《Reincarnation of the Cheater (Re-written with the same name)》 Chapter 1锛歎ntimely End The sounds of a keyboard echo throughout the silent 1 bedroom apartment. The surrounding area was surprisingly clean for a shut-in who only plays games for a living. There wasn''t any clothes on the floor, or any random trash throughout the apartment. It was like someone hired a maid would clean regularly. "One more almost and I won." I say anticlimactically as I adjust the blanket I have around me. "Haha, dumbass. No matter how good you are you can''t beat someone who has an aimbot and a mouse and keyboard on console. I don''t even need to hide it since if I banned I can just make a new account." 1 Game. 2 Games. 4 Games. 8 Games. 16 Games. After a while, I lost the will to continue playing this C*ll of D*ty. It may be the year 2316 but this game franchise has pushed on all the way from the early 2000s and is still a popular game today. Of course, they''ve been getting new content such as World War 3, World War 4, as well as World War Z where a zombie-like virus infected a country and they went wild. They could still speak somewhat but they would prey on anyone that wasn''t infected with the virus. Eventually, they were wiped out but it took longer than anyone was expecting. Technology advanced at a rapid pace as the entire world entered a new era. Video Games weren''t limited to consoles now, there was a full dive Virtual Reality system that made it so you cna experience the game for yourself. Almost as if it was another world. With up to 98% immersement into the chosen game built into these headsets, humans started making games just like that one anime Sword A*t Online. I turned off the console and turned on my laptop. Turning on LoL I decided to play some games until I got bored of that as well. As I closed the laptop my front door slams open and someone walks in. "What is wrong with you, you promised that you would go to school today." My mother yells at me seeing me undressed. It''s been like this for months now. I can''t find the will to turn up at school. I''m fine talking with anyone but I like to keep my space and sometimes I just don''t want to be bothered with all the drama. I can''t find the will to go to school because they all look at me differently. Like I''m an exotic animal from a zoo or something. They must have gotten the news. I haven''t been able to resist those stares and ever since then, I''ve decided to just not go. "I can''t go today, I have something to do." I answer while going to the kitchen and make some instant Mac and Cheese. After yelling at me to get dressed she eventually gives up and leaves. I love my mom but I don''t think I can ever go back. It''s just not the same anymore after the incident. I find it hard to look at my friends and I can''t find the confidence to start up a conversation. I''m fine anywhere else but school. Pulling the laptop back up I open it to a black screen so I continue trying to turn it on. Finally, it turns on to another black screen but this one has a sentence and some options. Reading the screen I can''t help but laugh. "Would you like to Die?" [Yes/No] ''Is this a virus, or maybe a prank?'' Clicking no nothing happens so I continue to click it as hard as I can until eventually something new pops up on the screen. [Thank you for choosing yes. Please wait as you are transferred to your "Death"] As the new line comes up on the computer it shines brightly and eventually the light envelopes the room and I close my eyes from the brightness. Breaking News: 18-Year-Old dies due to choking on some mac and cheese. After continuously trying to give CPR he was pronounced dead at the hospital this morning at 7:30 AM. Chapter 2锛歋ystem Start After an unknown amount of time, I slowly start to wake up and looking around all I see is darkness. The pitch black deep abyss that has no end. It feels as though I''m not even standing on anything and it feels as though I''m free falling. "Did this bitch really kill me? Am I really dead?" [*Ding* System has configured recommended auto-start] [01011001 01101111 01110101 00100111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01100001 00100000 01101100 01101001 01110100 01110100 01101100 01100101 00100000 01100010 01101001 01110100 01100011 01101000] [*Ding* System has successfully restarted] [*Ding* Congratulations to host for being chosen to be the main character] "Wha- What was that? Where are you, where are we, am I dead?" Looking around for the new robotic voice only to find the darkness of the surroundings. [*Ding* Host has been chosen to be the main character in a world that needs your help!] "And if I refuse?" {*Ding* You don''t have a choice} So you''re basically forcing me huh "Do I get a starter pack?" [*Ding* Quest function Unlocked] [*Ding* Quest: Create your Character Rewards: Starter Pack Possible Rewards: ???] "Why did that just come out?" [*Ding* Think about Creating a Character] "So you''re just going to ignore me" [*Ding* Create Your Character. Failure to do so will result in your character and stats being randomized] "Character Creation" Feeling bitter that the system ignored me and forced me into this situation I set up my character, after choosing some options and creating my appearance to make me look like the most handsome man ever finally I have the results. Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Level: 1 Stats: Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Endurance: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Gotta have that badass fantasy sounding last name right? [*Ding* Done Y/N] "Yes" [*Ding* Finished Quest "Create Your Character" Rewards: Starter Pack, Title "Main Character",] [*Ding* Loading... Choose a place to spawn] Looking through the options they all look the same anyways. Let''s just choose the capital. [*Ding* Royal Capital Chosen please remember that it will spawn you near the capital in a forest] [*Ding* Do you wish to open the starter pack? Y/N] "Yes" [*Ding* You have chosen to open the starter pack] [*Ding* Opening.....(50%)...(100%).... Displaying contents] [Starter Pack Contents: Normal Gacha Ticket x 10, Special Gacha Ticket x 2, Cheat Gacha Ticket x 1] "System what are the Gacha tickets used for? Can I use them right now?" [*Ding* The quest rewards will be usable upon spawning into the world.] "Alright I''m ready can you send me now?" [*Ding* Loading....(5%)...(64%)....(100%)... Loading Complete. Good Luck!] Once the voice ended I get a numb feeling as the darkness swallows me whole. Chapter 3锛歋pawning in [*Ding* Host has spawned into the world ''Haven''] Opening my eyes after what feels as though years of hibernation hearing birds chirping, squirrels fighting over an acorn, and a wolf''s growl- wait one of those aren''t like the others. *Growl* Looking at the source of the sound I see what looks to be a starved baby wolf trying to gnaw at my ankles but it doesn''t have teeth yet, god damn that''s cute. [*Ding* You have killed Shadow Wolf(Infant)(Variant)] [*Ding* You have gained the title "Variant Killer"] Wha- Shadow Wolf. I mean looking at the wolf it does look more grey than a normal wolf. Title Get! On another note, 1000 experience and I didn''t level up? What the fuck man. "System why didn''t I level up?" [*Ding* You have to choose to level up.] "Can I level up then? [*Ding* You have to think of your status and then think of leveling up] What''s with that complicated way of leveling. ''Status'' Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer Level: 1(0/100) Experience: 1000 Stats: Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Endurance: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Skills: None Notes: if you were a god you would be aqua from konosuba ''Add 100 experience to level'' [*Ding* Congratulations you have reached level 2.] [*Ding* Experience left 900] ''Add 200 this time'' [*Ding* Do you wish to add all experience to level up? Y/N] "Just enough to level up to 5 huh" Choosing yes I level to 5 and wash the blood off my hands while checking my new stats. ''Status'' Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer Level: 5(0/500) Experience: 0 Stats: Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Endurance: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Skills: None Notes: if you were a god you would be the male version of aqua from konosuba "System why didn''t my stats go up?" [*Ding* Your stats didn''t go up due to not having a class.] "And how do I get a class?" [*Ding* System recommends to join the adventurer''s guild as you can set your class there.] Okay, so the guild will be my first choice upon leaving the forest and heading into the capital. "System can you explain the Gacha system to me?" [*Ding* Host the Gacha system is a function of the system where you use Gacha tickets to pull on banners and get items such as armors and weapons, new system functions, skills, etc] "And how about those Special Gacha tickets from earlier?" [*Ding* The Special Gacha tickets can be used to get skills from limited time Gacha''s such as the Special Gacha that is up right now is a Banner for The Seven Deadly Sins anime you were watching before you ''Died'', on it are skills or magic from the anime, items such as their sacred treasures, and monsters from their world, if you pull with 10x at once you get one free and a guaranteed rare or higher the guaranteed rate might be higher or lower depending on the banner] "Can you show me the Gacha banners so I can decide what to pull on?" [*Ding* Displaying different banners] [ Normal Gacha(Things you will need in this world), Special Gacha(Currently The Seven Deadly Sins), Skill Gacha, Weapon and Armor Gacha, Function Gacha, Cheat Gacha] [*Ding* Please note that any and every Gacha is subject to change] "System use 10x Normal Gacha Tickets, 2x Special Gacha Tickets, and 1 Cheat Gacha Ticket" [*Ding* Processing..... Displaying Results] Chapter 4锛欶irst Real Fight [*Ding* Processing..... Displaying Contents] [10x +1 Normal Gacha Results: 1 Gold Coin, 6 Silver Coins, 34 Copper Coins, Pack of Underwear, Pack of Socks, 1 Endurance Stat Point, Ruby Ring, Copper Ring, 1 Healing Card, 1 Quest Card, 10 System Points] [2x Special Gacha Results: Counter Vanish(Meliodas), Hunter Fest(Ban)] [1x Cheat Gacha Results: x2 Stat Point Gain] "System why did I get an endurance point?" [*Ding* Stat points have a .5% chance of getting drawn from the gacha] "How about the ruby and copper rings?" [*Ding* System recommends the host to use them when you feel that they are nessecary] "Okay, Okay, and can you explain to me the special skills I got?" [*Ding* Counter Vanish is a skill which erases all magic towards you, and hunter fest is a skill which steals all physical stats from everyone within a 100-mile radius.] "Alright, sounds OP. How about the x2 Stat Gain? Why didn''t my extra endurance point count there?" {*Ding* The x2 Stat Gain only works when leveling up your class, please note that once you obtain your class your stats will be corrected to match your class level.] "System" [*Ding* Yes Host?] "Thanks for the underwear and socks..." [*Ding* Host should thank Host''s luck then, not the system.] "Well, I guess we should head into the capital now. Oh yeah, system turn on auto leveling." [*Ding* Auto Leveling has been turned on. Host, please note that the system will only use experience when you have enough to level up.] Ignoring the system I start to pack up and start to head out of the forest. After some time I ran into a group of goblins, one has a sword, one has a stick, and the other has a wand. Time to check the anime skills. ''Hunter Fest'' "Status" Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer Level: 5 Stats: Strength: 43 Agility: 34 Endurance: 51 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Skills: Counter Vanish(Meliodas), Hunter Fest(Ban) Cheat Skills: x2 Stat Point Gain Alright, they should be pretty weak now. Rushing to the goblin with a sword I take his sword and cut off his head. [*Ding* Host has earned Function Gacha Ticket x1] So the results of taking stats for some time is really useful huh. He couldn''t even react in time. Taking the sword I head for the goblin with a stick and cut his arm off and aim for his heart. [*Ding* Host has earned 50 Experience] [*Ding* Host has earned Normal Gacha Ticket x1] Finishing that goblin off I notice that one of them is missing. Turning around I see he is trying to use some magic but it seems to have a chant. Upon his chant finishing a large ball of ice heads my way. Perfect timing to use the other new skill. ''Counter Vanish'' The large ball of ice that was flying my way has disappeared as if it never existed and the goblin mage is stunned, seeing that it is stunned I rush the goblin. [*Ding* Host has earned 350 Experience] [*Ding* Host has earned Skill Gacha Ticket x1] "So if I kill monsters I get Gacha Tickets interesting, system can you tell me the drop chances for the tickets?" [*Ding* The drop chance depends on the monster, there is a couple of rules for the drops though would you like to hear them?] "Sure." I''m gonna need to hear them anyways. [*Ding* The difference between the hosts level and the monsters level have a huge impact on the drop, such as if the monster if a higher level then you have a higher chance to get better tickets, but if you are a higher level than the monster there is a higher chance to get normal tickets and skill tickets.] "How about the function ticket I got?" [*Ding* The function ticket is a completely random drop no matter the level difference.] "System can you use the skill ticket and the function ticket" [*Ding* Processing..... Displaying Contents] [x1 Skill Gacha Results: Appraisal] [x1 Function Gacha Results: Map] ''Appraisal'' Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Level: 5 Skills: Counter Vanish(Meliodas), Hunter Fest(Ban), Appraisal "System, what the fuck. Why did you give me a skill you already had." [*Ding* The difference is appraisal can''t see stat points, titles, or cheat skills. The good part is you can appraise other people not only yourself.] Still salty at the system I finish packing everything up and head out of the forest. After 10 minutes I see a wall with a line of people and some guards. Waiting in line for some time it comes to be my turn. Chapter 5锛欸etting a Class "Identification please" "I lost my identification while traveling, is it possible to get it reissued?" saying a rehearsed line I thought of while waiting. Let''s hope it at least believable. "3 Copper coins to get in, after you get in you will have a guard escort you to the adventurer guild, or the merchant guild and help you sign up, after that you are free to go." saying that he calls one of his colleagues and tell him about my circumstances. After some talking and pointing at me he comes back over. "Where to?" "Adventurer''s Guild, please." "Follow me." After getting in through the gate all I can see are the fantastic medieval like houses and buildings. I quietly follow the guard that was assigned to me while looking around like someone from the countryside. After about 5 minutes of walking, we near a building that has the words Adventurer Guild on top of a shield and sword. "Here we are, we''ll head in and I''ll help you sign up." "Thanks, and sorry for the trouble." "Haha no trouble at all, at least I have a reason to skip work." Ah, so he was using me as a way to get a break huh. Well, not that I don''t understand sometimes you just need to let your nerves rest, working all the time is stressful. Walking in there are people looking at us then looking away as though they are used to this. Walking up to the front desk there is a receptionist who has blonde hair, blue eyes, and a nice figure. Seeing that we are heading her way she smiles and starts to talk. "Hello, someone who needs identification?" she says looking at the guard and then at me. "Yeah, he says he lost it while traveling," he says while looking at me not fully believing my story I told him earlier. "I would like to register as an adventurer and get a class as well."(Bell) saying so as they seem to be suspicious of me. Well, I can''t really blame them though I look perfectly clean despite saying that I was "traveling" and the only luggage I have on me are the things I earned from the gacha. "Alright well, my name is Megumi if you have any troubles just ask me or any other receptionist. This way follow me please." she says as leaves the front desk and heads into a side room. Following her into the room I notice that I feel weird after going through the door. [*Ding* Host has earned the skill ''Nausea Resistance''] ''System is there any way to get rid of that ding you do at every announcement'' [*Ding* Yes host would you like to turn off sound notifications? Y/N] ''Yes'' [Host has turned off sound notifications, to turn them back on just ask the system at any time.] "We''re here, put your hand on this and it will show you classes that are suitable for you." she says as she turns around and brings out a crystal ball. Putting my hand on the ball I feel it sucking some mana away and then a display like the system displays in my eyes showing classes that are available to me. [Magic Swordsman] [Warrior] [Mage] [Archer] [Ranger] [Thief] [Assassin] [Lancer] [Gunner] [Monster Hunter] [OtherWorlder] [Swordsman] [Pugglist] [Cheater] [Fire Mage] [Ice Mage] [Wind Mage] [Water Mage] [Lightning Mage] [Hero] [Trap Specialist] ''System'' [Yes Host] ''What does the class cheater give me?'' [Appraise it please] the system says in a voice that is basically telling me to not ask for everything to be done by the system. ''Appraisal'' [Class: Cheater] [Class Info: Gain +1 Attribute to every stat each level] '' I choose the "Cheater" class.'' [Confirming Class..... Class "Cheater" has been equipped..... updating stats, please note that all levels before you got x2 stat point gain will not be doubled.] Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer Class: Cheater Level: 5 Strength: 15 Agility: 15 Endurance: 16 Intelligence: 15 Wisdom: 15 Skills: Counter Vanish(Meliodas), Hunter Fest(Ban), Appraisal, Nausea Resistance Cheat Skills: x2 Stat Point Gain Chapter 6锛欰n Unreasonable Quest Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer Class: Cheater Level: 5 Strength: 15 Agility: 15 Endurance: 16 Intelligence: 15 Wisdom: 15 Skills: [Counter Vanish(Meliodas)], [Hunter Fest(Ban)], [Appraisal], [Nausea Resistance] Cheat Skills: x2 Stat Point Gain [Host has equipped a class giving rewards...] [Host has gained Cheater Class Pack x1] After equipping my class I get a warm feeling and my body becomes more tone, feeling up my own body I can see that I''m close to getting abs and my body is getting close to what human''s from earth would call Peak body status. Let''s see if there is any more I should know about this class ''Appraisal'' [Class: Cheater] [Class Details: Only special otherworlders may have this class, every stat is upgraded(Luck, Charisma)] [Class Growth Rate: +1 Each Stat every level] Nice So this is a cheat class and I''m gonna be like 4 times as strong as people on my level. Noticing the guards, and the receptionist stare I look at them and they start to talk. "So you had experience but no class huh." the guard says as his gaze starts to loosen, it seems he started to believe my story from earlier. "Seems so, are there any inns around here I need to find one so I can rest." trying to change the conversation so they can''t ask me about my class or level. [Host has signed up as an adventurer giving rewards...] [Host has gained Beginner Adventurer Pack x1] After looking at the notification I start heading to the inn I look around and so far it looks just like an inn from an RPG game. I book a room from the brown-haired hostess and fall into the brown covered bed. "System" [Yes Host] "Isn''t it about time you told me about this world and why you summoned me." [Host has already been told about the reason why he was summoned] "Don''t lie to me there was nothing other than that the world needed help." I say while feeling wronged that the system started lying to me. [System recommends the host to look at the quest screen] Opening the quest screen I look at the unreasonable quest that was put in there without warning. [Quest: Defeat the Demon King] [Quest info: The Demon King Wishes to take over the world after being betrayed by the humans, kill him and find the one who is behind him even thinking of something that will plant a flag for his demise] [Quest Rewards: 5 Cheat Gacha Tickets, 50 Armor Gacha Tickets, 50 Weapon Armor Tickets, 10 Function Gacha Tickets, 100 Normal Gacha Tickets, 1000 System Points, 50000 Experience] "System what the fuck kinda quest is that, and why are the rewards so high" [The quest is your typical save the world quest but in this world, there is someone manipulating the demon king, I think you should know that means that they are stronger than said demon king. The quest rewards are dependent on how strong the target of the quest is, how long it will take, and how it will affect the world afterwards.] "Okay, are there any more details about my class that I need to know about?" [Yes host, the class system is made so you can either gain a new class every 20 levels, or you can upgrade your current one] "How about the people of this world, do they level up the same way as me?" [The people of this world level up through understanding more about the class that they have chosen. They still get experience from killing monsters it''s just that they have no way to apply those experience points, also host gets more experience per monster due to the systems help in absorbing the monster''s essence.] "Alright, that explains why I was summoned and why I am needed. System can you open the two packs I got earlier?] [Opening Beginner Adventurer Pack x1... Done. Opening Cheater Class Pack x1... Done. Displaying Results] [Beginner Adventurer Pack Contents: Iron Sword, Leather Armor Set, Dagger, Skill Gacha Ticket x5] [Cheater Class Pack Contents: Cheat Gacha Ticket x1, *Multi Normal Gacha Ticket x1*, 100 System Points.] "System why is the normal ticket different" [The Multi Normal Gacha Ticket is a ticket where you can pull 10 at once with one ticket. It also guarantees 1 stat point] "System use all the tickets" [Using Multi Normal Gacha Ticket x1... Done. Using Skill Gacha Ticket x5... Done. Using Cheat Gacha Ticket x1... Done. Displaying Results] [Multi Normal Gacha Ticket x1 Results: Set of Clothes, Black Robe, Emerald Ring, Citrine Necklace, 1 Strength Point, Adventurer''s Shoes, Storage Bag (100lbs), Upgrade Card, Adventurer''s Gloves, Magic Water Pouch, 50 System Points] [Skill Gacha Ticket x5 Results: LifeStyle Magic, Swordsmanship, Poison Resistance, Presence Detection, Auto-Dismantle] [Cheat Gacha Ticket x1 Result: Skill Steal (Limited)] "System I have a lot of questions. First and most important what does limited mean on the skill steal?" [Limited means that you can only steal one skill per person/monster] "Okay, how does the skill dismantle work?" [Auto-Dismantle automatically dismantles monsters for the host so he can get the most out of defeating a monster] "Alright sounds useful, now finally what does the upgrade card do?" [The Upgrade Card can upgrade anything but the system.] Taking in all the answers and deciding what to have for breakfast tomorrow I head to sleep while counting sheep. Chapter 7锛欱eginnings Waking up to the sound of the town clock and hearing 9 bells meaning that it is 9 am. Getting up from the bed and getting ready for a new day I put on my clothes and put my possessions into my magic bag. Grabbing my beginner adventurer gear and setting them up for today I head out the door and into the dining hall. The brown haired hostess seeing that I am sitting down heads my way to come and take my order. "What will you be having?" she says as she gets ready to call out to a cook in the kitchen. "3 eggs, 2 sausages, and a piece of bacon" handing her the money required I sit and wait for my food. "System is there anything that I need to do today?" [System recommends to use the upgrade card you got yesterday and also to pull on the newly unlocked function daily gacha] "Alright pull on the daily gacha while I think on what to upgrade." [Pulling Daily Gacha... Displaying Results] [Daily Gacha Results: Healing Card] "Show what the healing card can do" [Healing Card: Can heal all types of injuries as long as the target isn''t dead.] [Be warned if you heal out in the open people and monsters with intelligence will covet your healing abilities.] "So an OP heal that can only be used once, what''s next system your gonna tell me in this adventurer training I''m gonna have to use it?" ... "Hey" ... "Don''t ignore me." ... "Use the upgrade card on the skill appraisal." [Upgrade Card used..... Displaying Results] [Appraisal*: Shows the information of whatever you use this skill on.] [Upgrade: Shows more information of people or monsters] "So you use the upgrade card but won''t respond to me about the other thing." feeling hurt that the system is ignoring me I scarf my food down and walk across the street into the adventurer''s guild. "Hello Bell, the training is taking place on the training grounds first so