
“Girls?” he finally asked as Isabella and Katie seemed to calm down.
“Behold!” Isabella called out, striking a pose. “Resonating Mana Core! My core vibrates with the same frequency as my music, increasing its effectiveness, area of effect and adding an echo to my spells!”
“Mine is better!” came from Katie. Then she faltered as she tried to pronounce something her mouth trying to say it but not finding the proper sound. Then she shrugged and shared the screen. “I can’t pronounce it. Don’t even know which language it is from.
[Syha’h Mana Core: Level 0 (0%) (Passive) Mana is indestructible. You have touched upon this aspect a little, thus your mana had taken up the same property. Decreases the cost of mana skills by 33%, and increases mana regeneration by 1% per skill level. Grants you 1% magic and physical resistance per skill level. Grants you 0,1% true damage resistance per skill level.
When you enhance your body with mana, the mana from beyond leaks into and gives you a small cognito hazard aura. You cannot control this aura, but the more mana you use and the longer, the greater this aura grows. May cause blindness, insanity, spontaneous combustion, angry outbursts, and mindless rage in those who look upon you.
Gives a flat increase of +25 STR, END, and AGI.]
Sam and the rest of the team just stared at the skill, then as one they glanced at the smugly looking ‘cat’ who was now sitting on a branch and licking its paws with self-satisfaction radiating from every hair on its body and as one shuddered.
“Look! I’m sparkly!” Katie exclaimed as she began to move through some sword exercises as the universe around her body began to convulse and just straight up decided to give up. It looked like she was slowly being surrounded by the bastard child of a desert mirage and a cloud of dust of every Holi festival ever performed.
As Sam stared in horrified amazement he thought he heard something breaking in the distance, and then he saw a notification pop up.
[Perception Filter is now Level 25!]
[Why did you keep looking?]
[You gained the skill, Unknown Sight!]
[Unknown Sight: Level 0/50 (0%) (Passive) You gaze upon what is not meant to be seen and you rejoice. Things that would visually impair or debilitate you are less effective. Please stop looking!]
Sam just shook his head and bade the others to follow him. Time waited for nobody. Now that they all reached level 101, it was time for the next step.
The familiars…
The team returned to Ironwood in a great mood and once again separated to do their own thing, which was mostly preparing or doing the ritual to evolve their familiars. Sam made sure he inscribed the ritual circle several times in the company ritual rooms, ready to be used any time, but left the choosing of reagents and catalysts to the others.
The other Sam only had tangential knowledge of the evolution rituals, mostly what he gathered from online forums which were not the most trustworthy sources, so Sam was mostly basing his decision on his feelings and the knowledge he gathered from the Nowhere library.
For example, most people, at least those who talked about it in the forums, mentioned that they always looked for stronger and stronger items and catalysts for the rituals.
But his loyal and adorable Lucky, was pretty strong, thus, Sam decided to reinforce a few things and try to move toward his eventual goals with his skills.
He took a small detour toward the Auction House to see if he could find something even better than what he planned to use. It would work perfectly – or at least he hoped so – but it never hurt to check…
Entering the Auction House, in his disguise, he quickly found a seat and looked around. It was pretty funny to see a lot of people trying to act nonchalant but still keeping an eye on the guy with the AFK company symbol on his clothes.
A dupe placed there to distract people with weird purchases or odd product movements. So far, it was one of the most devious moves Lucy had made.
Opening the screen, he quickly navigated toward the armor section.
Scrolling down, he quickly found something that he really liked.
‘Metal-lined shadow-fur coat…’ he read the name of the item. ‘As if it was made for me…Yoink!’
Without a thought, he paid the asking price and soon, he was holding a very nice coat. Then Sam hurried back to one of the workshops at the company HQ, carefully pulled out the metal plates in the coat, and began to carefully inscribe them with a runic ward, paying extra attention to the Heart Rune.
“This is going to be great!”
Owed bonus chapters: Two (2)
Titles:
[Apprentice: You are an apprentice learning under a master. Increased experience point gain in the key skill of the apprenticeship.]