head there, it''s through the door on the right." "Thanks." Heading through the door there are 9 people standing one in front and 8 in front of him. Seeing that I walked through the door they all turn to look at me. "You''re late." says the one standing in front of everyone "No one told me a time so I just walked over here." "Since you''re late you need to do 20 push-ups, then we''ll start." Ugh... getting down on the floor in the push-up position I do 20 push ups and get back up. [Secret Quest Completed: Work Out!] [System Reward: 1 Strength Point, 1 Endurance Point] ''What system why didn''t you tell me about this earlier!'' [Do you not know what the word secret means dam- System can''t display secret quests.] ''Well today is not my lucky day, the system seems to be pissed, and I feel like we are going to run into a boss monster.'' "Alright from now until we complete this training you cannot leave the city without me, or without your partner, seeing that we have an odd number the last here is partnered with me. Introduce yourselves and something you are good at starting from you." he says as he points at the beastgirl on the right. "My name is Eve desu, I use the mace and body strengthening magic desu." now that was an introduction, what guy doesn''t get excited when a pretty girl introduces herself, yesterday I heard some people discriminating against beastfolk but they''re even cuter than I imagined first chance I get I''m gonna fluff those ears. As I do the dialogue in my head the next person starts to introduce himself. "Welf, Sword and fire magic." man is he straight to the point, bet you he doesn''t have many friends either. "Lance, I use the spear and light magic, if you need help just ask." he says smiling, looking all handsome and shit, fuck you, I bet that''s just an act he just wants to get all the women, fuck handsome people. [To be honest, you can''t talk, did you forget you made your character a human with the beauty of an elf.] ''Shut the fuck up system it''s a habit.'' "Marvin, I''m a ranger, I use curved daggers and specialize in stealth." his name sounds very familiar. "Chris, Fire Mage" wow these introductions just keep getting shorter and shorter. Seems the author doesn''t plan to use these people after this. "Ryu, Wind Mage" "Sora, a thief, specialized in straight daggers, stealth, and perception" "You can call me Bell, I''m a Swordsman and I use body-enhancing magic" "Alright, I''m Finn. Everyone follow me we are going to the dungeon that the guild uses for teaching newbies how to hunt. Also, put your skill points into any skills you have learned so they are more useful." ''System what are skill points?'' [They have not been unlocked as you have not chosen your class specialization and skills yet] [Please choose a class specialty.] [Quick Learning(Magic)] [Quick Learning(Weapons)] [x2 skill point gain] ''Chose x2 skill point gain'' [Selecting..... Added skill points to status] [Select 4 Class skills] [Stealth, Sword Mastery, Presence Detection, All Status Ailments Resistance, Dismantle, Fire Magic, Water Magic, Light Magic, Dark Magic, Wind Magic, Earth Magic, Healing Magic, Barrier Magic, Illusion Magic, Mana Manipulation, Dungeon Adaptability, ...] ''System what happens if I chose a skill I already have?'' [It will be upgraded one level] ''Chose All Status Ailment Resistance, Sword Mastery, Mana Manipulation, and ... Dungeon Adaptability '' [Confirm Y/N] ''Yes'' [Selecting... The skills nausea resistance and poison resistance have fused with all status ailments resistance..... Done] ''How much skill points do I have?'' [240 Skill Points Available] ''What, how?'' [The class cheater gets 24 skill points per level and you just got the class-related specialty so you got double the amount of skill points. The amount of skill points required depends on the skill, currently, you can upgrade a couple, the system recommends the host to upgrade the skill Sword Mastery as you will need it in the dungeon.] ''Alright then upgrade swordsmanship'' [Sword Mastery (Beginner Lv.1) 0/50] [Upgrading... Deducting skill points... Done] [Sword Mastery (Beginner Lv.2) 0/100] ''Upgrade again'' [Sword Mastery (Beginner Lv.Max) 0/???] [Normally to level up you need enlightenment or hard training, due to having the system you will just need to pass some tests, the system recommends the host to appraise it to see the level up requirements.] ''Appraisal'' [Sword Mastery Evolution Requirements: Reach Level 10 (5/10), Kill a Monster 2 or more levels higher than you with a sword(1/1), Buy or earn a sword (1/1)] "Hey, Bell are you okay?" Finn says as I notice everyone is looking at me. "Your face just changed expressions a lot and you weren''t really responding" "Yeah, I''m fine It''s my first time in a dungeon so I''m kinda worried." I say as we head in at Finn''s order. Chapter 8锛欴ungeon Training (1) "Alright follow me, get into the groups that we decided earlier." Finn says as he leads us on a path that is bustling with other newbie adventurers and their mentors. "Sir, what groups are you talking about?" I said as I''m pretty sure that they didn''t assign teams. "You''re with me, count it as punishment since you were late." he says without even turning to face me. As we keep walking you can see the forest all around us and hear the birds chirping. While admiring the scenery of the forest we reach a gate with guards on it. "Here we are, from here we will be splitting up into the teams and explore. We will meet at the entrance to the second floor and head in a group from there." listening all of them head in with their partners leaving only me and Finn. "Let''s head in, just follow me I''ll show you how to hunt kobolds efficiently." he says as he motions me to follow like a senior telling a junior what to do. Heading into the dungeon I can see people in the distance fighting something, the walls are covered with moss, and it really just feels like a big room overall. "So you want me to catch them off guard, distract them with one of their owns death, then sacrifice a weapon to take another sneak attack." I say testing the waters to see if he is all muscle or not. "Well you can do anything that comes to mind really, these things are weak so you shouldn''t have any problem." ''Well no shit they are you are probably like level 15- oh wait'' ''Appraisal*'' Name: Finn Race: Human Age: 22(118) Titles: Variant Killer II, Boss Killer II, Dungeon Conqueror II, Guild Trainer, B Ranked Adventurer, Reincarnate, Hard Worker, All Muscle No Brain, Harem Machine, Smooth Idiot Class: Qi Swordsman* Level: 26 Strength: 31 Agility: 33 Endurance: 34 Intelligence: 8 Wisdom: 10 Skills: Qi Manipulation, Sword Mastery(Expert)(Lv.Max), Enhanced Strength(Lv.Max), Dungeon Adaptability(Lv.Max) ''W-What the fuck!'' ''What the fuck is this, he not only has a special class look at all those titles, reincarnate isn''t really important since I had some suspicions but damn there''s Harem Machine, and Smooth Idiot. Fuck you Riajuu! Die!'' ''Well he was higher than I expected but his class is weird it has an upgrade thing like my appraisal.'' [That is because he stayed with it after reaching level 20.] ''And there is the explanation so is the new class after twenty a one-time thing or...'' [At level 20 you can change class but after confirmation, you are stuck with it until level 50 where you can gain another class or stay with the same one. Staying with your current class enhances the skills that can be learned through it. For the natives of this world, since they can''t use experience earned from monsters and have to comprehend their classes, it is twice as hard to comprehend the class but in return, they are more in sync with their classes and are more efficient than they were in the past..] ''System turn off auto leveling please, don''t really want to arouse suspicious behavior if I level my class mid fight or something.'' "Alright let''s look for some more kobolds so I can try." I say trying to clear my head from all his titles "What are you talking about there are kobolds heading right to you. You kept staring into space and you weren''t listening so I thought you were in the zone or something. Good Luck!" he says as he watches me from safety. "Bastard watch me kill these kobolds then you''re next!" I say as I pull my sword into position and stab a kobold in the stomach and it drops its weapon falling onto the floor. Letting go of my sword I grab the kobold''s short sword mid-fall and slash at its head as it is crouching down getting the notification for the experience I aim at the other kobold that was with it. This kobold is a slightly different color and is a little bulkier than the other one, seems to be smarter as well since he decided to block all this time instead of attacking. ''Ugh looks like it will be a tough fight'' Grabbing my sword out of the other kobold I slam the kobolds sword at the variant and he tries to block with his sword, upon the two swords meeting a loud sound of metal clashing is heard and another sound of something piercing through thick skin. Looking up I see my sword halfway in the variant''s arm, trying to pull it out isn''t working so I punch the variant in the stomach and reach for the kobold sword on the floor and slash at his legs. The kobold variant falls over slowly bleeding out so I stab the kobold sword at its heart and rip my sword out of its arm. [You have killed a "Kobold(Variant)"... Received 1500 experience] [A Special Ticket has been found, look in your inventory or ask the system about how the ticket is used] [Due to killing a second variant monster the title ''Variant Killer'' has been upgraded to ''Variant Killer II''] [Due to upgrading a title for the first time you have gained a title upgrade pack x1] [Host has enough experience to level up, do you wish to level? Y/N] ''Not now'' I say as I turn around as I noticed Finn''s strong gaze. Looking at his face I can see suspicion, caution, and conviction written all over his face. "At first I thought you were an elf that only changed his ears because he was naive but you, You''re a reincarnate aren''t you?" he says looking at me the most serious I have ever seen him be. Chapter 9锛欴ungeon Training (2) "You, You''re a reincarnate aren''t you?" ''Man did that scare me at first but now that I think about it, it seems like he has something special about him'' "Why did you think that?" Let''s test the waters and see if this will be a problem. "The aura you had while fighting was like someone who has never really fought before but here you are level 5 with a swordsman class but next to no combat experience. If you really had combat experience you wouldn''t have copied what I did and you would have your own style of fighting." he says explaining his suspicions. "Ah, now that I think about it, I don''t have a fighting style, but that doesn''t explain how you think I am a reincarnated person." "Reincarnated people have a faster growth compared to the natives here as we can use the experience that we get from killing monsters, the only problem is that even killing these kobolds gives a low amount of 100 experience and after you outrank them they don''t even give experience. You act like this is all new to you and like this is a video game, you treat monsters as if they were mobs and they couldn''t threaten you but you are a mere level 5 either you''re an idiot or you are a newly reincarnated person that the god that summoned me wanted me to help out." "Hoh, and who is this god that requested you to help me?" I say as this situation seems way to fishy to be true, someone not only predicted I would be here ti was a god no less. "The God that reincarnated me is the Dream God Anthony, he said that he would reincarnate me and give me a mission, the only thing I can do other than the mission is live normally and get stronger for my mission to have more of a successful ending. After that, I''m free to live however I wish." "My mission is to stay in this capital and wait for someone who had a special class at level 5 but next to no battle experience after finding that person I train them in the basics for a week, after that they are on their own. After living here for 10 years I got to know some things about how the natives level, they learn more about their class through battle and you had nowhere near enough battle experience to be level 5. So here we are it seems like I''ve met my mission objective but I need to check something real quick." "Okay, shoot." "Where did you reincarnate from?" "Earth." "How long ago?" "Like, 2-3 days ago." "That matches with the feeling I got. 3 days ago I had a feeling as if I would soon be free from my 10-year wait." he says while murmuring something under his breath. "So your mission is to get me up to basic standards, and from there fate will lead me on a path of my own. Is the Dream God going to request something of me, why did he want you to train me?" "I was only told my mission and nothing else if you wish to ask then go to a Dream God altar, just to let you know this is the Capital of PenDragon, there are multiple capitals throughout the continent which have a major religion but this country''s main religion is the God of Light so you have to travel to a different country if you wish to go to the Dream God''s Altar." Finn says in a more friendly tone as the mood lightens from its seriousness earlier. "Alright let''s continue then, you lead the way and take care of the monsters while I follow." Finn says ''System turn auto-leveling back on'' [Auto-Leveling has been turned on] [Level Up] [Level has reached Level 8] [Strength has broken through the 20 stat point bottleneck, the skill enhanced strength received] [Agility has broken through the 20 stat point bottleneck, the skill enhanced agility received] [Endurance has broken through the 20 stat point bottleneck, the skill enhanced recovery received] [Intelligence has broken through the 20 stat point bottleneck, the skill improved thinking received] [Wisdom has broken through the 20 stat point bottleneck, the skill enhanced intellect received] ''Status'' Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer II Class: Cheater Level: 8 Strength: 23 Agility: 21 Endurance: 23 Intelligence: 21 Wisdom: 21 Charisma: 21 Luck: 100 ''How many skill points do I have?'' [144 Skill Points Available] ''Put all skill points in Presence Detection'' [Presence Detection has reached Level 3] ''Now open the title upgrade pack'' [Opening... Done] [Title: Variant Killer II has rewarded you with a Monster Gacha Ticket(Variant Guaranteed)] [Title: Cheater has rewarded you with a Cheat Skill Gacha Ticket] ''System pull both of those, please.'' [Pulling..... Done] [Monster Gacha Ticket Results: FireFox(Variant)] [Turning FireFox(Variant) into a monster card] [Congratulations you have unlocked the monster card function] [Cheat Skill Gacha Ticket Results: Time Stop] ''Appraisal*'' [Time Stop: The ability to stop time for a certain amount of time] [Time Stop: Currently your time comprehension has enabled you to be able to stop time for 3 seconds, as you learn more and have better control over the Law of Time it may increase.] ''Time Stop'' As the skill activates everything comes to a stop, including sound. ''Amazing it''s like everything just froze, Finn stopped in place, the sound of fighting stopped..no...every sound around me had stopped. Honestly, it''s kinda creepy considering that it was pretty loud before'' [Time has resumed, you cannot use time stop again within 3 minutes.] ''System tell me about the monster card function'' [The Monster Card function is a system function where you can collect cards of any monster that you kill at a random chance] [Displaying monster info... Done] Name: *** Race: FireFox(Variant) Level: 1 Strength: 15 Agility: 15 Endurance: 15 Intelligence: 15 Wisdom: 15 [Would you like to name your monster? Y/N] ''Yes, name it Kitsune with the nickname of Kit'' [Name has been set. Summon Y/N] ''Yes'' the second that I finish the word a tiny fox jumps out of nowhere and lands on my head. Seeing the fox Finn is surprised but upon seeing that it isn''t attacking me and it seems friendly he just looks the other way. -------------------- Somewhere in an unknown location "So that''s him huh. He looks weak according to our information." "Are you sure that''s the one with the Hero Class?" "Yeah, it seems that the goddess summoned him, he has no divine connections to any of the self-proclaimed "Gods"... continue observing him and send someone in the proximity to test him." he says as he disappears as if he was never there in the first place. "As you wish my lord." he says as he bows at the disappearing shadow. After some time he turns and talks to a guard. "Send Kirm to test him he should be in the same area as the hero. Let''s see just how strong this hero really is." Chapter 10锛欴ungeon Boss? After finally making it to the second floor I reached level 9 with more than enough experience to level to 10 but I decided to hold out on that since we''re fighting the dungeon boss on the next floor and I might need the healing that leveling up gives me. The little fox that I named kit is surprisingly holding its own against monster at a higher level, I guess it has something to do with it being a variant? Well, I never really checked its skills- Ah! how could I forget about skill steal, alright there are kobolds that everyone is fighting, alright let''s check. ''Appraisal'' Name: **** Race: Kobold Level: 8 Strength: 19 Agility: 19 Endurance: 21 Intelligence: 3 Wisdom: 3 Skills: Sword Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.1), Scratch(Lv.3), Terrifying Wail(Lv.2), Evade(Lv.4) ''Steal "Evade"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done] [Skill "Evade(Lv.4)" has been acquired, you can no longer use skill steal on kobolds until you upgrade to the premium version.] ''Wtf is this Spotify or something.'' After using the skill and checking my status it really showed up, however, looking around I can see that at least Finn and Marvin noticed I used a skill on the kobold that was running away as it slowed down by 30%. They probably think it''s magic or something. Heading through the dungeon I decided to put in enough skill points into presence detection to hit level 4 as we head to the 3rd floor. Before we enter Finn starts to talk. "Alright everyone, we reached here together so let''s end this together as well. The next room is the boss room, the boss is a king kobold which is a monster that only C rank adventurers can solo, but because the guild has put a special barrier on the dungeon the king kobold can''t level so he is stuck at level 1, DO NOT let that make you cocky even I would have to be careful while soloing it and I am a C ranked adventurer. Get into any fighting stance that makes you comfortable and get ready to follow my orders. One to look out for is when he screams you need to get as far away from him as you can because that scream causes the abnormal effect of confusion and terror. Other than that you guys should manage." Everyone feels the seriousness in his words and does as he says. Grabbing a hold of our weapons some have their hands gripping their weapons really tight, some are used to this, and me, well I''m pretty excited I mean it''s a boss, I''m well stacked with cheats I have a healing card that can heal any fatal wound is there anything else I need let''s just go it isn''t like this thing can stand us anyways. "Alright everyone seems ready. Follow Me!" he says as he opened the huge rusted door. As the door opens the sound of something scratching the floors reaches my ears. Looking all around the floor it seems to just be a huge cave, in the middle is a huge kobold with 4 kobolds around it. ''Appraisal'' Name: ******* Race: King Kobold Titles: King Class Monster Level: 1 Strength: 36 Agility: 32 Endurance: 38 Intelligence: 15 Wisdom: 20 Skills: King''s Intimidation(Lv.1), Dungeon Adaptapion(Lv.Max), Scratch(Lv.Max), Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.1), Ghastly Wail(Lv.Max), Body Reinforcement Magic(Lv.1) Let''s take the swordsmanship then so I don''t have to wait. ''Skill Steal'' "Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.1)"'' [Warning! Taking a higher class skill then you have will cause you to lose the bonus you get when evolving the skill.] Alright then how about something else, those are some juicy skills huh let''s check them out. ''Appraisal'' Skill: Kings Intimidation Effects: Induces fear into anyone around the user, anyone affected by this skill will have a 10% drop in all stats Seems OP, but it also seems like I can get it off any king class monster, next. ''Appraisal'' Skill: Ghastly Wail(Lv.Max) Effects: Causes the status ailments confusion, fear, and stun. Lasts 3 seconds, has a 1-minute cooldown. I''m immune to these so I shouldn''t really worry about them huh, next. ''Appraisal'' Skill: Body Reinforcement Magic Effects: Multiplies all physical stats by 10% as long as you have mana to supply it. Cost: 50 Mana/Minute This is probably gonna help us a lot. ''Steal'' "Body Reinforcement Magic"'' [Skill "Body Reinforcement Magic(Lv.1)" has been acquired, you can no longer use skill steal on King Kobolds until you upgrade to the full version.] The second I take the skill everyone stops as the air turns cold. Looking at the kobolds they all had their head chopped off and someone is standing on top of the king kobold as its face shows fear and subordination. We make eye contact with the person who has a light grey skin tone, little horns on his head, black hair, dark black eyes, and a savage smirk on his face as he looks at us in contempt. "Demon" Finn says in a whisper to us but it seems that it was loud enough for him to hear us, he looks towards me with determination in his dark black eyes and starts to talk. "Since you humans aren''t my target I''ll give you a chance. Leave now or stay forever, the one I want is the silver-haired male the rest of you are just weaklings anyway." he says as if he is looking at a bunch of trash. ''Appraisal'' Name: Kirm Race: Demon Title: Demon Spawn Age: 40 Level: 25 Strength: 50 Agility: 50 Endurance: 50 Intelligence: 25 Wisdom: 25 Skills: Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.Max), Demon Body Reinforcement(Lv.1), Demonification magic(Lv.2), Martial Arts(Beginner)(Lv.Max), Demonic Intimidation(Lv.3) "Leave now, this is my problem and it seems that it only wants me. Take his offer and leave me behind." I say as everyone else is quiet, looking at everyone it seems that Marvin disappeared, he most likely used his stealth since I can detect his presence but not his exact location. "No, I''m responsible for you, I took you in here to train so you can see how adventurers work. An adventurer doesn''t retreat in the face of a demon and it won''t stop me just because it''s stronger than us." Finn says as he starts to walk forward with a deadpanned face and some sort of aura around his sword it looks like he was never really serious. I walk in front of him and stop him from advancing to the demon. I get close to his face and whisper in his ear, "Leave but don''t go farther than the entrance to the second floor, I will be there shortly. I can handle this myself who do you think I am." I say turning towards the demon with the same relaxed expression. "Marvin, we''re leaving if you don''t leave with me your adventurer license will be revoked and you won''t be able to sign up again until next year." Finn seeing that he didn''t want to leave threatened him and finally he appears with the group again as they take their leave. He waves his hand while facing the exit and says, "See you later." and as they leave the door slams shut and darkness fills the room as the demon starts to talk. Chapter 11锛欴emonic Battle "Finally they fucking left. Hey hero why do humans act like they care when they just met you?" he says as his face contorts in questioning, it seems like he isn''t even taking me seriously. "Well you see I''m not strong enough to offend some of the people they are under, Finn has a strong aura of a "god", and Marvin didn''t even have any aura whatsoever so he was very suspicious. I decided that if I let them go they wouldn''t try to get revenge later on." "Any particular reason you haven''t tried fighting me yet?" "I''ll put it into words you can understand, if you see the best food available but someone else already claimed it would you still try to eat it?" He says with a regret-filled tone. "What do you mean by that?" I say intrigued, by his saying I''m claimed to be someone else''s food. "The Demon King has claimed that your life is his to take, so anyone else trying to take it would be disrespecting him, and that will incur his wrath. That is why I''ll capture you and gift you to the demon king. Why don''t we play for a little while so I can be somewhat satisfied" he says as he has the king kobold rush towards me. Holding the hilt of my sword tightly so as to not let go I rush the king kobold as well and my sword clashed with its claws just barely holding it back. Right now should be a good time. ''Time Stop'' Everything comes to a halt and the pressure from the king kobolds claws disappears from my body as I climb it''s nearly 8-foot tall body and stab at both of its eyes. As I finish stabbing its right eye time resumes, I hear a deathly wail and it swipes at me with its arm which hits me directly in the chest and sends me flying. "Interesting it seems you instantly teleported into its face, very interesting this should be the skill ''blink'' no?" he says looking at the kobold which has been howling loudly the entire time as he was holding his hands in front of his eyes in excruciating pain. "Fuck off." I say getting to my feet even though the pain runs through my body like an electric current. My chest feels as though it''s on fire but I have to keep going. As I am thinking of a way to get out of my current situation without revealing some of my trump cards something shows up on the system. Mission: Demonic Battle Objective: Defeat King Kobold and the Demon Rewards: 500 Experience, 2 Skill Tickets for the Kobold, and 1 Special Ticket for the Demon ''Now that is some motivation'' since I''m getting some experience and tickets for this I might as well and finish this quickly. The demon Kirm noticing the king kobold starts to attack slower, and each hit gets deflected back. He looks towards me and sees my gaze and starts to clench his fist as he notices that his strength is going down by the second and at the same time mine rises to an unimaginable level. ''Hunter Fest'' Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer II Class: Cheater Level: 10 Strength: 142 Agility: 135 Endurance: 151 Intelligence: 73 Wisdom: 67 After pausing to check my status I look down and see the wounds healed up so I take a step towards the king kobold and I vanish as an afterimage slowly fades away from the spot I was at. Appearing behind the king kobold its head goes flying as blood slowly drips from its body. Auto Dismantle activates and everything useful ends up on the floor in a pile while the unuseful stuff disappears as if it was erased from existence. The demon has a terrified expression on his face as I head his way and he starts to stutter. "P-please sp-spare me" he says as he fell to the ground and was fearing for his life, too bad his fate was sealed when the quest came out. As I activate time stop everything freezes and I rush him with the desire to fulfill this quest, as I swing my sword I feel sluggish. This should be the rebound for using hunter fest for too long, I should end this quick. As I swung at his head it fell off to the side and I black out after confirming I completed the quest. [Quest "Demonic Battle" has been completed] [Rewards received, 500 experience, 2 skill tickets, and 1 special ticket] [You have killed a "King Kobold"... Received 700 Experience] [A function ticket has been found] [Due to killing a "King Class Monster" you have been awarded the upgradable title ''King Class Killer''] [You have killed a "Demon"... Received 2000 experience] [Due to killing a Demon you have been awarded the upgradable title ''Demon Killer''] [Completed the evolution requirements for Sword Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max)... Evolving... Sword Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max) has evolved to Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.1)] [Congratulations due to successfully evolving a skill you have been rewarded with a Weapon and Armor Ticket(Sword) which will guarantee you at least a rare quality sword] ------------------------------- "Finn are you sure it will be okay to leave Bell alone like that." Marvin says in a worried voice as he looks towards Finn with a disappointed face. "It should be but just in case that''s why we''re going back, I mean you guys heard that scream right? That should have been the king kobold so at least we know he is still aliv-" he gets cut off by a feeling of weakness flooding over him and everyone slows down near the entrance of the third floor. "What was that, why is everyone weakened." Eve says what everyone was thinking out loud. "I heard demons all have a special skill this might be it. Come on everyone hurry up." Finn says as he gets back up on his feet and pushes open the rusted door. Every person there had a surprised or shocked face as the door screeched as it opened. The reason? Well, that''s because they were currently looking at a person who should have been a newbie totally demolish a demon who even a C ranked adventurer feared. He had terrible wounds ranging from meat that was torn off by the king kobold, a gash in his head from falling too hard, overall overexertion of the body, and of course, blood loss which was the least of his problems. Finn picking him up, telling the others to follow after him ran as fast as his "Cultivation" could let him, he ran for the exit to the dungeon only to black out himself after reaching the city gates. As he blacked out he felt the warmth of a person but he didn''t get to open his eyes and see his and his friends savior. Chapter 12锛歋avior Waking up I open my eyes with great difficulty only to notice bandages wrapped around my chest and head. Looking around It seems I''m in a room. What happened though... I defeated the king kobold and the demon and I got my rewards let''s check those. ''System how many tickets do I have?'' [You currently have 1 daily pull, 2 Skill Tickets, 1 Weapon, and Armor Ticket(Sword), 1 Function Ticket and 2 Special Tickets] ''Nice, use all tickets'' [Processing..... Displaying Results] [Daily Gacha Results: Upgrade Card] [2x Skill Gacha Results: Appraisal, Trap Detection(Lv.1)] [Due to having the skill Appraisal already it will be upgraded] [1x Weapon and Armor Gacha Results: Pure Silver Sword(SR)] [1x Function Gacha Results: Inventory] [2x Special Gacha Results: Lostvayne(Meliodas), Vain(Arden)] ''Alright, appraisal was raised huh, like an upgrade?'' [Correct, due to having it already the system converted it into an upgrade card and upgraded appraisal] ''Appraisal'' Skill: Appraisal** Effects: (Upgrade 1)Can see health and mana, (Upgrade 2) Can see the hidden stats perception, luck, charisma, and regeneration. ''Nice, let''s see these then.'' ''Appraisal'' Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer II, King Class Killer, Demon Killer Class: Cheater Level: 12 Strength: 31 Agility: 29 Endurance: 31 Intelligence: 29 Wisdom: 29 Charisma: 29 Perception: 29 Regeneration: 29 Luck: 100 ''Why are all of my hidden stats so high?'' [The cheater class description says ALL stats so it upgrades ALL stats, I''m really starting to wonder how you even survive with that type of thinking.] ''No need to roast me shit. Let''s just check the other things. Trap detection is obvious, so is inventory, how about the sword.'' ''Appraisal'' Item: Pure Silver Sword(100%) Rating: SR+ Description: A sword made of only silver, the blade was made by the silver blacksmith rumored to only work with silver due to his loved one being defiled by vampires. Stats: 5x Damage to Vampires, +10 to all Physical Stats when Wielding, Stops Vampire Regeneration ''System how does the rating work'' [The rating of an item is a combination of its stats, the blacksmith''s skill, and materials used. The only reason this is rated SR+ is that the creator invested his entire life into making a sword that can kill vampires completely while turning their advantages against them.] ''Lostvayne huh, isn''t that the sword where the user can create clones?'' ''Appraisal'' Item: Lostvayne(Meliodas) Rating: SSR+ Description: The Sword used by Meliodas in the main series, is also called a "Sacred Treasure" due to the high rating. This sword was created by an unknown master blacksmith and can even have the user create clones. Skill: Physical Clone: The sacred treasure Lostvayne''s special ability that allows the user to create up to four clones of himself. The clones only retain a fraction of the original''s power, with one clone having half the power of the original, the clones have no time limit and can even take damage without it affecting the user. ''Cool put everything in the inventory. What''s vain though I don''t remember something like that'' ''Appraisal'' Skill: Vain(Arden) Description: Weapons imbued with the user''s power can increase the magical burden of an opponent''s abilities. This effect can be applied multiple times, preventing powers which use a significant amount of magic from activating. Each time the opponent is hit is times the amount of magic needed. To exploit this ability, it is suggested to primarily fights with arrows. [It is heavily suggested to use the upgrade card on this] ''Alright then use it'' [Using Upgrade Card... Detected multiple upgrade available... please choose one of the upgrades] [Make everyone around you have twice the mana cost upon use] [Make this ability passive at no mana cost] ''I chose the passive upgrade'' [Upgrading..... Finished. Vain has been upgraded. Vain has gained a new quality and is now passive.] Sitting in the bed being occupied with my gains I fail to notice that someone walked in. Looking up there is a 6-foot tall woman, seems to be around her late 30''s, she has pointy ears seems to be an elf, waist long silver hair, and a fancy looking bracelet on. "You really are as weird as Finn says. You didn''t even take notice to me when I walked in the room or when I was talking to you, are you okay? You might have hit your head too hard." she says looking me in the eyes as I stared at her. "Who are you?" I say with confusion "That''s one way to talk to your savior huh." she says with an unsatisfied face. "Sorry, may I ask who you are and where I am?" "I am Alice a C Ranked adventurer, I saw you and Finn collapse right outside the city gates so I decided to help bring you guys into the guild medical room. Finn is upstairs finishing his report on this whole incident I mean with a demon showing up and all it would have risen an uproar if it wasn''t killed, it''s gonna be a lot of paperwork for him though. The guild master needs your report since you were the one to slay the demon. Head up to the guild master''s room once you''re healed." "Thank you for helping me, can you tell me where he is." I say trying to get up but she pushes me back down onto the bed. "I used heal on you but I can replace things that were lost so you''re gonna have to sit here and wait until your healed. Though with your abnormal healing rate it should be within 1-2 days. Just follow the stairs " she says in a whisper as she gets up and starts to leave. ''System use the healing card on me'' [Processing... Healing has Finished] As I got the notification from the system my body was hit by a feeling of comfort. It felt as if my body reverted to before I even got the injuries in the first place. I decided to wait a couple of hours before seeing the guild master so they wouldn''t be too suspicious of me. ''how many skill points do I have right now?'' [Currently, you have 192 Skill Points] ''Hmm what should I even upgrade though.. I should probably wait on swordsmanship so I can experience the upgrade myself... how about mana manipulation... but what would that even bring me? System what would leveling mana manipulation bring me.'' [Leveling mana manipulation would give you better control over mana as a whole, such as faster casting times, less mana used per spell, and mana regenerates faster.] ''Would this make my body enhancement better?'' [Yes, with your current ability to manipulate mana body enhancement could last 5 minutes, upon upgrading it to level 2 it would increase to 10 minutes and level 3 would be 15 minutes.] ''Put 150 skill points into mana manipulation'' [Congratulations the skill "Mana Manipulation" has reached level 3 and your mana control has gotten better] After thinking about which skills to upgrade next I notice the time so I get up and head up the stairs. Walking up the stairs I look at the walls which are painted green and it is well lit. Reaching the top of the stairs it opens into another door. I hear talking on the other side of the door as I knock. "Come in" Hearing that I open the door to Finn sitting in front of a desk writing and another person behind the desk. "Welcome you must be Bell" Chapter 13锛欸uild Master Calls "Welcome, you must be Bell I heard about you from Finn''s report, I am the guild master Zachary. Come let''s talk about your report." he says with a smile on his face as he motions me to sit next to Finn. "How am I supposed to report this though, a Demon showed up and I risked my life to slay it?" I say while sitting down and getting comfortable. "That may be true but we need to know how you defeated it and if the demon used any skills such as mind control, any magic, or maybe he could use the legendary skill blink." he says probing me to see my reaction. I mean come on man you may be the guild master but I''m not afraid of you if your an ass I''ll just take a skill from you. "Finn, your report is done, go ahead and take your leave." he says towards Finn as he kicks him out. After Finn left he looked me in the eyes and started to talk again. "It seems you haven''t appraised me yet." he says ... ... What ''Appraisal'' Name: Zachary Rode Titles: GuildMaster, Former S-Rank Adventurer, Dungeon Conqueror IX, King Class Monster Slayer IX, Demon''s Nightmare, Sword Genius, Breaking Through Human Limits, Reincarnate Race: Human Age: 150 Class: Sword Saint*** Level: 199 Strength: 199 Agility: 199 Endurance: 199 Intelligence: 99 Wisdom: 99 Skills: Sword Mastery(Grandmaster)(Lv.1), Heal(Lv.Max), Greater Heal(Lv.Max), High Heal(Lv.Max), Cure(Lv.Max), Purification(Lv.Max), Chantless Magic(Lv.Max), Appraisal*, Body Strengthening magic(Lv.Max), Poison Resistance(Lv.Max), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.Max), Presence Detection(Lv.Max), Mana Manipulation(Lv.8), Fighting Instinct(Lv.Max) "Holy Shit! Level 199? Are you a monster!?" I mean level 199, that means he comprehended his class that much. What is there to even comprehend up to that level. Seeing my reaction he has a hearty laugh with misty eyes."Haha" "It''s been too long since I''ve had someone like you. Not minding about status most people nowadays are either afraid of me or they''re arrogant to the bone but you I like you." he says as he gets up laughing and hits my back. "Don''t I need to report?" I say trying to change the subject. I mean can you blame me this guy hitting me in the back is giving me damage. "I already know what happened that dungeon is an artificial one we have magic camera''s everywhere only the high up guild members that I select are allowed to see it so don''t worry. To think you have the legendary skill blink though it really surprised me. I assume your class is ''Hero'' right, I mean the Demon kept calling you that." he says while an unknown pressure forces down on me. "Ah. I mean I saw that when I was choosing a class but I felt it didn''t fit me." Goddamn, it feels like he will kill me if I lie. Those hawk-like eyes, that unknown aura, and him blatantly probing me just gives me a really creeped out feeling. "And why did you feel that." "Well, I mean where I''m from there are a lot of ''Hero'' stories about where they get betrayed by a partner or someone they trust stabbing them in the back so I went with this other class that caught my attention." "What class deserves to be chosen over becoming a hero." he says flabbergasted that I didn''t even think about choosing the hero class. "Cheater..." "Stop whispering and say it louder." "Cheater... Cheater... you mean like a cheater in a relationship?." he says as if he finally found an answer to a question no one knew. "No cheater as in games like a Cheat, you know Unlimited lives in Mario, God Mode in Call of Duty, Aimbot in Overwatch. Man do you really know nothing." I say trying to ignore what he just said. "Oh, you meant games, where I''m from games were outlawed due to a developer in VR making it so you die in real life if you die in the game. They also couldn''t log out so they had to either die or beat the game to leave." "Sounds horrible..." "So you say you have the cheater class, how does that work here in this world." "I get a stat boost in all stats every level, no bottlenecks in my stats, I can use the experience to level, I can steal skill from others..." Fuck I shouldn''t have said that much, thank god I didn''t go too far. The second I finished that sentence I felt hostile intent everywhere in the air. "Have you stolen from any humans." he says with a calm smile that will probably give me nightmares from now on. "N-no only monsters." seeing my reaction he seems to have decerned that I wasn''t lying so he sits back down. "I see. Sorry, I shouldn''t have accused you of something like that, thinking about it now there is no way our goddess would choose to protect someone like that." he says with a guilty tone. "It''s fine. Is there any reason why you called me here." "I have a request of you, for the rewards... how about you can take one of my skills. Of course not important ones but maybe one of the skills I don''t use anymore...Hmm... Let''s see... how about Mana Manipulation, Lifestyle Magic, or Fighting Instinct. You can choose one of those to take if you chose to accept my mission." "What''s the mission." I say worried he might make me do the impossible. "Reach level 20 in 3 days and I will let you take one of those 3 skills." as soon as he finished I got a notification from the system. Quest: Reach Level 20 Description: Reach Level 20 in 3 days Rewards: 2000 experience, 1 Upgrade Card, 1 Treasure Card After reading the quest I accept it both on the system interface and to the guild master and head out of his office while he sends me off with a laugh. "If you ever need me just walk up here, I''ll make sure no one stops you so make sure and come often." he says as he closes the door and the hallway silences. Heading down the stairs I exit the guild while no one is paying attention and reach the inn. In my room at the inn, I put everything useful in the inventory and head to sleep. ''Why do I feel that something is off.'' Chapter 14锛歊ecollection Waking up to the heat of the sun on my face I get up and notice that it is around Noon. Getting up and getting dressed I started to recollect over yesterday. ''Wait a minute. Why did I tell him all that?'' [The reason you did as he said lies within the technique he used on you.] ''What technique would that be?'' [He either used a mind control skill, or he used his level aura to suppress you and due to his control over his aura he manipulated you into not thinking straight. Whichever one he used they both would have had to break through the limit of what the human body could do.] ''He didn''t have any mind control skills, so it was probably the aura thing. What''s level aura?'' ''So you''re saying due to him being like 180 levels ahead of me I acted like an idiot.'' [You''re an idiot anyways. Why would you care?] ''Why didn''t you stop it? I thought I had the all status ailment skill?'' [I didn''t stop it because what you told him isn''t even the tip of the iceberg on what the cheater class can do the cheat you told him about isn''t special most reincarnates ask for that cheat, he probably knows someone who has one, and another thing have you ever tried to check your class now that you upgraded appraisal. No, you haven''t because all you''re worried about is cheats and leveling up. The status ailment skill only protects against status ailments I didn''t think you needed to be Sherlock Holmes to find that one out, what he used doesn''t classify as a status ailment thus the skill didn''t activate.] "I think you should change your name to the Scam System, you scammer." [Just appraise the damn class.] ... ''Appraisal'' [Class: Cheater] [Class Details: Only people who have the cheat system can acquire this class. Can learn skills from any class and learn them at a better rate than if you had the class, can hold an infinite amount of cheat skills, no bottlenecks in stats or skills] [Class Growth Rate: +1 Each stat every level] ''So I didn''t know everything about the class. So what I told the guild master wasn''t a lie but it wasn''t the whole truth huh. System you''re really smart, outsmarting someone with that kind of position.'' [Why do you think you were even able to stop after one cheat skill.] Ignoring the system I look over the quest that I have to finish. ''Let''s see I have 3 days to level up to level 20. If I follow Fin he probably won''t like what I''m planning. Will I be able to solo? Isn''t that a cliche where some idiots might try to rob me because they see I''m a newbie and I''m all alone? All right let''s go wait for the idiots to line up.'' finishing my inner dialogue I head into the dungeon while having the silver sword hanging from my hip to act as bait. ------------------------ "Boss you''re sure you saw him head this way." said dumb thief #1 "Yeah boss, I can''t sense him at all are you sure he''s still here." said dumb thief #2 "Yeah, yeah keep questioning me and we''ll have a problem. I saw him with my spiritual eyes so he''s still here." I said aggravated. "Just follow me he''s around this corner." he says turning around only to notice that his fellow thief''s heads are missing. An unknown amount of fear washes over the thief boss as he falls to the floor with a wave of weakness. The last sound he heard was a loud sigh and only thing he got to see was the dungeon flying around him and he sees a pile of bodies as his head hits the floor and eternal darkness fills his mind while a shocked expression was saved on his face. ------------------------ [Congratulations you have reached level 16.] "I didn''t think there would be so many idiots that followed me, did they think that they could just make it up with numbers, they didn''t even notice that they weren''t the only ones. That''s the last of them anyways, they didn''t give any gacha tickets most likely because they were all level 5 and under, I didn''t know that there was a thug class though, it seems since their thug class was glowing red it was an indicator that they were bad people, huh, too bad skill steal is limited right now or else I would take their skills. Alright, I decided that the next upgrade card goes to skill steal." ''It''s only been a couple of hours since I''ve been here luring them and I''m already level 16, should I call it a day?'' as I finish cleaning off the blood I notice that the bodies have started to disintegrate into particles of light. "Is that what happens to bodies in a dungeon?" [Correct, the dungeon absorbs their level aura changing it to essence so it can keep spawning monsters.] ''Pretty interesting, Will I be able to finish if I go to the boss? I didn''t get the dungeon conqueror title so I guess I didn''t complete it?'' Killing through the second floor it seems that enemies that are lower than me give significantly less experience. There all between level 1 and level 5 but they give me 5-10 experience per kill. Heading to the third floor the rusty door is there just like last time. As the door opens the screeching of the rusted hinges fills the air as I peak my head in to look at the boss. ... "Huh? There''s nothing here?" looking all around for the boss only to see nothing in sight which is pretty weird considering that presence detection gives me a signal but once again no direction. As I look around something falls from the ceiling causing the dirt to block my view. "Hu..ma.n" A crackled voice says. "Die." the voice says again as whatever it is lunges forward towards my chest at a speed faster than the king kobold. ''Time Stop'' Stopping time just before the arm hits me I look at the black silhouette that tried to strike me. ''Appraisal'' Name: Mirk Race: Kobold King Variant Level: 1 Strength: 42 Agility: 47 Endurance: 42 Intelligence: 20 Wisdom: 20 Skills: Strong Arm(Lv.3), Mana Manipulation(Lv.1), Scratch(Lv.Max), Survival Instincts(Lv..Max) ''Hey, it has a name. That''s a first except Kit. Since it has stats are near mine I''ll just finish this with time stop.'' Chapter 15锛歈uest Complete ''Let''s just finish this with time stop.'' Thrusting my silver sword at the king kobold variant time stop deactivates just as my sword plunges into its head at the same time the king kobold variant reached out and clawed at my chest and leaving claw marks across my chest as blood starts to ooze out of the wound. "It''s not dead? How can it survive with a sword sticking out of its head?" [Once your regeneration stat hits 100 you get a special skill where you can regenerate almost anything as long as it isn''t destroyed up to a certain extent.] "Interesting. Kind of like a troll''s regeneration right? Then can''t I just use fire to stop the regeneration then?" [Yes, fire is the most recommended method, another method is to slice it into pieces before it can regenerate. You can currently buy the item ''Salamander''s Ash'' from the system for 10 system points. You currently have 160 system points.] ''Bring up Salamander''s Ash item details.'' Item: Salamander''s Ash Description: Gives a fire enchantment to any weapon upon use burning anything the enchantment hits. Last 5 Minutes. Cost: 10 System Points ''Let''s try one for now'' [Processing..... Done. Items have been added to inventory.] ''Use Salamander''s Ash on Lostvayne.'' [Salamander''s ash has been applied to the sword ''Lostvayne''] Watching the king kobold variant slowly regenerate piece by piece as I pull out Lostvayne from the inventory so I can try out Lostvayne''s ability physical clone instead of relying on time stop. "Sacred Treasure Release!" A pulse of energy flows through my entire body as several perfectly mirrored clones run out of my body towards the king kobold variant. Seeing my body split into multiple versions of myself the king kobold variant becomes astonished and reacts late to my clones rushing in for the kill due to the shock of an unimaginable skill and the overwhelming feel of death and helplessness that he receives from his Survival Instincts skill. Trying to turn the situation around the king kobold variant runs at a faster speed than the clones and leaps over them throwing himself at me as the silver sword falls out of his head and onto the ground. Readying lostvayne for the impact I hold it aiming for the body wanting to test out the fire enchantment as the king kobold variant runs into the sword thinking that his regeneration would save him from my sword. As he reaches for my face with his claws he stops in his tracks as his eyes dilated in fear as he notices that lostvayne has some type of fire enchantment on it but it was too late as I punctured his stomach and it doesn''t regenerate. "Hu..man... DIE!" he says as he furiously flails at me trying to do some damage to me to force me to back away before I can deal him any serious injuries. Looking at where I stabbed it didn''t regenerate at all and is burned to a crisp. ''Damn that''s pretty effective.'' As the king kobold variant sees me back off he rushes at me only to be cut from behind because he didn''t notice the fact that my clones caught up to him. "You forgot about those didn''t you?" I say taunting it into rushing me so I can kill it and see what I can get out of a king variant. I''m also interested in how this thing became in the first place, this is the first time I can see a monster talk although its speech is kinda rough. Seeing how little damage my clones did it seems that physical clone is still the same as in the anime where the number of clones can only share half your power. Since there is five of them and they all have a tenth of my stats they''re all pretty weak, but all the Lostvaynes that were copied have the fire enchantment so it still does some damage. Thrusting lostvayne through the king kobold variant''s forehead it leaves a huge gash in between its eyes as it falls to the floor completely void of any life and the system gives me the notification of finishing off the monster. [You have killed a "King Kobold(Variant)"... Received 9000 Experience] [Due to killing a third variant monster the title ''Variant Killer II'' has been upgraded to ''Variant Killer III''] [Due to killing a second King Class monster the title ''King Class Killer'' has been upgraded to ''King Class Killer II''] [Congratulations you have reached level 20.] [Quest "Reach Level 20" has been completed] [Rewards received, 2000 experience, 1 Upgrade Card, 1 Treasure Card] [Error... Due to reaching level 20 you cannot continue to level up until you either continue with the cheater class or get a second class. To do so head to your nearest adventurer''s guild.] "What does the variant killer title do?" [The title variant killer gives you an increased chance to run into variants, they give more experience, and you do more damage to them. With each increase in the title it increases by 1% up to a maximum of 10%.] "System is there a reason I haven''t gotten the dungeon conqueror title yet." [This dungeon is a man-made dungeon so of course, you can''t get the dungeon conqueror title, you can only get the title from natural dungeons. There are some around here but from my knowledge you have to be a D ranked adventurer to explore the dungeons.] "Wow, that sucks. I probably won''t rank up for another week unless the guild master can do me a favor. I don''t really like him though." "Alright Upgrade Skill Steal." [Upgrade Card used..... Displaying Results] [Skill Steal(Limited)*: Can steal any skill, limit of one skill per monster/person.] "You scammer, Upgrading should have gotten rid of the limited not upgraded the limitations." [The skill steal that you want is the pinnacle of the skill steal, and since you got the limited version, of course, it would lift the limitations a little, at least now you can steal and not be limited to stealing a skill once per race.] "True, how many Upgrade cards will it require to get no limits." [No idea...] Walking out the dungeon it''s around 4 or 5 pm so I hurry back to the guild to tell the guild master that I finished his quest so I can go eat some of the inn lady''s cooking. ... Walking into the guild there are people drinking their asses off and others completing quests but it eventually goes quiet. Waiting in line to talk to a receptionist the other adventurer''s give glances at me and then talk to the people they are sitting near. Seems like I might have given them a bad view of me huh. "Bell you can head upstairs, the guild master said to send you to him." It seems even the receptionists have heard about me since this is the first time I meet this tall red-headed woman and she already knew my name. I hope it wasn''t anything bad. As I walk up the stairs, the adventurers start to talk again in whispers just low enough so I couldn''t hear anything important. All I heard was silver-haired, and the word elf. Walking up to the door the guild master opens it and leads me in. "It seems you have completed my quest, have you decided on which skill you would like to take." "So he defeated Kirm right. Did he tell him the information." "Yes sir, kirm let out the perfect amount of information. His crimes led to his death but he took it as his fate. Shall we take his family out?" "No. Leave them alone for now, his family doesn''t know about his crimes." "Yes, Sir!" "Kirm died in the dungeon right. Did the miasma from his death create another mutated boss monster." "Yes, it was reported an hour ago that the hero defeated it and has reached level 20." "Haa... Hero''s really do have a fast growth rate, especially since they grow in battle without realizing it. Keeps tabs on the hero and tell me when he nears level 200, I''ll be sleeping in my room. Don''t disturb my sleep unless there is an emergency." Chapter 16锛歊ank Up "It seems you have completed my quest, have you decided on which skill you would like to take." he says as he stares at me with an analyzing gaze. ''Appraisal'' Name: Zachary Rode Titles: GuildMaster, Former S-Rank Adventurer, Dungeon Conqueror IX, King Class Monster Slayer IX, Demon''s Nightmare, Sword Genius, Breaking Through Human Limits, Reincarnate Race: Human Age: 150 Class: Sword Saint********* Level: 199 Strength: 199 Agility: 199 Endurance: 199 Intelligence: 99 Wisdom: 99 Skills: Sword Mastery(Grandmaster)(Lv.1), Heal(Lv.Max), Greater Heal(Lv.Max), High Heal(Lv.Max), Cure(Lv.Max), Purification(Lv.Max), Chantless Magic(Lv.Max), Appraisal*, Body Strengthening Magic(Lv.Max), Poison Resistance(Lv.Max), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.Max), Presence Detection(Lv.Max), Mana Manipulation(Lv.8), Fighting Instinct(Lv.Max) "Would it be fine to take the Fighting Instinct skill?" "That is one of the skills I offered so go ahead." ''Skill Steal "Fighting Instinct"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done... Displaying Status] Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer III, King Class Killer II, Demon Killer Class: Cheater Level: 20 Strength: 47 Agility: 45 Endurance: 47 Intelligence: 45 Wisdom: 45 Charisma: 45 Perception: 45 Regeneration: 45 Luck: 100 Skills: Counter Vanish(Lv.Max), Hunter Fest(Lv.Max), Vain(Arden)(Passive), Appraisal**, All Status Ailments Resistance(Lv.Max), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.1), Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.1), Presence Detection(Lv.4), Auto-Dismantle(Lv.Max), Mana Manipulation(Lv.3), Dungeon Adaptability(Lv.Max), Improved Thinking(Lv.Max), Enhanced Strength(Low), Enhanced Agility(Low), Enhanced Recovery(Low), Enhanced Intellect(Low), Evade(Lv.4), Body Reinforcement Magic(Lv.1), Trap Detection(Lv.1), Fighting Instinct(Lv.Max) Cheat Skills: x2 Stat Point Gain, Skill Steal(Limited)*, Time Stop(3 seconds), Class Specializations: x2 Skill Point Gain ''Yep it''s there.'' "Alright, I took it." "Are you sure, I didn''t feel anything." he says confused. He probably thought he would feel something and then he can just follow reports in case I went berserk or something. "Yeah, it''s a pretty cool skill but it''s a limited version of skill steal." I put emphasis on the words ''limited version''. Time to redeem myself. "Limited in what way?" he says curiously since I didn''t say anything about this when he used his aura to suppress me. "I can only steal a skill once from each race, so far I''ve stolen a skill from kobolds, goblins, and now humans so if you know of any other races please tell me." "So it worked like that. Alright, I''ll tell you, the races are Humans, Demons, Elves, Beastmen, and Half-Beastmen. It seems that monsters count as races for your skill, in that case, there are too many monsters to count." he says as a senior teaching a junior. "Anything else I should know?" "Yeah, every 20 levels are a rank, currently you are peak rank 1, once you get a second class or choose to stay with your current class you can start going further than 20. The orb to rank up is just an upgraded version of the orb to choose your class. I have one here go ahead and rank up." he says while holding a light blue orb in his hand. Putting my hand over the orb instead of just choosing a class it gave me two options. [Choose a Second Class](Click to see options) [Stay with Current Class] ''See options for second class'' as I finish just like choosing my class my eyes are filled with different classes. [Magic Swordsman] [Warrior] [Mage] [Archer] [Ranger] [Thief] [Assassin] [Lancer] [Gunner] [Monster Hunter] [OtherWorlder] [Swordsman] [Pugglist] [Fire Mage] [Ice Mage] [Wind Mage] [Water Mage] [Lightning Mage] [Earth Mage] [Hero] [Trap Specialist] [Protagonist] [Dungeon Explorer] [Axeman] [Lumberjack] [Alchemist] [Potion Maker] [Poison Master] ''Is there any reason there are some new classes this time?'' [Classes are available based on talent and experiences, for example, you eat like a lumberjack, you hide in your room a lot like an alchemist, you have talent in potion making, and you are immune to poison so you can be a poison master without any side effects. You also have the luck stat of a protagonist.] ''What are the benefits of choosing another class.'' [Honestly, with the cheater class you can do everything without having the required class so just stay with that one.] ''What do I get for staying with the cheater class.'' [You get to choose another class specialty, of course, they will be different from last time and you get to choose two new class skills.] ''I''ll stay with my current class.'' [Confirming... you have chosen to stay with the class "Cheater"] [Please choose another class specialty.] [x4 Skill Point Gain] [All Weapon Mastery] [x2 Experience Gain] ''Can you explain them?'' ''I''ve decided on the All Weapon Mastery specialty.'' [Select 2 Class skills or Magic Types] [Stealth, Sword Mastery, Presence Detection, Dismantle, Fire Magic, Water Magic, Light Magic, Dark Magic, Wind Magic, Earth Magic, Healing Magic, Barrier Magic, Illusion Magic, Mana Manipulation, Holy Magic, Trap Detection, Body Reinforcement Magic] ''I decided on Water Magic so if I run out of water and don''t have a stable supply I can just use magic, and Fire Magic as a counter in case I run into anything that has a high regeneration stat.'' [Magic Types Water and Fire have been unlocked, Skills Create Water and Create Fire have been learned.] [Congratulations you have reached level 21.] [Your current amount of skill points is 484] ''Use 200 skill points on swordsmanship and 200 skill points on trap detection.'' [Using skill points... Done] [Swordsmanship has reached level 2(Intermediate)] [Trap Detection has reached level 4] "Tomorrow you will be taking the ranking exam to rank up to be a D ranked adventurer. I''ve arranged this before as the average level for a D ranked adventurer is 10-20, and from there it gets harder to rank up so do your best and take actual quests from now on." "Yes, sir." I say as I quickly leave so I don''t have to be near this manipulator any longer. After eating dinner it was about 7 so I went to my room to take a bath and service my weapons. The silver sword was pretty dirty due to dry blood and mud from the dungeon. ''Can I use lifestyle magic on my swords?'' [You can since they are only dirty but it can''t clean rust.] ''Clean'' as I finish the one-word chant the weapon lostvayne and the silver sword are shrouded in white light and eventually they come out so clean I can see a reflection so good it''s like looking at a mirror. After some time I put both my weapons into the inventory and grab my blanket and pillows so I can go to sleep. Thinking through the day again I decide to only use skill steal on willing people, monsters, and people who''s class are marked with a red glow which indicates that they are bad people. Chapter 17锛欴ream or Reality Looking around me everything in my view is drastically different than when I went to sleep yesterday. It seems like an old-western look, kind of like the old west you see in cowboy movies. Horses running in the distance as the sound of hooves stomping the floor comes from every direction, Wind blowing against the trees as a slow whistle protrudes throughout the night sky. "Where am I? I''m pretty sure I fell asleep at the inn yesterday." I say worriedly. Looking over the rocks off to the distance one has faint glow hiding behind it. "Is that a light behind that rock?" I say walking towards the rock. As I''m approaching the rock I look over it only to see a woman turn to look at me with a curious gaze while emitting white light from her body. "You Hero''s really do grow faster each time I see you... Although you are a bit different than the last one." she says as she turns towards me and the white light gets brighter. I try to talk and ask her about what she said but my mouth won''t open and a heavy pressure falls down on me. "You aren''t ready yet, go back and the next time you are able to come here should be enough." she says as she waves her hand and as a wave of white light envelopes me, I fall back into a deep sleep. . . . Waking up to the sound of heavy pounding, I put on my clothes apply ''clean'' to myself and walk over to open the door. "What that really just a dream? The only thing I remember is a woman emitting light saying I''m not ready yet, but if that is the case then why am I still shivering as if I''m scared of something." "Can I help you?" I say still tired looking at the floor not really interested in who it is. "We don''t see each other for a couple of days and you act like you don''t even know me huh. Get up, you''re late for your rank up exam." says the familiar voice as I look up. "Finn, I was set up I swear." I said nervously as he has a very serious look on his face. "Who would set you up huh, you think I would fall for an obvious lie like that." he says with doubt. "The guild-master only told me it was going to be today he didn''t mention a time or a place to meet at." I say avoiding eye contact feeling guilty, people wouldn''t normally believe what I said. "Yeah sure, Get ready and let''s go. There are other people ranking up as well so don''t make them wait." he says with an agitated face as I walk out of the room and close the door behind me. "Let''s go I''m ready." "Don''t you need your gear?" he asks surprised. "I have all the stuff I need in an item bag, let''s head out after some breakfast." --------------------------------------- "Why is Finn so slow." said the ordinary-looking brown-haired female. ''I sent him to go get the rookie that the guild-master recommended, it should only be down the street why is he taking so long. The other adventurers here for the exam are all getting impatient.'' "Why do we have to wait for someone who is half an hour late?" as if he can read her thoughts one adventurer says with dissatisfaction all over his face causing all other adventurer''s to have a look of dissatisfaction as well leaving only one who seemed to have been in this situation before sat in a corner of the group with his eyes closed and a solemn expression meditating. As they continue complaining the doors to the guild''s meeting room open and everyone''s eyes were drawn to the two people walking inside. "You''re finally here." said the female examiner as she released a sigh of relief since she didn''t have to hear any more whining. "You''re finally here." "Haha, sorry about that it seems the guild-master didn''t tell him that there was a time to meet up." Finn says with a hearty laugh in my defense. "I''m sorry I didn''t know about the time nor where we should meet at." I say adding on to Finn''s explanation. The adventurers are giving me a bad look for being late, it looks like this will be a stressful rank up. "Since everyone is here let''s introduce ourselves while heading out. I''m Silvia your examiner, I am a B-rank adventurer, I''m also a Ranger and I use the bow. Don''t count on me to help you in this mission because it is your exam, I''m only here to be your examiner." she says with a proud voice as she leads us out of the guild and down the road. After heading out of the gates another adventurer starts to introduce himself. "I am Edward, My class is a knight and I wish to serve the city lord in his knight corps. I use a sword and shield so I can be upfront protecting the group." said the blonde-haired knight as he followed closely after Silvia. "I''m Zakariya, A Monster Tamer. The only monster I have captured so far is a firefox, I named him Vulpix." he says as he pulls out a red and white ball, soon a red light protrudes from the ball and a red and orange mixed fox materializes from nothing. Looking at all the other adventurer''s reactions this seems to be normal, but come on that''s totally copying pokemon. Is the author looking for a copyright strike? Oh, wait that''s youtube. "I''m Marvin, a ranger. I mainly use Curved daggers and Stealth." ''Ohh it''s Marvin, nice to see him again. Wait didn''t he start at the same time as me. What the hell I thought I leveled faster than others? Did he start adventuring late or something? I wonder what level he is at.'' ''Appraisal'' Name: Marvin Race: Human? Age: 18 Titles: Dungeon Conqueror II, Variant Killer, King Class Killer, Natural Born Assassin, One with Darkness, Reincarnate Class: Ranger Level: 24* Strength: 42 Agility: 45 Endurance: 38 Intelligence: 15 Wisdom: 15 Charisma: 13 Perception: 20 Regeneration: 15 Luck: 20 Skills: Presence Detection(Lv.3), Stealth(Lv.5), Dagger Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.3), Trap Detection(Lv.5), Dungeon Adaptability(Lv.Max), Dismantle(Lv.4), Poison Resistance(Lv.3) ''Well fuck, why didn''t I just leave the demon to him then, he could have taken it head-on without hiding.'' "I''m Rose, I know some healing magic and I use the mace." She has dark green hair, a tall stature, and a foot-long wand in her hands. The robe she is wearing clings tightly to her body as if showing the world that she is well endowed. "And I''m Elaine, I use the Lance and Wind Magic." says the other woman. She has light brown skin, black hair, brown eyes, and some muscles. "Alright, now that everyone knows each other I''ll tell you all about the mission. We are hunting a band of thieves that are camping near the Deep Forest entrance. It has been reported 2 months ago that they were in that area but it hasn''t been reported that they attacked anyone until last week when they attacked a noble''s carriage. The city lord gave this quest to the adventurer''s guild yesterday with a request that the thief boss is brought back dead or alive. It will take half a day to get to the entrance of Deep Forest. We will camp out a mile away so we won''t be discovered and attack them in the morning. Got it? Then let''s go." Silvia said in a rush as she leads us down the long dirt road. Chapter 18锛欰dventurers Backgrounds Following Silvia down the dirt road, goblins hiding in the bushes. As I put my hand on my sword handle I feel a gust of air pass by me and the goblins all have an arrow in their heads. Turning around I see Silvia with an awkward look. "Sorry, I absolutely despise goblins. I have a personal vendetta against them," she explains. Continuing down the road Silvia starts to chat with Rose and Elaine. "Why did you girls become adventurers?" she asks. Rose upon hearing the question had a calm expression. "We grew up in the same village. When we were little we went up the mountain one day to get some fruits from the trees. We heard loud noises so we rushed back only to see a demon on the floor dead with a glowing sword in its chest, while monster corpses surrounded all around the village, the man who killed the demon was surprised to see any survivors let alone kids, so he took pity on us, therefore, he brought us to his home and raised us. As we were growing up we had many fun days, upon reaching 14 he taught us how to be adventurers and how to survive on our own until one day he just disappeared, we never learned his name and as the years went by our memory of our youth started slowly fading until now where we can barely remember his face." Rose says with an anxious face as she explains her reason. Upon listening to the story the mood all around us feels heavy and no one speaks up. Seeing our heavy mood Rose lets go of her expression and talks. "No need to worry, it''s been over 10 years ago since it all happened. Elaine and I are over it, please don''t let it affect your mood." she says trying to fix the mood. Silvia seeing that everyone was less tense directed the attention towards someone else. "Edward why don''t you tell everyone why you became an adventurer." she says hoping for him to change the mood. All the other adventurers were soaking up the story and each had different thoughts, some had the thought that he was kind, others wished to get closer to Edward so they can meet his father. I personally think that it would make his father proud to have his son not only be at the same level as him but be even greater than him. I guess he could be considered a good guy. Silvia seems to have already heard this story as she just watched all the adventurers continue telling stories. Eventually, everyone finishes their stories and look towards me. "You''re the youngest of the group is there a reason you became an adventurer?" Silvia says leaning in as if she really wants to hear my reasons. Everyone else upon hearing Silvia talk leans in as well. Every one of them has a curious gaze. "I don''t think I really have a reason, it just seemed like it was the right thing to do. If I had to say a reason it would probably be that I can make money and get stronger at the same time." I say trying to finish this talk as fast as possible. "That''s not really a reason though." one adventurer said his thoughts out loud. "That''s true. Is there really nothing other than money?" says Rose as she gives me a gaze of a predator looking at its prey. Just her look gives me the chills. The other adventurer''s display their discontent as well. "Is there anything you have in mind." Silvia says trying to calm the adventurers. "Hmmm... If I had to think of something it would probably be my childhood dream of being an author." "Is there a reason behind you wanting to be an author?" Silvia says trying to get me to tell my story. Feeling the impulse to get the story off my chest I start to tell it. "The reason is probably due to my childhood. When I was growing up I had a little sister. When she was around 7 years old one day at school she fainted, at the hospital, we were told that she had a disease that weakened her body constantly. We tried every possible way to cure her but none of them worked. "Magicians" who could heal her with magic, "Shamans" who would get rid of the evil spirits possessing her, "Priests" who would pray for her to god for a price. All throughout her life from then on there were these phonies saying they could cure her just to earn money. Whenever I would visit her she would always talk about the books the doctors gave her, her favorite stories, and how when she was released, she wanted to be an author. One day when she was 9 years old the doctors called us saying that it was an emergency, we rushed to the hospital and found out that she only had 3 days to live. The very same doctors that said they would do their best to help cure her didn''t notice that her condition was getting worse rapidly due to her being incompatible with the methods they used, the very same doctors that charged us exorbitant prices to keep her there didn''t do their job and didn''t pay enough attention to her. I stayed with her all of those 3 days and each day she would ask why I was still there. I didn''t have the heart to tell her that she was dying and on the second