Magical Items:
[Ring of Minor Health Regeneration: A small ring, made from subpar materials, with a low-quality magical gem. As long as the gem holds mana, it aids with health regeneration. Can hold 100 Mana Points, and regenerates 10 Health Points for every point of mana consumed. Current Mana: 100/100.]
[High-quality Troll Leather Armor: Created by a journeyman crafter employed by your own company. They worked extra hard to make sure to return your goodwill. Excellent quality, given the materials and the crafter. Enchanted to decrease the sound it makes during movement, as well as has increased durability. Thanks to the substance it was impregnated with the troll leather it lacks its customary weakness to fire.]
*Not actually bottomless.]
Quests:
Active quests:
[Just walk in there!]
[Prove yourself!]
[Peaceful land, peaceful mind]
Finished quests:
[Monster Parade!]
[Topping the tree!]
[Reap what you sow!]
[Seaside opportunity]
[Another seaside opportunity]
[The booty of mystery!]
[Demonic demonstration!]
[The Test of the Survivor!]
[To the city you go!]
[Eternal Vigilance!]
[Returning Champion]
[Volatile Valley]
[Ride forward to be not killed in nasty ways!]
[Location, location, location!]
Skills:
Mana Skills:
[Mana Body: Level 7/100 (21%) (Passive) Your mana permeates your body, enhancing and improving it. The better your control of your mana is, and the more mana you have, the bigger the effect is. For every 100 Mana Points, it grants you 1 Base Health gain. For every skill level, it increases the Health Regeneration by 0,1.]
[Mana Shield: Level 99 (99%) Using mana, you can form a simple shell around yourself, which decreases the damage you take. Damage decrease depends on the amount of mana invested. For every unit of Mana invested in the spell, the shield will protect you from 9,9 (physical) damage.]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +2,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +3,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
Neutral Mage skills:
[Mana Unraveling: Level 14/25 (19%) (Active) You can spot even the smallest imperfection in the weave of the mana. If your control is better than the one who weaved the spell, then you can attack those imperfections and unravel the spell or magic in front of you.]
[Spell Matrix: Level 40/100 (4%) (Passive) You mastered layering spells as very few have before. You can layer ( or connect any other way) together as many spells as you can. The cost of this action is increased by 5% (cumulative) for every two layers or spells.]
[Solid Spell Foundation: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your foundation is solid and unshakable. The stability of layered spells is increased.]
[Mana Construct: Level 84/100 (22%) (Active/Passive) You can create mana constructs over your weapons. These constructs cannot be separated from your weapon. You have total control over their shape and size. For every level in the skill, the mana cost is decreased by 1% and the damage inflicted by the skill is increased by 1%]
[Simplicity: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) The simpler your creations, the less mana it costs.]
[Infusion: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Infusing different mana types into your mana constructs becomes easier.]
[Complexity: Level 1/5 (11%) (Passive) The complexity of your creations doesn’t detract from it. Usually, mana cost would rise when the complexity of your creation increases. For every level of this skill this increase in mana cost becomes less and less.]
Elemental Mage Skills:
Wind Mage skills:
[Wind Blade III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Active) A spell that allows you to launch a blade of wind. The cutting power and speed of the blade are increased. You have greater control over its movement after creation. Allows you to slightly control its path after launching the wind blade.]
[Wind Blade Storm: Level 6/10 (7%) (Active) A spell that unleashes a storm of wind blades around you. The damage of the released Wind Blades depends on the Wind Blade spell and your mastery over it.]
[Wind Bullet III: Level 9/10 (99%) A spell that allows you to launch a bullet made of concentrated wind. You have excellent control over the projectile’s speed, size, and path.]
[Wind Explosion: Level 3/10 (21%) A spell that allows you to create a singular bullet of wind mana, and then fire it, which will, upon impact, detonate. The strength of the detonation depends on the amount of wind mana channeled into the bullet and your mastery over the Wind Bullet spell!]