night I told her I loved her and she should have a good sleep. On the third day when I checked in on her, she wouldn''t wake up. I''ve decided to do what she couldn''t and become an author so that when I see her again I can tell her all about my stories and adventures." "I''m going to head to sleep." Feeling one of the emotional blocks that has been weighing in on me this entire time go away my shoulders feel as if they are brand new. Not even looking at the adventurer''s reactions I get up and head off to bed getting ready for tomorrow''s raid on the thieves. Chapter 19锛歀et the Raid Begin While asleep I feel a freezing breeze brush past me as the air in my tent becomes even colder and the sound of footsteps echo in my ear. "Wake up." says the voice as it continuously shakes me trying to wake me up. "... Five more minutes..." I say in a groggy voice half asleep rolling over to my other side while pulling the blanket over my face. "I''ve never seen an adventurer wake up so late before." says another voice as I feel another gush of wind and pain in my lower back. "Can you please not kick me in the back, it might not be fatal but the pain is still there." I say getting up rubbing my eyes and then holding my lower back. "Get dressed. Were attacking in 30 minutes." Edward says. "Where''s your stuff?" Silvia says looking around my tent. "Ah, I have an item bag that can hold them all. Let''s head out." I say getting a fresh shirt out of my bag after splashing my face with water. "Looks like sleeping beauty woke up." Elaine says in a mocking voice as she grabs her spear. "Yeah, yeah, Cavewoman." I say firing back on impulse. Noticing what I said I look over at Elaine and Rose only to see Rose dying of laughter pointing at Elaine. Damn, all those years of Call of Duty has made its mark on me. To be honest, it wasn''t that funny her clothes are exactly like what a cartoon cavewoman would be wearing though. What surprised me is that Rose knew what I meant. Having a slight suspicion I decide to check her status. ''Appraisal'' Name: Rose Myne Titles: Reincarnate, Talented Mage Race: Human Age: 25 Class: Mage Level: 23* Strength: 17 Agility: 19 Endurance: 16 Intelligence: 30 Wisdom: 30 Magic Types: Earth, Water Skills: Chantless Magic(Lv.Max), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.Max),Mana Manipulation(Lv.4), Staff Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max), Dungeon Mapping(Lv.2), Earth Spike(Lv.3), Water Slash(Lv.2) ''Well then. Am I going to find a reincarnate damn near anywhere I go?'' [People who have the Reincarnate title tend to meet each other.] ''That''s pretty important, why haven''t I heard of this before?'' [You never asked.] "Alright were heading out stop staring into space." Silvia says as everyone finished packing their stuff and she leads us through the forest. Walking throughout the forest goblins hide from us due to Silvia killing a lot of them with her bow. Not wanting to sound weird I decide to not ask to kill any and just hope she leaves some. After some time Silvia slows down and starts to talk. "We should be 5 minutes away, we stopped here in case there are watchmen. I''ll watch from here so go ahead and eliminate them. I will be an examiner from here on out so don''t expect me to save you." Silvia says as she jumps into a tree and takes a seat on top of a branch. Edward seems to want to take the lead so why don''t I let him. "Alright everyone we need to make a plan, currently what I have so far is this. We light a fire at the entrance big enough for the wind to make the smoke to go into the cave and smoke them out. After that we have the archer take down as much as he can while they are running out so we can take care of the rest. There are only about 20 due to the report but don''t let your guard down just in case. Anything else to add?" Edward says looking towards all of us. "Can I get the lookouts in the trees?" I asked since it seems no one else noticed them. Edward looks at me with a surprised expression and looks towards Silvia who had an interested expression. "Sure go ahead, once your done come back and help out the rest of us." he says after thinking it over some more. It seems he didn''t even notice them let alone anyone else. Marvin was put in as an ambush for the last person out of the cave so he ran ahead after activating stealth. "Then we''re starting the operation. Everyone go to your assigned locations and try to stick to the plan." he says towards the three thug like adventurers. As they all head off towards bushes Silvia looks towards me with an interested expression. "How did you sense them, I was going to take them out if none of you realized them." she asks with curiosity. "What do you mean ''How did I sense them'' it was with the skill ''Sense Presence'' isn''t it a skill all adventurers should have at least?" "They were all in stealth, most likely Lv.2 stealth, and you sensed not only the direction but exact pinpoints. That''s pretty impressive for someone who isn''t even a D Ranked Adventurer yet." she says while putting pressure on me. "Yeah, Finn said I should put skill points into it so I can raise my chances of survival on missions like this." I say some random excuse. Heading near the first tree that has a lookout in it. It seems they haven''t noticed me but I don''t know how long that will last. ''Appraisal'' Name: Appa Race: Human Age: 24 Titles: Theives Guild Member, Rapist, Lazy, Coward, Weakling Class: Archer Level: 11 Strength: 12 Agility: 17 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 6 Perception: 7 Regeneration: 10 Luck: 3 Skills: Stealth(Lv.2), Poison Resistance(Lv.Max), Archery Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.2), Dungeon Adaptability(Lv.Max), Evade(Lv.4), Trap Detection(Lv.1), Create Water(Lv.Max) ''Holy hell his titles are basically roasting him. He has stealth and I still don''t so let me take that friend you won''t be needing that after I''m done here. Don''t display the status unless I say so.'' ''Skill Steal "Stealth"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done.] [Skill "Stealth has been added to your status please check your status to see results.] "Body Strengthening Magic" With body strengthening''s current effects I can only increase my stats by 10% but having more stats is always better. "Time Stop" After stopping time I grab Lostvayne from my inventory and run my hand over the side of the blade. "Sacred Treasure Release." While time stop is active I release multiple clones of myself and have them all run up behind the 6 lookouts that just noticed my presence but can''t do anything due to being frozen in time. Stabbing all of the lookouts time stop deactivates and the sound of notifications from the system ring in my ear as all of the lookouts fall out of the trees near the same time. [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [Congratulations you have reached level 23.] Feeling strength course through my body due to the level up increase my stats I grip Lostvayne''s handle tightly. "Let the Raid Begin." Chapter 20锛歊aid Finished As I finished off the scouts the others have just begun their attack on the thieves base. The smoke at the cave entrance started to envelop the cave so the thieves should be running out now. ''Stealth'' Activating stealth I run towards one side of the cave''s entrance. The skill stealth gives me a weird feeling, almost as if I can''t even feel myself. The surroundings have gotten a little dark but I can still feel everything. I should stay in stealth as much as I can. Following the sounds of fighting, I walk out of the bushes to see a full on fight with my team of adventurers and the thieves. The thieves don''t seem to be strong since there is already a trail of them all over. Releasing stealth I approach Edward. "Yo. Seems I wasn''t needed then, is that all of them?" I say asking him while looking around the area. "I don''t know what to say, it was so easy it was like they never even fought anyone before." Edwards says with a confused gaze as he looks into the smoke-filled cave. As we talk a surge of overwhelming killing intent floods the area as the sound of branches cracking behind us. "What did you do to my men!?" a deep voice fills our ears as we all shivers down our spines. ''Appraisal'' Name: Dez Race: Human Age: 32 Titles: Thief Boss, Dagger Prodigy, Pervert Class: Thief Level: 41** Strength: 63 Agility: 71 Endurance: 54 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 9 Perception: 69 Regeneration: 15 Luck: 10 Skills: Dual Dagger Mastery(Master)(Lv.1), Presence Detection(Lv.3), Trap Detection(Lv.3), Stealth(Lv.3), Mana Reinforcement(Lv.2), Poison Resistance(Lv.2), Steal(Lv.4) ''His titles seem pretty lame. How does one even get the pervert title.'' [You have to be a massive pervert, like masochists, heavy sadists, maybe exhibitionists.] ''Damn, so he is one of those huh. I don''t think I can see him the same.'' I think while looking at him with a disgusted face. "He is gonna be a problem so I need some help." Edward says as he swings his sword causing the blood that was on it to fly off onto the floor. Edward rushes the thief boss as he swings his sword towards the dagger that was coming his way. Blocking one dagger sparks fly into the air as a second dagger flies past the sword and into Edwards arm as he moved it to block the incoming dagger. Seeing as he has taken damage he backs off to ready himself again. "I''ll help, everyone else clean up the mess." I say seeing that he needs some help and wont be able to do this himself. Readying Lostvayne I run my hand over it as to release the built up power deep within the sword.. ''Sacred Treasure Release!'' ''Time Stop'' All sounds come to a stop, the smell of blood that was radiating from all around me clears as if it wasn''t even there, and the blood that was running out of the wound on Edwards arm freezes in place. Activating time stop with the physical clones I send them to close in on him from all directions as I run to attack him from behind. As I reach the thief boss Dez, I swing my sword at his throat as I have all the clones attack vital points, tendons in the back of the legs, kidneys in the stomach, and the nape of the neck. Feeling the sword slip through all targeted areas I have all clones come back before time starts again. [Time Stop has deactivated.] As time starts flowing again all clones merge with me and the thief boss falls down the same time that blood bursts out of his wounds. As Edward looks at me in surprise I walk up to the Thief Boss since I didn''t get a system notification it means he is still alive. As I approach him I hear him muttering but it''s in an unrecognizable language and he brings out a dark purple orb. "Since you destroyed what I''ve spent years on making then I will destroy you." he says as he crushes the orb in his hands. Upon crushing the orb it releases a dark purple smoke that covers his entire body. Receiving a warning sign from the skill fighting instincts I jump back to safety to the best of my ability. Looking as to where I just was there is an oversized black fist. It seems that he was an idiot an took some type of berserk medicine. ''Appraisal'' Name: '','','','','','','', Race: '','','','','','','', Age: '','','','','','','', Titles: '','','','','','','', Class: '','','','','','','', Level: '','','','','','','', Strength: 103 Agility: 124 Endurance: 101 Intelligence: 2 Wisdom: 3 Charisma: 9 Perception: 19 Regeneration: 75 Luck: 10 Skills: Dual Dagger Mastery(Master)(Lv.1), Presence Detection(Lv.3), Trap Detection(Lv.3), Stealth(Lv.3), Mana Reinforcement(Lv.2), Poison Resistance(Lv.2), Steal(Lv.4) Looking at his status his name, race, titles, and levels are now all unreadable. Some of his stats increased to at least 100, his agility has reached 124 holy shit man. ''Physical Hunt'' ''If I didn''t have physical hunt this would have been a nightmare for everyone.'' as I feel a rush of strength from all my stats rising due to stealing all physical stats of everything near me. At the same time everyone around me falls to the ground without the strength to stand but still look up to spectate the fight. The monster that used to be human falls to the ground struggling to get up and fight back. Swinging my sword I cut off it''s arms as blood splatters onto me and the arms fall to the floor. Even though the arms are both cut off it is trying to reconnect itself at a terrifying rate. As I swing to cut off it''s legs so it can''t rush me it''s arms are already reconnected. Feeling that it''s arms regenerated the monster tried to stand up only to see its legs disconnected as it falls back onto the floor. ''Ugh. High regeneration enemies are really annoying. System use salamanders ash on lostvayne.'' [Salamander''s ash has been applied to the sword ''Lostvayne''] Upon applying salamander''s ash to lostvayne I swing towardsthe monsters head and cleave it cleanly in half. [You have killed a "Human(Demonized)"... Received 10000 Experience] [Congratulations you have reached level 27.] [10 Normal Tickets have been found] [Warning! The Special Gacha Banner ''The Seven Deadly Sins'' has 1 hour before it expires.] Chapter 21锛歋tatus Upgrade ''So the special gacha expires randomly?'' I ask the system while feeling the strength from physical hunt seeth out of my body. As I''m talking with the system the skill physical hunt ends and a wave of exhaustion flows over me as my knees buckle and I fall down face first onto the floor due to the skills recoil of taking in stats my body couldn''t handle. As I''m falling I feel what seems to be a hand grab onto me before I hit the floor. A haughty voice speaks to me rushing to confirm if I am alright or not but it seems I can''t move my mouth to reply. A wave of drowsiness crashes into me but I try to hold on as best as I can. After an unknown amount of time passed I can hear again, and my vision starts to get better. "He seems to be coming to. Hey can you hear me." the voice from earlier says as I feel a light slap on my face. As I regain the ability to talk I reply, "Yeah I can hear you, Edward." I say as I rub my eyes while trying to get up. "How are you feeling?" Silvia says as she reaches out her hand to help me up. "I''ve had better days." I reply as I get up and look around. Seeing my confused face as I look around us Silvia explains. "You''ve been out for about an hour now, we moved out of the area and we moved you as we headed towards a safe place to camp." "Is that so. Thank you for bringing me here. The skill I used had a huge rebound, I don''t think I should use it that often." it seems that it was on their minds but for some reason, they didn''t ask. It won''t really affect me if they know about physical hunt since it isn''t permanent. "Is it fine to tell us that, before you used it you seemed to be hesitant about it." Edward says. "It''s fine, it isn''t a secret. It isn''t that important to me anyways." I say trying to pass it off as not important. "Alright then, rest up until we get ready to head back." Silvia says as she heads to the nearest tent to clean up. Upon seeing Silvia start to clean up Edward starts to talk. "Are you sure your alright? You seemed exhausted earlier." Edward says. I don''t know about you guys but he seems less haughty to me. It''s still there but it seems less. ''System, can you read me the rewards again.'' [10 Normal Tickets have been found] [A Special Ticket has been found] [Warning! The Special Gacha Banner ''The Seven Deadly Sins'' has 2 minutes before it expires.] ''Alright, use all tickets.'' [Processing..... Displaying Contents] 1 Quest Card, 100 System Points] [2x Special Gacha Results: Combo Star(Derieri)] ''Appraisal'' Skill: Combo Star Description: A power that stacks an additional force of 200 pounds to chained attacks. Receiving an attack will reset the counter. ''Let''s go I loved that magic ability. and the normal pull can have all stat points?'' [Yes, it is all up to luck and seeing as you have 100 luck it was just a matter of time.] ''Alright, is there anything else I should know about the luck attribute?'' [The luck attribute has no set way of working, the only thing I can tell you for sure is that at your level of luck it gives you what you need.] ''Nice, I should check my status then.'' ''Appraisal'' Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer III, King Class Killer II, Demon Killer Class: Cheater Level: 27* Strength: 62 Agility: 60 Endurance: 62 Intelligence: 60 Wisdom: 60 Charisma: 60 Perception: 60 Regeneration: 60 Luck: 100 Magic Types: Fire, Water Skills: Counter Vanish(Lv.Max), Hunter Fest(Lv.Max), Vain(Arden)(Passive), Combo Star(Derieri), Appraisal**, All Status Ailments Resistance(Lv.Max), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.1), Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.2), Presence Detection(Lv.4), Auto-Dismantle(Lv.Max), Mana Manipulation(Lv.3), Dungeon Adaptability(Lv.Max), Improved Thinking(Lv.Max), Enhanced Strength(Low), Enhanced Agility(Low), Enhanced Recovery(Low), Enhanced Intellect(Low), Evade(Lv.4), Body Reinforcement Magic(Lv.1), Trap Detection(Lv.4), Stealth(Lv.2) Fighting Instinct(Lv.Max), Create Fire(Lv.Max), Create Water(Lv.Max) Cheat Skills: x2 Stat Point Gain, Skill Steal(Limited)*, Time Stop(3 seconds), Class Specializations: x2 Skill Point Gain, All Weapon Mastery ''System, don''t the stats I gain multiply by 2?'' [Yes but that is only stats gained by leveling, the stats given by the system are all a forced upgrade.] ''Oh okay.'' I reply while wondering what I should use the Upgrade card I got earlier on. ''Alright, I''ve decided. Use the upgrade card on Counter Vanish.'' [Using Upgrade Card... Detected multiple upgrade available... please choose one of the upgrades] 1. [Make all mana within a 100-meter radius disperse upon use] 2. [Counter Vanish uses no mana] ''Hmm... I chose the first one.'' [Upgrading..... Finished. Counter Vanish has been upgraded. Counter Vanish has gained a new quality and can now disperse all mana within a 100-meter range.] [Warning! The Special Gacha Banner ''The Seven Deadly Sins'' has expired. A new special banner will be put up within 3 days.] ''Sad to see you gone, it was the best banner I have experienced so far. I hope I get another good anime next time. Let''s try out the new counter vanish upgrade.'' ''Counter Vanish'' Upon using counter vanish nothing felt different than normal, the mana used for the skill is still the same, it left my body at the same rate but this time it activated without the need for a target. After activating it I hear someone talk. "Why isn''t this working all of a sudden. It is supposed to use the mana in the area, it was working for a little and then shut off out of nowhere." the voice of Rose complains as I look over to see her messing with what looks to be a lighter. "Is that a lighter?" I ask trying to cover my guilt. "Yeah, I made it so I didn''t have to use my own mana in case of emergencies. Seeing as you know what it is I should assume you''re like me and Finn yes? Oh, it seems your recovered I''ll tell the others." Rose says explaining as she looks at me and sees I''m completely fine. She heads off towards Elaine and Silvia. Silvia and Elaine finish packing all of our tents and supplies as we head off back towards town. Chapter 22锛歁ysterious Gem As Silvia and Elaine finish packing all of our tents and supplies as we get back onto the road. "What happened to the body?" I ask looking around before we leave the area. "Ahh. You probably wouldn''t guess it but his body disintegrated as soon as it was touched. Edward tried to search him to see if he can get some other kind of evidence for our report but as soon as he grabbed the corpse it started releasing smoke. After it disintegrated a green gem was in its place as what was left. The gem itself was radiating light but when I grabbed it the radiating light stopped so I just put it in my bag for the report." Silvia says as she explains with a confused face as she pulls out the gem from her bag. "It looks nice. Do you mind if I hold it?" I ask wanting to inspect the gem. "Sure, just make sure to be careful with it and don''t drop it. The gem seems like it might hold something interesting." she says as she hands the gem over to me with a cloth under it. Upon grabbing the cloth that is holding the gem I pull it over to me and apply ''clean'' to myself before I touch it so I don''t get it dirty. ''Appraisal'' Item: Refined Demonic Crystal Description: A demonic crystal that will drop from demonic entities. Will only drop with a .000000000001% chance. Upon use, it will increase the demonic bloodline of the consumer by a random rate. Rumour has it that the past demon king collected these in his lifetime. After spending his life trying to thicken his demonic blood he managed to collect 2. After collecting them he used them immediately and was never heard from again. ''Whoa, System what will happen if I use this?'' [If you use this it will corrupt your bloodline and you will undergo a race mutation.] ''That sounds very painful.'' [Very. It''s like your entire body being rearranged while you''re awake.] ''Should I just leave this alone then?'' [I will purify it, so it will enhance your bloodline instead.] ''Please do.'' As I give the okay a white light radiates from the gem and it sinks into my body. [Celestial Crystal Absorbed] As the gem sinks into my body, a warm feeling spreads throughout my body as I feel some slight movement from my physique. My body becomes slightly more tone, my height increases slightly, my back is attacked with pain as it feels as if something is sprouting. [Processing... Adjusting physique...Done] As the notification goes off in my head the pain subsides and my mind becomes clear. Looking around everyone is looking at me with their hands on their weapons. "What? Is there something wrong with me? Why are you staring at me like that?" I say trying to respond to their terrified faces as they loosen up at my question. "There is nothing wrong, after you touched the gem it radiated a white light and it was absorbed into you, we thought you would end up like the other guy and become corrupted so we prepared for the worst." Silvia says as she returns her bow to her back and calms down. "Ah, that makes sense." I say looking around at everyone. They all had a hand on a weapon at least but when I look at Elaine and Rose their just staring at me. "Hey, is there something on my face?" I ask curiously. "Did you grow taller?" Rose says as she starts circling me and looking at me from top to bottom. "I don''t know, it felt like my body changed when I grabbed the gem. I wasn''t expecting the gem to do that. Should I have not touched it with my bare hands?" I say answering Roses'' question and then asking Silvia about the gem. "Haa... It just means more paperwork, you seem fine but get checked out at the guild hospital anyways. I''m sure your body changing will have some side effects." Silvia says as she puts her hand on her forehead and sighs. "I see the front gates. There seems to be something occurring at the gate, the guards look distraught by a group of people. " Elaine says from the front. "Alright let''s help out the guards, those people seem to be trying to cause a problem." Silvia says as she rushes over to help them. Rushing through the crowd of people who are crowding the troublemakers we reach the guards and Silvia start to talk. "Mark, are these guys causing any problems for you?" Silvia asks as she checks out the troublemakers. "They refuse to hand over any identification, refuse to go to the adventurer''s guild, and refuse to leave. Now they''re causing a scene because we won''t let them in." the guard says as he sighs while looking at the group. "I''ll try to help to the best of my abilities." Silvia says as she turns to the group. "Why are you here?" She asks. One of the men look at Silvia and starts to talk. "We come from the country ''Clearfield'' and wish to stock up on supplies here since we are nearly out." Says the burly man. "The guards gave you the conditions to be able to enter the city if you don''t wish to follow them please leave." Silvia says in a firm tone. "Ma''am we need to stock up on supplies or else we won''t make it to the next city. We don''t have identification and I don''t wish to sign up as an adventurer in another country. Is there another choice we can make." the burly man asks. "Bell come here." Silvia says as she looks towards me. "Is there a reason you called?" I ask. "What do you feel about these people?" She asks while keeping an eye on me. ''She must have called me because she noticed something.'' Looking at the burly men I decide to use appraisal on the one who talked to Silvia. ''Appraisal'' Name: Juan Escalera Race: Human Age: 32 Titles: Transmigrant, Corrupt Doctor, Murderer, Rapist, Theif, Plunderer Class: Magic Swordsman Level: 45** Strength: 61 Agility: 65 Endurance: 56 Intelligence: 42 Wisdom: 42 Charisma: 8 Perception: 20 Luck: 24 Magic Types: Lightning, Wind Skills: Appraisal, Mana Manipulation(Lv.4), Body Manipulation(Lv.2), Presence Detection(Lv.4), Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.1), Dungeon Adaptability(Lv.Max), Trap Detection(Lv.2), Stealth(Lv.3), Dagger Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.Max), Duel-Wielding Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max), Spear Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max), Enchanting Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max), Enhanced Body(Lv.Max), Wind Blade(Lv.2), Lightning Blade(Lv.2), Sheild Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max), Air-Walk(Lv.1) Cheat Skills: Avarice ''What he has a cheat skill? Why does he have so many weapon-related skills?'' Chapter 23锛欸reed that Taints the Soul ''Appraisal'' Cheat Skill: Avarice Description: Steal anything within sight. Side Effects: Extreme greed for wealth or material gain. Corrupts soul if the skill isn''t satisfied. ''What, his appraisal lets him see skills so that might be the reason he has so many weapon skills. He probably wants to steal more skills which is fine since I have the same type of skill I can''t really say anything about it but just based on his titles this guy probably hasn''t stopped at monsters or evil people. His name and his cheat skill are both blood red, System is there a reason his skill is in red?'' [The skill is in dark red due to the side effect it gives on the human soul, his soul is most likely already corrupted due to his titles. He seems very dangerous to have around, dispose of him and take his cheat skill, I''ll convert it into an upgrade card.] [Warning! Quest Card has been activated.] [Quest: Plunder the Plunderer] [Quest info: The Plunderer wishes to take over the city while stealing everything in sight. Steal the Plunderer''s Cheat Skill before he has the chance to go through with it.] [Quest Rewards: 1 Upgrade Card, 100 System Points] ''That''s a pretty easy quest, does the system make him out to be a threat?'' I say feeling suspicious of the system. As I read the quest details again I feel someone looking at me so I look around and notice one of the henchmen in the back starting at me. As the henchmen and I make eye contact I get a notification from the system that brings me out of my staring contest. [Warning! A Skill has been stolen near you. Please proceed with caution so you won''t be targeted next.] ''So he stole a skill from someone huh, fucking bastard. What if I get accused of your thieving because the guild master knows about my skill. If that were to happen I would have to leave this town like a criminal. System, is there any way to have the skill go back to its original owner?'' [Yes, kill the person who has stolen the skill. Doing this will make all of the skills go back to their original owner, if the owner of the skill is already dead then the skills will go somewhere else.] ''Alright, then thanks. I wonder what skills he stole.'' ''Appraisal'' Name: Juan Escalera Race: Human Age: 32 Titles: Transmigrant, Corrupt Doctor, Murderer, Rapist, Theif, Plunderer Class: Magic Swordsman Level: 45** Strength: 61 Agility: 65 Endurance: 56 Intelligence: 42 Wisdom: 42 Charisma: 8 Perception: 20 Regeneration: 10 Luck: 24 Magic Types: Lightning, Wind, Fire Skills: Appraisal, Mana Manipulation(Lv.4), Body Manipulation(Lv.2), Presence Detection(Lv.4), Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.2), Dungeon Adaptability(Lv.Max), Trap Detection(Lv.3), Stealth(Lv.4), Dagger Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.Max), Duel-Wielding Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max), Spear Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max), Enchanting Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max), Enhanced Body(Lv.Max), Wind Blade(Lv.2), Lightning Blade(Lv.2), Sheild Mastery(Beginner)(Lv.Max), Air-Walk(Lv.1), Fire Blade(Lv.1), Fire Ball(Lv.1), Magic Eyes(Lv.Max), Alchemy Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.1), Charm(Lv.2) Cheat Skills: Avarice ''What the fuck man, he stole like 4 skills and upgraded a couple in just a minute. Why doesn''t he have a limit huh, he is obviously using his skill to satisfy himself but here I am with a limit of one per person. If he had this type of skill steal why does he have so little skills then? Did he get the skill steal recently or something?'' as I''m complaining about the unfairness of the situation I start my quest. ''Skill Steal "Avarice"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done.] [Skill "Avarice" has been collected by the system.] [Quest "Plunder the Plunderer" has been completed] [Rewards received, 1 Upgrade Card, 100 System Points] As I steal his skill I feel a rush of intense greed for anything and everything but after a few seconds, I feel a cleansing feeling wash over me as the system took the skill. Looking at Juan he seems frustrated and angry that he can''t activate his skill. Luckily he didn''t think anyone else would have a cheat skill of the same type. As his eyes start showing annoyance he finishes talking to Silvia and it has come to the conclusion that they had to stay near the guards that will escort them while they stock up on supplies. ''Well, that was easy. I don''t really feel like I accomplished anything but I got an upgrade card out of it so why not.'' as I am deciding how I''m going to deal with this bastard I say looking at the plunderer Juan who was being led into the city gates by some guards who were off duty. [Warning! A continuation fo your quest has been found. Do you wish to continue?] As I''m contemplating about what I should do I get a notification from the system so I read the details. ''Yeah sure'' [Confirming continuation of the plunderer quest line... Done] [Quest: Defeat the Plunderer] [Quest info: The Plunderer has been stripped of his ways but the side effects on his soul are still remnant defeat the plunderer and help the stolen skills return to their rightful owners.] [Quest Rewards: 1 Random Skill Ticket, 1000 Experience] "Bell, we''re going to the adventurer guild so with the guards to report the situation. Follow me so we can keep an eye on those guys, they seemed very suspicious and I have a gut feeling that they might be trying to do something and when I called you over when you looked him in the eyes you were repulsed by him immediately." Silvia says as she directs all of us towards the guild so we can report our rank up test as completed. "Did we pass our rank up test?" I ask Silvia trying to pass on explaining my skills any more than I have to. "Yes, all of you passed, for what happened after that though we''ll have to make a separate report to the guild master." she said as she sighs just thinking about all the extra paperwork. ''Alright then let''s find a way to kill him either quietly or make him look like a thief.'' I say as I follow Silvia and the others to the guild while keeping track of the area the guards took Juan earlier. Chapter 24锛歊eport to the Guild Master As we walk into the guild the noise we could hear from outside becomes, even louder as the door opens. The adventurers laughing while drinking ale. I guess that''s just how people who are free from any responsibilities act. Looking through all of the adventurer''s tables as we walk towards the counter I noticed that there are a lot of people who have a medium kind of level, the average seems to be around 50, but the one weird thing is a table in the corner that has been giving me a weird look as if they are scanning me. After appraising them they are a pretty high level for the area we are in, the lowest of the group is 63 and the highest is 72. Probably a party, I wonder what they hunt, there aren''t any high leveled monsters around here that I''m aware of. As I look over the adventurer party Silvia turns back around after speaking to the receptionist. "I reported your completion of the quest to the receptionists for now. I got the okay to head up to the guild master''s room so follow me." she says as she leads up up the stairs. Heading up the stairs I feel anxious. Every time I meet this guild master of ours I get a bad feeling as if he is looking at me as his prey. I think I want to head towards the capital, I heard some rumors that a new dungeon appeared near the capital so it is kind of enticing me. Looking at the door of the guild master''s room I get an intense rush of anxiety and Silvia knocks on the door. "Sir, it''s Silvia. I brought the adventurers from the rank up test, we ran into something unexpected so we''re here to report what happened." Silvia says in the most respectful voice she can make. It seems to me that she doesn''t like him that much. "Come in." says the guild master''s voice. As the door opens the guild master comes into our view. He changed since we last meet a couple of days ago. Now that I see him, he is giving me an even more intense anxious feeling. What is it that is making me feel like this? ''Appraisal'' Name: Zachary Rode Titles: GuildMaster, Former S-Rank Adventurer, Dungeon Conqueror IX, King Class Monster Slayer IX, Demon''s Nightmare, Sword Genius, Breaking Through Human Limits, Reincarnate Race: Human Age: 150 Class: Sword Saint********* Level: 199 Strength: 210 Agility: 210 Endurance: 210 Intelligence: 110 Wisdom: 110 Skills: Sword Mastery(Grandmaster)(Lv.2), Heal(Lv.Max), Greater Heal(Lv.Max), High Heal(Lv.Max), Cure(Lv.Max), Purification(Lv.Max), Chantless Magic(Lv.Max), Appraisal*, Body Strengthening Magic(Lv.Max), Poison Resistance(Lv.Max), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.Max), Presence Detection(Lv.Max), Mana Manipulation(Lv.8) ''His stats increased some without leveling huh.'' As I look at his status he stars to talk. "Take a seat, don''t mind the papers I just got back this morning from my training. As you can see I got some unexpected results." He says as he looks at me with a smile. ''I really don''t like him.'' I say in my head as I give him a guilty smile. "We''ve come to report an unexpected result in the rank up quest." Silvia says. "Ohh, I''ll take a verbal report from all of you. So, what happened." He says as he looks at me as if he expected this whole situation. "The regular exam when well and they all passed. The problem was after the Thief Boss was defeated he used an orb with the same color as the night sky. Upon the orb absorbing into his body he mutated into something else entirely. His body took the same color as the orb and enlarged. His battle prowess increased and we couldn''t handle him at all. I could barely keep up with him but I would only be able to hold him off if we wanted to escape. The accounts are all the same for all of us except Bell and Edward." Silvia says giving the report she thought of while we were walking here. "I see, I understand the situation. You can all leave then, I will have one of the receptionists write up the written report for the files. Bell, Silvia, and Edward please stay behind." He says as he let the other leave. As the others are leaving I make eye contact with Rose and try to telepathically tell her to help me, but upon seeing my concentrated gaze she just smiled sweetly and left swiftly as I succumb to the impending sense of doom my anxiety is giving me. After the door shuts Edward, Silvia, and I are still sitting in the chairs and the guild master finishes the paperwork in front of him. "Well after he was defeated he took out a dark orb and it was absorbed into his body. Upon absorbing it his body changed into a darker and stronger version. None of us could handle him until Bell here saved us with a skill that borrows strength, with that he had an easy time playing around with that thing since it couldn''t do anything to him. Bell defeated it and at the same time went unconscious after using the skill. When the thief boss''s body was touched it disintegrated and the only thing left was a gem with the same color as the orb." Edward says as he explains his view on what had happened. After the guild master listened thoroughly and had his statement written down he let Edward go and it was only me and Silvia in the room now. "Is it fine if she knows or is it a secret?" he asks in consideration of me wanting to keep my skills a secret. "She knows already, it isn''t that important to me either." I answer decisively. I told them so they would think that was my only unique skill though. "Alright then do you mind explaining why you became unconscious and how your skill works." he says while looking me in the eyes. "It was the rebound of the skill that made me go unconscious, if I take too much strength I obviously can''t handle then the rebound is equally as large. I can borrow strength from anything living." I answer while leaving out somethings. He takes my answer as he deemed it the truth and looks towards Silvia. "I have almost everything in order is there anything else you wish to report." he asks. "Yes, the gem was absorbed into Bells'' body upon contact with him, afterward his body grew more masculine, taller, and his presence changed from a naive rookie adventurer to the feeling of someone trained and noble." She answers like she was reading off of a script. "Alright, you can go then. Keep up the good work, the rookies will have their new ranks processed by tomorrow." he says seeing her unenthusiastic answer. As Silvia takes her to leave he turns to look at me. "What happened with the gem?" "It was apparently a demon race amplifier, it increased their racial percentage at random." I answer. He has a serious look on his face as he asks, "Are you a demon then?" "No, I purified it so the demonification was changed into just a racial increase." "And what makes you think you could do that without permission?" he says. "I am the only one able to use it due to my class if another person used it they would become a demon without a doubt." I answer trying to conceal my celestial lineage. "Alright then go ahead and take your leave. Work hard now that your a D Ranked Adventurer okay?" he answers as he takes another stack of papers off the desk and starts working on them. ''Should I try a restaurant or something? I haven''t really explored this city at all.'' As I take my leave I think about what to do for dinner and decide to go and shop around town for the first time. Chapter 25锛欶irst Meeting Memories "Really that kid can already resist my level aura suppression, even though the technique surpasses human limits. You really did chose someone worthy Alice." the guild master says as he leans back in his chair with a smile and recalls his adventuring days. "That day you came into our world, you acted normal, you fell in love with me, you even sang songs from earth for me on my birthday. But when they attacked you and sealed you, you told me not to worry, to forget everything, and to not get involved. How could you ask that of me?" he says as he falls into the endless embrace of a heartwarming memory. --------------------------------- Unknown Dungeon - December 31, 64 "Zach, are you done daydreaming?" the voice of a man in his late 30''s fills my ears. "Yeah yeah, Mark. I hear you." I say while getting up from the dark and dirty dungeon floor. Bodies of monsters all around us disappear as they enter the storage rings mark and I have. "Zach I''ve always wanted to ask, why do you stare at that ring of yours at almost every chance you get." Mark says in a questioning tone as he looks at the ring. "I''m pretty sure I''ve told you the story before, no matter how many times you ask the story is still going to be the same. One day when I was 5 it was just there on my finger and it wouldn''t come off. My parents didn''t find anything wrong with it so they decided to just not worry about it." I answer agitated as I look down at the ring again. Why can''t I read that last word, the more I try to read it the more it blurs. Item: Ring of the Fated One Rating: SSR Description: A ring that leads the one who''s fated with '','','','','','',. Effects: Gives the Class ''Sword Saint'', All Stats +10, Cannot Unequip, We continue onto the last floor of this unknown dungeon. It was found 3 days ago and our A rank party had to clear it first to determine the dungeon''s rank. "Even though these monsters are A-ranked monsters they all have lower stats, even the boss is an A rank monster but the stats are terrible." Mark says as he looks through the final room using his Appraisal. The skill is really rare so only Mark and I have it in the guild. We decided to form a party because we have this in common. "This entire floor just gives me a bad feeling altogether. Let''s get rid of this boss and go back to report." I said replying to mark while readying my sword. "Still, these monsters are supposed to have skills but so far none have had them. This is suspicious." Mark says as we rush to finish off the boss and all of its minions. After defeating the boss and its minions we put all of the monster corpses into the storage rings. While mark puts the monsters he killed in his ring I check my status. ''Appraisal'' Name: Zachary Rode Titles: A-Rank Adventurer, Dungeon Conqueror V, King Class Monster Slayer V, Demon Slaughterer, Sword Genius, Reincarnate Race: Human Age: 40 Class: Sword Saint*** Level: 121 Strength: 121 Agility: 121 Endurance: 121 Intelligence: 55 Wisdom: 55 Skills: Sword Mastery(Master)(Lv.Max), Heal(Lv.9), Greater Heal(Lv.5), High Heal(Lv.2), Cure(Lv.8), Purification(Lv.4), Chantless Magic(Lv.2), Appraisal*, Body Strengthening Magic(Lv.4), Poison Resistance(Lv.Max), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.7), Presence Detection(Lv.5), Mana Manipulation(Lv.3), Fighting Instinct(Lv.Max) As the Boss'' body disappears into the storage ring the entire dungeon starts shaking violently. "Hey is there an earthquake or something?" Mark asks as he covers his head from the rubble falling from the roof of the dungeon. "It''s fine, this happens whenever the dungeon is cleared for the first time." I answer since I had experienced this before. After the shaking stops mark looks around the boss room and points towards a hole. "Has that hole always been there?" he asks. "Not that I''ve seen. Maybe it''s one of those secret rooms we''ve been hearing about. I hear the monsters in there give rare drops and a treasure chest at the end of the room that may contain a rare potion that increases all stat points by 3." I answer as I tell him about the rumors I heard throughout the guild. "Then let''s head in, same rules as usual. Whoever gets the drop will keep it." Mark says as we head towards the hole in the boos room wall. Walking through the hole in the wall we reach a room that is completely dark. The light from the boss room only reaches the entrance. ''Light'' Upon using the lifestyle spell light, the previously dark room becomes illuminated and a giant magic circle covers the floor. In the middle of the magic circle is a woman laying on the floor naked. Looking closer the woman is remarkably beautiful, her hair is golden brown, her body line is curvy which raises the question of why is she naked? Upon walking closer to the woman the magic circle lights up the room while it activates with the white light engulfing everything in sight. After some time the light dies down and the woman is already standing. "How long are you going to stare at me?" a feminine voice rings in my head as I notice I have been staring at her the entire time. "Why are you here?" I ask, blushing slightly from being called out. As she looks at me with a deadpan face the light from my lifestyle magic flickers and the ring on my finger shines in the light. "You... that ring, where did you get it?" She asks in a commanding tone. ''What is this, her demeanor changed when she discovered the ring.'' I think to myself as I answer. "When I was around 5 years old one day it just showed up." For some reason, I felt like telling her everything. As she hears my story she continues to stare at the ring. "Should we head back to the town? Our guild master will probably want to speak with you and get a report written down." I ask as I hand her some extra clothes I had on me, they may be men''s clothes but they were larger than her so they should do for now. "Sure. My name is Alice." she answers sweetly as she follows Mark and I out of the dungeon. Chapter 26锛欴isturbance of the Past The Iron Tavern - December 31, 69 "CHEERS!!" all voices around say together as we drink a mug of ale. "Captain make a speech." says on adventurer slightly drunk off of the atmosphere. "I... I don''t know. I didn''t expect to be able to advance to an S-Ranked adventurer." I say stumbling from the sheer shock of being able to advance. "You beat a dragon with 2 people and didn''t expect to make it to S rank, did you not know that it was an S+ rated monster." another adventurer says while filling up his mug with another ale. "Haha..." I say nervously. ''It was all due to Alice, our Priest. I can''t thank you enough.'' I think as I look at her having fun. As she catches my gaze she goads me into a speech. "SPEECH!" "SPEECH!" "SPEECH!" As the loud roars of adventurers fill my ears I eventually give in. "Alright. Alright. You want a speech here''s one." I say raising my ale high. "I started off thinking a job as an adventurer was my last resort, I had no talents other than the sword. Hard work has determined that the sword I have has reached even a dragon. Work hard and you will be rewarded!" I shout over all of the adventurers as they fill up on ale and snacks Upon hearing my speech they all shout drunkenly while raising their mugs for more ale. "A corny but good speech." Mark says as he raises his mug. "Thanks." I answer. "So how long have you and Alice been a thing?" Mark asks while drinking ale. "About 3 or 4 months now, sorry about that I know you had an interest in her as well." I answer feeling guilty. "It''s fine, ever since we helped her out of the dungeon she''s been clinging to you and when others show interest she isn''t interested in getting close to them." he answers while looking down contemplating. "I hear you found someone now. How is it?" I ask trying to change the topic. "It''s been good, a child is expected in February, around the 20th." he answers slightly drunk. "That''s good news. How about your wife? Is she alright?" Alice says jumping in our conversation. "Yeah, the doctors say they haven''t seen someone in such good condition during a birth." he answers slowly. "Well Zach and I have to go, we have to wake up early tomorrow." Alice says trying to leave. "Alright see you later. Get home safe you hear?" Mark says as he gets ready to leave himself. As we reach the Tavern entrance I look back but it is just all the adventurers from the guild, they didn''t even notice my leave. Looks like they really are just looking for reasons to drink. As we head down the alley under the dark sky Alice speaks up. "Sorry, I have somewhere I would like to go." Alice says as she waves her hand beckoning me to follow. As we head out of the town and into the forest all low leveled monsters avoid us as we have an intimidating presence. After walking without talking for some time we reach a hill which looks over the town. "I found this place last week and I have been waiting to show you." she says as we look over the bright town. The view is breathtaking, the birds chirping as they fly by, the sound of the town quietly in the distance, the technology given to us by the hero long ago has been advanced working fluidly. "This view is beautiful, thank you for sharing it with me." I thank her for showing me something so beautiful, it fills my heart with happiness. "I wanted to say goodbye. I can''t stay here for too long or else I would be found. I''m sorry but we can''t go together." as I''m feeling the bliss of the situation she drops a bomb on me. "W-What, your leaving? Why? Why can''t I go with you?" I say stumbling due to how fast it was said. "It isn''t a place that humans can go." a voice from behind me answers as I fling around to see the voice. Turning around there are 12 people flying mid-air, all of them have aura''s that make the dragon we fought look like a plaything. Suffocating from the massive amount aura I try to speak but cannot. ''Monsters'' "We finally found you, bitch. Hiding in the human realm so we couldn''t have any chance huh. We had to make avatars just to abide by the Plane''s Laws." one of the voices said as he reaches out towards Alice. "I''ve been hiding because I didn''t want to be found. Isn''t that just common sense?" she says backing up not affected by the aura at all. "If you run, this human dies." as the same voice from earlier says that the aura from earlier changes into killing intent and smothers me even more, I can barely stand in place. As Alice looks at me in the current situation she unwillingly sighs and casts magic. "Teleport" "NO!" I yell running out of the house while grabbing the elven sword I keep under my bed. Running out of breath as I jump over the lively city I reach the entrance of the forest and try to follow the exact route I took last time. As I get closer to the hill the aura starts smothering me the same as last time. The sounds of screams echo throughout the forest as I rush through it. Hearing the screams I activate all my skills and having mana cover me entirely as to resist the aura as I rush to the other side of the hill only to see Alice covered with chains flying into a crack in the sky with the 12 people. ---------------------------- As he stares