[Wind Movement: 39/100 (19%) (Active) You can use your mastery over wind to move in any direction you wish. Your movement speed is increased significantly. This speed boost is increased by 1% for each skill level.]
[Wind Edge III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) A spell that allows you to enhance the edge of any bladed weapon you wield with the wind. Thanks to the spell, the speed of your strikes will greatly increase. The power and reach of the blade will be greatly increased further.]
[Wind Affinity: Level 61/100 (17%) (Passive) You have a good affinity for the wind. Beings born of the wind will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Wind-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
- Wind Flurry
- Wind Bullet Barrage
- Healing Wind
- Wind Jump
- Wind Drill
- Wind Blade I-III
- Wind Blade Storm
- Wind Bullet I-III
- Wind Explosion
- Wind Movement
- Wind Edge I-III!
Utility skills:
Companion skills:
Shadow skills:
(Shadow Cloak triggers this benefit.)]
[Shadow Affinity: Level 30/100 (14%) (Passive) You have a good affinity with the shadows. Beings born of the shadows will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Shadow-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
Physical skills:
[Basic Armor Mastery: Level 91/100 (6%) (Passive) You learned the basics of wearing armor. Decreases the Stamina consumption slightly while wearing any kind of armor.]
[Clean Armor: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your mana got used to a certain spell, so the waste mana radiating from you will, over time, permeate and clean your armor.]
[Resistant Armor: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Thanks to your practice, you can fully utilize everything that your armor provides, granting you increased resistance against the environment. Grants 2% increased environmental resistance per skill level. Environmental resistance protects against environmental effects only.]
[Durable Armor: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You learned how to roll with the punches. This includes knowing when your armor can take a hit and when it can’t. Increased durability for any armor you wear from incoming damage from non-environmental sources.]
[Epic Breathing Technique: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) You breathe, and the world breathes with you. You move along your own rhythm. Decreases stamina consumption even more during any activity and further increases stamina regeneration when not in a fight. Gain +2 Stamina Regeneration for every skill level.]
[Tranquil Heart: Level 11/100 (54%) (Passive) Your heart beats to the same rhythm as your body. It’s efficient and harmonious. You have an even easier time resisting mind-altering effects and a portion of of those effects are reflected back to the source. The portion is 1% per skill level. You also radiate an aura of tranquility that confers the resistance portion of the skill to your allies near you.]
[Flow: Level 77/100 (9%) (Passive) Thanks to being a natural sensor, you can read the flow of the mana. Increases your stability and the bonuses any movement or martial art skill provides by 1% per level in the skill.]
[Focused Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) When focusing on any enemy beyond what is normal, your ability to read their flow becomes clearer and more precise.]
[Controlled Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your read of the flow is more controlled, allowing you to see the flow much better. Increases the flow visibility by 20% for every skill level.]
[Immersed Flow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you start reading the flow a counter starts. After every ten seconds, the effect of the Flow skill increases by 1% for each skill level. Maximum 600 seconds.]
Parry: Level 24/100 (13%) (Passive) Decreases the stamina consumption of defensive weapon movements. It allows you to more efficiently and accurately parry incoming attacks. Decreases the damage of the blocked attack by 0,5% for each skill level at the moment of blocking.]
[Cleansed Body: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your body has been cleansed of impurities, giving you a more charming aura. NPCs and players will treat you slightly differently depending on their tastes. Gives a flat increase of +3 to STR, AGI, END. You can upgrade this skill by further cleansing your body.]
Resistance skills:
General skills:
[Dwarven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dwarven language.]
[Elven Language: Level 7/10 (8%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Elven language.]
[Dark Elven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dark Elven language.]
[Sarkan Language: Level 3/10 (42%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Sarkan language.]
Crafting skills:
Pet skills:
[Strong Jaw: Level Max (Passive) The jaw of the wolf is strengthened.]
[Lucky Aura: Level Max (Passive) Those who are in the same party as the wolf receive a buff to their luck. It depends on their luck how big the increase is.]