into space and daydreams about his past he murmurs, "I pray... somehow... that one day... you will be relieved of all your suffering." he says as catches a stray tear slowly trickling down his cheek. Chapter 27锛欼nvitation to Dinner ''Should I try a restaurant or something? I haven''t really explored this city at all.'' I start to think about what to do for dinner while going down the hall and decide to go and shop around town for the first time. ''I really haven''t been anywhere except the adventurer''s guild, and the Inn I stay at.'' I say thinking back on all I have done so far. Reaching the stairs I see Silvia, Edward, Rose, and Elaine together at a nearby table. Upon seeing me walk near the table they call me over and I grab a nearby chair. "Congratulations on reaching D-Rank, you can now be considered an adventurer." Silvia says. "Thanks, congratulations to all of you as well." I say to all the others who have passed with me. Looking at everyone one here I notice that some people are missing so I ask. "Where are the three others who look like thugs?" "They said they had to go back to training so they went ahead and left." Rose says as she left the guild masters office with them. ''I see, they didn''t talk much so I just thought the author didn''t like them. Seems like my suspicion was correct.'' "That''s fine, they seemed like they didn''t want to be bothered anyway." I answer thinking that we are missing one more person. ... Ah! "Where did Marvin go, I didn''t see him ion the guild master''s office or on the way back either." I ask. "Oh, you probably don''t know because you''re new around here but he is the Lord''s son so he can act however he wants as long as it isn''t too out of hand." Edward answers while drinking some water. "That''s kinda unfair treatment isn''t it." I say. ''I want to be like that. How can I be a cheater and not get those benefits as well.'' "Well it''s fine with him, he never abuses it. The worst thing I''ve heard rumors about him doing is giving a Weapon and Armor shop a hard time, even to the point of stopping people from entering to buy anything, later on, they were found to be colluding against the lord with another noble so I would say that he is using it responsibly." Elaine says as she stands up. "Wait, weren''t you going to invite him." Rose says from behind Elaine''s back. "Invite who?" I ask. Hearing Rose''s taunts Elaine tries to shy away but Rose stops her and gives her a push. "You were the one who wanted to ask him, so say it." Rose says encouraging her friend. Elaine looks at Rose and then me with a red face and asks, "Would you like to join us for dinner tonight? We have a reservation for 6 people at ''The Melting Pot'', it''s a famous restaurant in town and the food is to die for, even nobles who are traveling make reservations weeks ahead so they can eat there. I heard it was based on the food ideas the hero brought with him from the other world." She says while looking me in the eyes with a burning passion. "Sure, I have no plans for dinner anyway." I say trying to ease the awkwardness. As we all sit down and talk some more there is a commotion at the front entrance of the guild and people are gathering so we get up and head towards the crowd. In the middle of the crowd is a man with extravagant armor with an insignia painted on, getting off his horse. "I need to speak with your guild master, my liege would like to set a meeting." He demands towards the receptionists who have come over. ''Wow this guy is keeping his distance from the adventurers, he acts like a douche.'' ''Appraisal'' Name: Sebastian Race: Human Age: 42 Titles: Devoted, Focused Maniac, 2nd Class Holder Class: Swordsman, Knight Level: 51 Strength: 72 Agility: 63 Endurance: 72 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 12 Charisma: 15 Perception: 28 Regeneration: 13 Luck: 11 Magic Types: None Skills: Sword Mastery(Proficient)(Lv.Max), Body Enhancement(Lv.2), Dedication(Lv.Max) Presence Detection(Lv.3), Etiquette(Lv.4), Negotiation(Lv.5), Focus(Lv.Max) While I finished reading his status the guild master comes out and waves to the knight so they can speak in private. ''System can you listen in on their conversation?'' [That isn''t a system function, but you can purchase a skill from the system shop which will enhance your current hearing.] ''Open the shop and select the skill then.'' [System Shop: [Armor] [Weapons] [Skills]<--- [Magic] [Cheats] [Skill Shop] [Accuracy] [Leap] [Listen]<--- [Search] [Singing] [Translating] [Writing] ... Skill: Listen Description: Enhances hearing Cost: 50 System Points ''Purchase the skill "Listen" and put 26 skill points into it'' [Purchasing... Adding skill to status... Done] [Adding 26 Skill points to Listen... Done.] [You currently have 250 skill points remaining.] Upon buying the skill it seems it was passive as it automatically let me hear father and clearer than before but I can barely hear the guild master and the knight talking. After the skill points were put into the skill "Listen" the conversation went from mumbling to a whisper. Listening in on them the conversation takes a terrible turn. "You know I can''t keep them away, all I can do is to relay your message and hope they don''t go there." the guild master says troubled. It seems like nobles have some kind of benefits in this world. I just hope this noble isn''t a Dick and tries to cause a scene. After the knight finishes giving his warning the guild master escorts him out and then shuts the door on his way back in. "That knight was Sir Bensworth''s knight he says to stay away from "The Melting Pot" for tonight. You all know how Nobles deal with problems so just stay away from him." the guild master says as he looks around scanning the crowd and then stops on me and my group. "Follow me." he says as he heads into the back room. As we all follow him into the back room he locks the door behind us and looks at me with a super serious face. "I heard you guys have a reservation at The Melting Pot." he says. "Fucking elephant ears." I say under my breath cursing his big ass ears. Chapter 28锛欼 Activate my Treasure Card! "I heard you guys have a reservation at The Melting Pot." he says. "Fucking elephant ears." I say under my breath cursing his big ass ears. "I heard that." he says looking at me disappointed. "Good for you." I respond not caring about his feeling. "Anyways, I need you to cancel that reservation." he says looking over all of us. "No way, we waited months to get the reservation and we only got it due to Silvia being a B-ranked adventurer. I''m not letting a noble stop us from having a fun time." Elaine says. The guild master looks at all of us who are all showing discontent and sighs. "Fine. If anything happens because of you then you have to solve your own problems. Don''t come crying to me about being executed by a noble." he says looking at us as everyone cheers. He looks towards me and speaks. "The Melting Pot has a dress code, do you need to borrow clothes Bell?" he says knowing my situation. "I don''t know. I''ll come by later if I need to borrow clothes." I answer trying to hurry up and leave. I can just ask the system if I need any fancy clothes. We all head our separate ways and decide to meet back here at 7 PM. Since its only 4, I decide to head back to my room and check out my status and any special cards I have as well. ''System list all special cards I have.'' [Special Cards: [Monster Card FireFox(Variant) x1] [Upgrade Card x1] [Healing Card x1] [Treasure Card x1] [Bloodline Thickening Card x1] ''... I forgot about the upgrade card. System, use the upgrade card on... Maybe I should save it? I don''t really need anything else and the Skill Steal seems hopeless at this point. I probably have a better chance of just pulling for a skill steal without limits than to continue using upgrade cards without any guarantee.'' ''System use the treasure card.'' [Activating Treasure Card... Spinning Treasure Wheel... Done] Upon having the card activate a wheel materializes above my head, pictures of weapons rotate in the wheel before eventually landing on twin curved daggers fall on the arrow. After selecting the weapon type a second wheel showed up showing all rarities from N to SSR. ''This is where my 100 Luck will show its worth.'' I say as the wheel above me rolls at a high speed. As it spins rapidly I can barely see SSR pass by twice and as it slows the arrow falls on SR. "Fuck me, man. What is Luck 100 when the system still fucks me over. System Display the weapon status." I say venting my frustration. Item: Shadow Daggers(Sealed) Rating: SR(+) Description: Daggers used by a Man known as "The Shadowless Reaper". He would kill his targets without fail. There are eyewitness accounts of him having no shadow but when they tried to remember what he looked like their memory was blurry. Upon equipping the Shadow Daggers: Stealth +1 Level Shadow Steps +1 Level Unsealing Conditions(1/3): 0/2 SR Ranked Weapons, 0/25 Shadows ''I don''t really understand the shadows part.'' ''Appraisal'' [Collect 25 Shadows of the same rank as you.] ''So are they just shadow monsters or the monster shadows?'' [Any type of shadow will be excepted as long as it meets the requirements.] ''Oh okay, that makes sense then. Oh yeah, what happened to the Avarice guy?'' [He is still in the city, your mission is still active so you might want to complete it.] "Oh fuck my mission." I say getting up and heading out the door. ''System do you know where he is?'' [No the system doesn''t have that type of function yet. I recommend you ask the Guard Captain.] ''Alright then let''s head to the gate.'' Walking out of the Inn I bumped into someone and he fell down. Looking closer it is the guard who took Juan the Avarice guy earlier. Putting my hand out to help him up I ask him, "You alright?" "Yeah, I''m trained so it doesn''t hurt, but if newbie adventurers have this type of strength maybe I should change carriers then." he jokes as he grabs my hand and gets up. "Perfect timing I need to find those troublemakers from earlier." I decided to ask him instead of the guard captain since he escorted them around town he should know where they are. "Do you have business with them?" he asks curiously. "I find them very suspicious so I wanted to check up on them." I answer. Upon hearing my concerns he becomes serious and then talks in a low voice. "Follow Me." he says as he leads me out of the Inn and towards the gate. As I follow him out the gate he leads me into the forest and whispers. ''System is there any way to get through the barrier without them noticing?'' [Yes, the system will offer to take the barrier down and then put it back up once you go in for 100 system points.] ''How many system points do I have?'' [Currently, you have 300 system points.] ''Alright go ahead.'' [Processing... Done] As the system gave the notification that it was done the barrier flickered on and off. ''I guess I can just use time stop.'' "Equip Shadow Daggers" [The weapon you have equipped has special properties. Stealth has gained an additional level Stealth(Lv.2) ---> Stealth(Lv.3). The Skill Shadow Steps(Lv.1) is available while you have this equipped. These benefits will disappear when you unequip the Shadow Daggers.] "Time Stop" As the world around me stops and before the gate guard can even notice I walk through the barrier with the curved daggers emitting black smoke as I activate stealth and time resumes. Chapter 29锛歋ilent Assassination "Boss, are you sure you want to attack this town? Those guards look very strong." one of my underlings say as he performs maintenance on his weapon. "Yeah, those adventurers all had remarkable skill levels, especially that silver-haired boy with the blue eyes, he had outrageous skills for his level. I feel like they might be a problem for our future plundering. That silver-haired kid is dangerous. All his stats are twice the amount of what they should be, he''s probably the son of a noble going incognito as an adventurer." I say as I throw more wood into the fire. "Boss, the barrier is completely set up within an area of 20 meters. All nearby monsters are completely ignoring us, the stealth is working in full effect." my right-hand man reports the situation of the barrier. "Alright, the stealth only works against monsters so be on the lookout for humans. Those guards might be watching from the gate." "Yes, Boss." they all answer as they leave me alone with the campfire crackling while I''m deep in thought. ''That silver-haired kid really was here, just like that demon told me. The demon said he was a hero and damn it seems he is right, those aren''t stats a level 27 should have, and those skill levels were outstanding for his level. I can''t wait to see the look on his face when I take all of his skills. Earlier when I took some skill from the guards that woman and that silver-haired kid both came so I couldn''t continue. I wonder how long I have to keep up this act of being a merchant.'' as I''m lost in thought about today''s potential harvests I hear my subordinates rushing over. "Boss, the barrier flickered for a second, is everything alright." they all ask concerned for their safety. "It''s fine, what would you expect from something a demon gave us. Not everything is perfect. By the way, where''s Dave?" I say trying to calm them. Jesus, they act like kids worrying over every tiny thing. Upon hearing my question everyone one of these 4 turn around and look towards the large tents they came out of only to see no trace of Dave at all. Upon noticing no traces at all Jim starts to get really nervous "Boss, I swear he was right behind us." Jim says as he walks into a tent and searches for any signs of Dave at all. "I swear I didn''t do anything. Didn''t the barrier flicker off and back on earlier maybe something made its way in." Jim answers defending himself. He seems to really not have anything to do with Dave disappearing. Well all of them would have to agree on it and they were pretty close with Dave. As we all search for Dave I get an intense bad feeling and look at all the others. 4 left including me. "Everyone get over here now. Stay within 5 feet of me and get prepared to fight, the enemy is capable of frightening stealth and may still be among us." I order everyone to come within sight. Either this is an evolved monster like in the rumors or some highly experienced assassin, maybe even a Divine Servant has come for me seeing as I gave my soul to a Devil. As all four of us look in each direction we continue to talk to make sure of each other''s existence. "Boss, this might be the last time I ever have the chance to say this but thanks for the fun ride in life. I honestly had fun to my heart''s content. Stealing whatever we wanted, having whatever women we wanted. It was great." one of my subordinates Jeff says. Turning to look at him I see a shadow flicker at my feet while Jeff''s shadow disappears. "H-He was just here." I say as I walk over to where his voice and shadow came from. Scanning over the area, No evidence of any blood, No evidence of a struggle, and No evidence of someone even being here in the first place. Another rush of instincts come and consume me causing intense fear. "We can''t do anything. Whatever the enemy is we can''t do anything. No struggling, No fighting, Not even a sound. Just pure destruction until none of us are left." I say falling to my knees in despair as all my instincts scream at me to run and get out of this situation. ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Get Away'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Get Away'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Get Away'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Get Away'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Get Away'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Get Away'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Get Away'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Please'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Stop'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Please'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Get Away'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Run'' ''Get Away'' ''Run'' ''Stop'' Another subordinate... no, Another friend is gone. Without any sign of ever existing in the first place. Nothing left other than my memories. I should have never even attempted to attack that town. I should have never signed that soul contract with that Devil. "Please. Stop." I try to move my mouth to say as everything around me is in deep silence as the world as I know it spins around me and the darkness in the back of my mind takes over as everything in sight fades away into nothing. Chapter 30锛歁eeting up for Dinner [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have found a System Function Ticket] [Quest "Defeat the Plunderer" has been completed] [Rewards Received: 1 Random Skill Ticket, 1000 Experience] [Congratulations you have reached level 29.] "System, what is a random skill ticket?" [A random skill ticket gives you a random skill upon use, there is a .004% chance for you to get a cheat skill.] "System can you get rid of their bodies, I don''t want to keep them in the inventory." [Yes. It will cost 10 System Points. Proceed?] [Y/N] "Yes." [Processing... Done] [After paying for the Inventory Upgrade to allow and now this System Service you have 190 System Points left.] "Open the System Shop and Select Armor." [System Shop: [Armor]<--- [Weapons] [Skills] [Magic] [Cheats] ---------------- [Armor Shop: [Heavy Armor] [Light Armor] [Clothing]<--- ---------------- [Clothing Shop: [Casual] [Buisness] [Formal]<--- ---------------- [Formal Clothing: [Reinforced Tuxedo Suit] [Enhanced Tuxedo Vest] [Light Tuxedo Shoes] [Reinforced Cuffs] [Reinforced Bow Tie] [Enhanced Sunglasses] "System why is it a tuxedo? Aren''t those from Earth, wouldn''t the people here think I dressed weird?" [When the hero first came to the land he introduced many things such as board games like Chess, New weapons like Katanas, and Formal Clothing from his world. Anyone who has a tuxedo is either a descendant of the Hero or they have wealth comparable to some of the royalty.] "Alright then how much for all of them?" [150 System Points for all of the items.] "Buy all of them, also unequip the Shadow Daggers and put them into the inventory." [Purchasing... Done] [Unequiping Shadow Daggers... Done] "Use the Random Skill Ticket." [x1 Random Skill Gacha Results: Word Magic] [Congratulations a Unique Magic Cheat Skill has been received from the Random Skill Gacha] Cheat Skill: Word Magic(One Word) Description: Imagine the Magic Power gathering in your finger and draw a word. An effect in accordance with the meaning of the word is brought forth. It is unique magic with the phenomenal power to apprehend and contort the underlying principles. This magic was once ?#&GR! &*) Usage: Draw a word on anything and the activation will differ depending on the word. Word Magic itself doesn''t have levels but can be upgraded through your comprehension of this unique magic. The words you write will take longer depending on the meaning and intent behind the word [Your current understanding of this unique magic has enabled you to be able to use one-word inscriptions.] "Oh, I remember this one. Wasn''t the English translation something like "The Golden Word Master" I say remembering the main character from that novel. He was a bookworm and a loner all while roaming a new world. "System use my upgrade card on Word Magic." [Using Upgrade Card... Detected multiple upgrades available... please choose one of the upgrades] 1. [Be able to use Two Words instead of one.] 2. [Save prewritten words for instant activation.] "That second one sounds pretty useful so I chose that." I answer after considering my choices. The description said I can comprehend more about the magic so that may be one of the perks I get anyways. "Can you get rid of the barrier?" [The System has already collected the barrier''s core and has started analyzing the mysterious Mana that was left on it.] "Alright then, use the function ticket." I ask as I start heading out of the slowly thinning barrier. [x1 Function Gacha Results: Recycling] [The Recycling function allows you to recycle anything you don''t need from monster carcasses to even cheat skills. If you put in monster carcasses it will give you a number of system points based on the monster''s strength compared to your strength, the monsters race, whether or not it has evolved, and the amount of mana the monster contains. If you decide to get rid of any skills then it will have different ratios depending on the skill you will receive tickets corresponding will the skills rating. The normal skills will be a 1:1, Special Skills will be 1:1, and Cheat Skills will be 2:1] "Recycle Enhanced Strength(Low), Enhanced Agility(Low), Enhanced Recovery(Low), Enhanced Intellect(Low)." I decide to get rid of these skills, they weren''t passive skills and I didn''t really find any use for them. I did keep the Improved Thinking that the system gave me not only because it was a passive skill but also because I noticed that my thinking has improved from my time on Earth. [Recycling... Done] [You have received 5 Skill Tickets, the system has given you an extra skill ticket due to your first time using this function.] "I''ll save them for when I get 10 so I can get the 10+1 bonus." I say while leaving the barrier and walking back to the gate guard. Seeing that I am back the guard gets flustered. "How did you get in and out of the barrier so fast? What happened to the guys inside?" he questions remembering his job. "I have a unique appraisal skill that lets me see people''s titles. All of those men where a band of very strong thieves. Each of them had titles such as Rapists, Murderers, and one, in particular, had an elf trafficker title. While in stealth I heard of a plan to attack the city so I dealt with the problem at hand." I say while thinking of a way to justify my actions. "The captain was planning on having all of them arrested, they were wanted men and we knew it." he says with his arms crossed. "Oh, I didn''t think of that. I''m sorry if you get into any trouble just say that they were attacked by monsters or something." I say while handing him a couple of gold coins. I only have about 25 left now but it should be fine since I get one from the daily gacha pull a lot. I probably need to buy armor too, I only hunt with the clothes the system gave me. I was getting some questioning stares from my party members when I showed up with only a black shirt blue jeans and a weapon. Heading into town I go back to my room and take a quick nap. Waking up after some time I check the system clock and it''s 7:21. Jesus, have I ever been on time to something? I should have set an alarm or something. "Equip all the formal clothing I bought earlier." I say as my clothes emit a bright light and are replaced by a tuxedo and the other thing I bought. As I run down the stairs and out of the Inn I see everyone waiting at the entrance with Finn. Chapter 31锛欿eepers Eye "Huh?" Running down the stairs and out of the Inn I see everyone waiting at the entrance with Finn. "We guessed you would be late so we gave you an earlier time. Since it was getting close to the actual time we came to get you." Rose explains as she walks up to me with the others. "So that''s why Finn is here." I say understanding why Finn is with them. The way he is dressed shows he is probably going to come with us.+ "He is Silvia''s date tonight so don''t cling to him too much." Elaine says as she puts her arm in front of me and stops me from getting close to him. Wow, no need to be protective I just wanted to speak with the man not marry him. As Silvia sees me walking out of the Inn she says, "Alright let''s head out then. I have everything set up so just follow me." "Hey, Bell sorry but it looks like I''m joining in on your dinner date tonight. I like your tuxedo, I didn''t know you were rich." Finn says as he waves to me. "It''s fine, the more the merrier. I''m not rich by the way, I just had a lucky encounter and now I''m the proud owner of a tuxedo." I answer. There is no way this dude is that dense right. Complimenting me, please tell me he complimented Silvia as well. Looking over at Silvia she shakes her head as I lose all faith in Finn. "Can I talk to Finn alone? We''ll follow right behind you guys." I ask. Somehow sensing what I''m trying to imply Silvia approves and they walk a little ahead of us. "Finn, what do you think of Silvia?" I ask testing his reaction. Only to get the dense reply of, "She looks nice." he says as looks her over. "And did you tell her that when you met up?" Upon hearing my question Finn thinks to himself and then seems to have come up with something. Jesus, he needs more stats in Intelligence, hell maybe even Wisdom. "No, I think I should wait until later. She asked to talk after Dinner so I will probably say it then. I need to ask you something though." he answers after thinking through it a little. "Alright, what did you want to talk about then?" I say getting to the point. "You''ve been getting stronger pretty fast recently so I thought it would be a good idea to train you, maybe take you to a dungeon that isn''t for beginners." he says with a proud smile on his face as if all my growth is due to him. Bastard, did you even teach me anything? "That didn''t take too long did you get to finish whatever conversation you were having?" Silvia says as she notices us catching up. "Yeah, were good. How far away is The Melting Pot?" I answer. "It''s in the inner area so we have some time, we need to enter the inner gate though so we might have to go through a search by the guards." Silvia says answering my question. "That''s fine as long as there aren''t any problems." I say putting my hands behind my head and following along. As we continue to walk we eventually see an inner wall, this inner wall stuff kinda reminds me of how the walls were separated in Attack on Titan. As we wait in the short line it comes to be our turn. "I need some type of identification." the guard says with a bland voice. Yikes, he seems to be burnt out. "Are adventurer cards okay?" Silvia asks as she hands over all of our cards. "That''s fine as well, just know that someone in your party must be at least C rank to enter." he says with a monotone voice. It''s like listening to a robot, looking closely he does have bags under his eyes as well as a tired look on his face, Upon quickly checking all of the adventurer cards he comes to mine only to stop as his expression change and then quickly changes back as he hands them back to Silvia. "You can pass." he says as he lets us through. After we walk through I still feel as if someone is keeping an eye on me. I wonder if I offended anyone? "Bell, I don''t know why but those guys have their attention on you." Finn says in a low voice. "I know, but I don''t know why they are keeping track of me. I haven''t really talked to anyone you know, I was focused on not dying by the monsters or in the dungeon." I say wondering who it is that has them keep an eye on me. "Has anything happened in the dungeon?" Finn asks as we continue to walk through the less busy streets. "There were some thugs who thought I was easy prey so they followed me only to not leave the dungeon ever again." I answer after thinking for some time. I barely even remembered them, I probably wouldn''t have if I didn''t take my time to even try. "Did they have anything on them that showed who they were?" Finn says. "Not that I remember, I got rid of them and their belongings immediately." I answer remembering the fight, that was the first time I got to use lostvayne''s inherent ability "Physical Clone". "Then they might not have been of any importance so there should be another reason they are keeping an eye on you." Rose says as she joins into the conversation. "Save it guys, we''re here." Silvia says as she points to a shop in the shape of a giant pot. Chapter 32锛歍he Melting Pot "We''re here." Silvia says as the building comes to view. The building which is built like a cooking pot from earth. The rounded walls and the dark paint make it a complete copy from the other world. Did the hero build this himself? Also, there is a long ass line in the front. "Do we have to wait in that line?" I asked pointing towards the line of people dressed in a variety of colored dresses and various tuxedo copies not as good as mine though. The line was wrapped around the far corner and probably even farther. "No, those are people hoping to get in without either an invitation or a reservation. They wait here in line due to the special properties of the building. Since we have a reservation we walk over to that guy." Silvia says looking towards the line wrapping the corner while pointing at the butler with a line of a couple people in it. As we walk over to the shorter line the butler has the others follow him inside as he seats them. When the butler comes back alone he looks at us and asks in a courteous voice. "Do you have a reservation with us?" Silvia hands over the reservation as the butler look it over and activated some kind of skill as his eyes become shrouded with magic and he rips the reservation and leads us inside with a smile. As we follow him through the doors the inside is way bigger than I thought, I''m honestly surprised that the inside is this big, did they use magic to make it larger or something? The walls are just like modern-day Earth. The decorations are Japanese though, I guess the cliche that Japanese made about them being heroes are actually true. Seeing my expression Silvia laughs and explains, "The Hero was able to use all magic, he made this building and throughout the years he expanded it when it was needed. Eventually, he passed on the building''s ownership to his children and since then all owners have to be descendants of the Hero." "That sounds pretty cool. Magic is seeming more and more interesting to me." I answer while following the butler through a door marked reservations. I hope this room has a different design though, I personally don''t know about Japanese decorations so it feels foreign. The butler activated his magic and had it cover himself as he chanted a short incantation before opening it. As we walk through the door the first thing I noticed was the designs were more traditional Japanese rather than the common ones outside, everything in here looks to be very well made. The room is smaller than the other one but there are a couple of people eating in here, there are 4 groups if you include us and everyone is well spaced out. "Here is your reserved room, please take a seat and look through the menu as the waiter get you water." the butler says handing out menus to us along with a waiter. Taking a quick look at the others in the room they have on flashy clothes, covered in jewelry, and one of them has a haughty laugh as they look at us taking a seat. As I sit down the headache starts getting worse while I can feel my head throb at set intervals. As I begin debating on if I want to use my healing card or not Finn speaks. "Bell, are you alright? You don''t look too good. Is something wrong?" Finn asks as he puts his hand on my head and activates something. As he does that a wave of his Qi flows through me and cools down my body as the throbbing in my head slows down and eventually stops altogether. He had a shocked expression when he finished surveying my body with his Qi. "Thanks, Finn. I think I''m better now." I say as Finn takes his hand off my head. "I looked around your body for the cause... Your mind has an array in it, with my current strength I can only determine that there was an array. I don''t know what array it is or what it is for, I can''t even get rid of it. Sorry for not being strong enough to help you." Finn says with guilt in his voice. "It''s fine. I can wait for you to grow stronger to get rid of it, at least you can suppress the pain it gives me. Thank you for that it really helped me." I said quickly trying to make him not feel bad. I can''t really blame him though, I was the one who had this array in me without me knowing about it in the first place. "Hey come on, let''s order. Don''t let that ruin the mood I''m fine now." I say trying to get a good mood started again. Everyone was looking at me with a worried face as I shrugged it off. If I want to continue this night I have to ignore what happened. Looking at the menu I notice that every item is in a language I can''t read, it looks like Japanese but I could never read that so I can''t make anything out of it. With a confused expression, I asked, "How are we supposed to order, I don''t know the language?" "It was the language from the Hero''s homeland, no one can understand it as the Hero never passed it on, the owners kept it that way as it was done by the Hero himself, but they do have pictures though so that''s what people usually go off of." Rose says as she sits there not looking at the menu. Curious about why she hasn''t touched her menu I ask. "Aren''t you going to choose what you want to order?" Hearing my question she smiles and answers, "I''ve been here before so of course I already know what''s good to eat. I want Ramen, it was the Hero''s favorite food and after many months of hard labor, the Hero reproduced eventually after many fails." As Rose shows off her knowledge an arrogant voice comes from behind us. "I like it when a girl knows her stuff. You come, I''ll give you the pleasure of eating with me William Von Ratsburg." The arrogant voice coming from behind us was from a short chubby man who is dressed just like a noble from a play on Wallstreet. The man looked normal but his body shape really stood out, the only thing that comes to mind when trying to describe him is round. Chapter 33锛欰rrogant Noble "I like it when a girl knows her stuff. You come, I''ll give you the pleasure of eating with me William Von Ratsburg." The voice coming from behind us was from a short chubby man who is dressed just like a noble from a play on Wallstreet. The man looked normal but his body shape really stood out, the only thing that comes to mind when trying to describe him is round. His eyes filled with a lecherous glare as he stares at Rose ignoring all of us. After he finished talking the entire room went quiet and everyone at the table was flabbergasted. Who is this guy? Who does he think he is? ''Appraisal'' Name: William Von Ratsburg Race: Human? Age: 23 Titles: Arrogant, Pig, Rapist, Kidnapper, Corrupt Noble, Traitor, Heir To The Throne Class: Trash Level: 40 Strength: 15 Agility: 9 Endurance: 22 Intelligence: 6 Wisdom: 8 Charisma: 18 Perception: 9 Regeneration: 8 Luck: 3 Magic Types: None Skills: Etiquette(Lv.6), Negotiation(Lv.7), Eating(Lv.Max), ''Jesus Christ this guy eats so well he got a skill for it, and most of his stats are below average. The poor guy''s luck is even at 3, He even has a face only a mother can love.'' Seeing his status window the only thing I can do feel bad for him, Not only is his class literally trash his face is all kinds of fucked up. The only fix I can even think of for him is to hope to have a better life in the next run. As everyone is completely speechless another person walks up from behind him as he has his hand on his sword. Who is this guy, he seems familiar. ''Appraisal'' Name: Sebastian Race: Human Age: 42 Titles: Devoted, Focused Maniac, 2nd Class Holder Class: Swordsman, Knight Level: 51 Strength: 72 Agility: 63 Endurance: 72 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 12 Charisma: 15 Perception: 28 Regeneration: 13 Luck: 11 Magic Types: None Skills: Sword Mastery(Proficient)(Lv.Max), Body Enhancement(Lv.2), Dedication(Lv.Max) Presence Detection(Lv.3), Etiquette(Lv.4), Negotiation(Lv.5), Focus(Lv.Max) Looking closer at the knight it seems to be that guy from earlier at the adventurer''s guild. Oh Jesus, this is exactly what guild master Zach said would happen. How can we deal with Nobles who act like this? Can I just kill him and get rid of the evidence? [Stop! That type of plan will lead to your destruction. There are a group of people who have the ability to detect lies so just one round of questioning will lead you to capital punishment. The king likes to collect people who have special abilities so you have to be descreet or he will come after you.] ''What can I do then?'' [See how this plays out, if this pig really tries something in public it can look bad for his family as well.] As the system gives me advice Rose who sat right next to me grabs my arm as the knight approaches. "I''m sorry but I''m here with him tonight." Rose says trying to get rid of the nuisance. The pig noble''s face is livid as the woman he wanted had denied him without giving him any face. "Sebastian, kill the boy and take the woman." The Pig Noble says as his lecherous grin becomes even more unrestrained. He didn''t even bat an eye making that kind of command to the knight. How can this knight be so loyal to an idiot who acts like an overgrown child? Looking at the knight though he seems conflicted and doesn''t want to carry out the order. The Pig Noble saw this and decided to threaten him, "I''ll tell Dad that you ignored an order from me. Didn''t he say you had to listen to my requests, no matter what it was." Upon hearing the threat the knight Sebastian forces himself to draw his sword as he already started swinging it at me. ''My experience in manga and anime tells me that I have to show them I''m stronger than them so that they feel they would lose and decide to retreat instead.'' As soon as Bell thought that he made his move. ''Time Stop'' Deciding to stop time as the knight was faster and stronger overall Bell grabbed Lostvayne from his inventory and left a clone in his original spot as he moved behind the knight and smashed his fist straight into the back of the knight''s head. The knights status says fainted and Bell appeared behind the Noble right when Time resumed. As the knight, Sebastian falls to the ground the loud clash of metal sounds throughout the room as the Noble finally comes back to his sense as he sees I''m nowhere to be found. He turns around only to hear a loud smack as his vision shifted to the right. After some time his face started stinging and he hears a voice. "Did you really think I wouldn''t fight back? Take your servant and leave I don''t want to see you again." [Secret Achievement Completed: Slap a Noble] [Achievement Rewards: 100 System Points, 100 Experience] ''There is an achievement function?'' [Yes, it is basically random things. It really won''t really affect anything just think of it as extra rewards.] ''Oh, okay.'' As the system had my attention the pig noble finally came back from shock and he became even more furious and started speaking even louder. "Who do you think you are? You slap me and injure my servant, do you think I won''t have my family hunt you down." He starts screaming and the knights that were eating outside have come into the room with their weapons drawn. "Seize him and lock him up, I demand that he be humiliated and then executed in public." The pig continues to go off in rage barking orders to his knights. As the knights start rushing at me someone stands in front of me and cuts them off. Chapter 34锛欼nvitation to a Duel "That''s enough now, I''m pretty sure that your father would be disappointed in you if he finds out you were trying to take someone else''s woman and then tried to kill him for standing up for himself. Let''s just drop the matter and act like this never happened." Finn says stepping in trying to mediate the problem. "Finn, do you think that just because you have become slightly famous you can request whatever you want from a Noble household. Even if my father wants to recruit you we can just force you to join through our ways." The Pig says as his voice trembles with anger due to Finn''s threat. "What did you say." The temperature in the room drops a few degrees when Finn hears what he said. "It seems like you don''t understand exactly why your father not only hasn''t pushed me to join but he even asks me to rely on him whenever I need to. It seems you need to be put in your place." Finn says with a deadpan face as he gets serious. The pig, feeling the temperature go down in seconds tries to recover from his threat. "No sir, we won''t bother you ever again." He says rapidly as he starts backing away from Finn. "Good I understand that you want her but she is taken please find another woman who isn''t already taken." Finn says as turns around and heads back to take his seat again. Seeing that the situation has calmed down everyone starts heading for our seats but as I''m walking back the pig starts to speak again. "I''ll let Finn and the Lady go but you raised your sword against a noble and threatened to kill me, according to the Law of our Kingdom anyone with the intent of killing a noble will be given to the noble to deal fit punishment, and since I''m in line for the throne I can choose anything I want." The Noble says in the haughtiest voice I''ve ever heard. It''s like he went retarded and forgot what just happened. "Oh yeah, and what do you want to do with me?" I ask as I raise Lostvayne again ready to strike. Seeing me not even hesitating he becomes flustered but still answers, "I challenge you to a duel, it will be at the Coliseum tomorrow at noon. Come or be chased by the guards." He says as he takes his white glove off and throws it at me. "Alright see you at noon tomorrow." I say turning around making sure to step on the glove as I head back to the table. As I take my seat all the knights that came in carrying away the others as the Pig Noble takes his leave while leaving some obscenities as well. "Thank you Bell, I really appreciate what you''ve done." Rose says as she hands me a menu. "No problem, he wanted to kill me so I fought back." I answer while grabbing a drink from my inventory. "Bell, are you sure you want to duel with him. He''s known for being very obscene especially in a fight. Nobles are allowed to have a proxy in a duel so he just hires whoever is the strongest in the area or whoever he knows can beat that person. I feel he might go overboard and want them to kill you." Finn says worried about me. "It''s fine, it''s not like I can''t fight someone stronger than me. I think I''m gonna take tomorrow to practice the stuff I''ve been neglecting recently." I answer laughing it off. It''s not like he can actually do something to me and if he does then I can heal myself afterward. "Don''t worry about tomorrow I''ll be fine, instead let''s eat." Silvia says as the food comes in with the waitress. As the waitress gives everyone their food it seems that we all got a different type of ramen. As the night goes on Rose starts drinking alcohol until she eventually passed out. "She probably felt bad about what happened earlier." Elaine says as she strokes Rose''s hair. "It wasn''t her fault, it was the noble wanting to throw around his authority." I answer not really affected by the alcohol at all. Man this All Status Ailments Resistance(Lv.Max) is ruthless, I barely even feel anything even though I want to. Finn and Silvia already headed out so I guess they''re spending the night together. As I get ready to leave I decide to try out Word Magic. Following the instructions, I gather magic at my fingertip and start writing in the air towards Rose. Writing quickly I finish the word and shoot it towards Rose as Edward and Elaine just stare at me. "Cure" As soon as the magic hits Rose the light encompassing the word extends and covers Rose entirely as it cleanses all of the Alcohol in her system and she continues to sleep. "Take care of her Elaine, she seems a little depressed after tonight. I''ll see you guys tomorrow at the Coliseum." I say while exiting the restaurant and eventually get back to my room. ''System is there anything I should focus on tomorrow?'' [Host should focus on the new magic, "Word Magic" as it is very versatile and can be used for literally everything as long as you have enough mana to power it.] ''What current cards do I have?'' [Healing Cards: 1] [Bloodline Thickening Card: 1] ''What does bloodline thickening do?'' [It thickens a current bloodline in the host''s body.] ''But my bloodline is literally 3 question marks, does the card still work on it.'' [Yes, the bloodline is currently classified but you can still upgrade it.] ''Use the "Bloodline Thickening Card" and show me the options.'' [Using Bloodline Thickening Card... Detected multiple bloodlines available... please choose one of the bloodlines to thicken.] [Human] or [???] ''Use it on ???.'' [Proceeding... Done.] [The Bloodline "???" has been thickened. You are currently 23% "???"] [Please check your status to see any changes.] ''Use Appraisal but only show the important things.'' Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Class: Cheater Level: 29* Strength: 66 Agility: 64 --> 66 Endurance: 66 Intelligence: 64 --> 66 Wisdom: 64 --> 66 Charisma: 64 --> 66 Perception: 64 --> 66 Regeneration: 64 --> 66 Luck: 100 Magic Types: Fire, Water, Light ''Oh, the lower stats caught up with Strength and Endurance and I gained the light magic attribute nice I guess I''ll just try it out.'' As I continued experimenting I eventually become so tired that I decided to sleep. I wish I had sleep resistance as well so I don''t feel tired that often. Chapter 35锛欳oliseum As I''m sleeping in the warm bed there is a loud knocking on the door that causes me to stir until eventually I get up and open it. "What do you want." I say already knowing who it could possibly be. "It''s 11 in the morning already. I came to check up on you only to see that you haven''t even woken up yet. I know your new to this world but you need to stop being a lazy bum and get up earlier man." Finn rants on and on about my sleep. Jokes on him I slept like this even on earth. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks for waking me up, show me the way to the Coliseum as well please." I answer using clean on myself to get the drool off my face as I put on new clothes I got from the system. "Let''s head out." I say following Finns lead out of the Inn and down a street I''ve never been on. "Do you know who I''m fighting?" I ask trying to make conversation as Finn just continues walking in silence. As we continue walking a giant Coliseum that looks like the one in Rome comes into view. It''s even complete with two stone Lion statues in a threatening stance as everyone walks in through the large gate. As we walk through the gate the inside looks like someone stole the idea from the Romans, the top has an open Dome with paintings over all the walls. As I''m admiring the paintings "Walk through there and there should be a lobby filled with staff members, tell one of the staff who you are and they will lead you to your waiting room, they''ve been instructed to show you where to go. I''ve got to go take a seat before there isn''t any left." Finn says pointing towards another gate on the inside. "Alright, thanks for showing me the way." I say as Finn takes off and I head through the gate and towards the nearest staff member. As I''m walking to him he looks up from the paperwork he was doing and says in a friendly tone, "How may I help you, sir. Are you here to register for a fight?" "No, I''m Bell. I am supposed to have a duel here today." I answer surprised at hearing his polite speech. "Ah, Mr. Bell I have been told by my superiors that you infuriated a Noble so I took it upon myself to get you a room to get you warmed up and fully ready for the fight. This privilege is normally given to VIP members but we made an exception and registered you a room. Please follow me to your waiting room." He says putting his papers down and leading me through the door next to the reception desk he was sitting at. Following him, through the door, the inside looks like a hotel corridor with branching off doors all throughout the hallway with each of them numbering from 1 to 10. Down the hall is another door although it is considerably bigger. As I''m observing the hall he leads me to the door marked "10". As he opens the door it leads to another corridor exactly like the one outside except every door was labeled "10" but they had a letter after them going from A to J. He leads me to the entrance of "10F" and hands me a keycard. "Here you go, this is the key to get inside. Please wait in here until I come to get you when it is time for your duel." He says and then walks back to the door we came through and pulls out a new keycard "I guess he was busy." I say seeing him leave quickly. Opening the door the inside is a lot larger than I thought it would be. This looks like a waiting room for boxers or something. There is a couple of punching bags as well as some weights and even a shower in the back. This place even has a refrigerator stocked with water and snacks in the cabinets. Sitting on the couch next to the cabinet I relax and lay down while thinking about what word I should save with word magic so I can be able to use it during the fight. Heal for emergencies, or maybe strengthen on myself. Anyways I need to use this magic more often since it can upgrade itself through understanding and not the upgrade cards. "How many skill points do I have?" [You currently have 250 skill points that are ready to use.] "Level up sword mastery." [Processing... Done.] [Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.2) has increased to Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.3)] [You currently have 150 skill points left.] "So it isn''t maxed this time. Could you tell me more about skill levels." [Yes. a Beginner Skills will max out at level 3, an Intermediate Skill will max out at level 5, a Master Skill will max out at level 7, and a Grandmaster Skill will max at level 10.] [Humans are limited by their body and can only reach Master ranked mastery over any skill, to reach grandmaster they would have to break through the human body''s limiter, to go past 199 points in one stat you also have to break the limiter on your body. One example of someone breaking the limit would be the Guildmaster, he recently broke through so his stats can not only go past 199 he can even take up a new class that will replace all of his current ones. Breaking past human limits and achieving a new class will land you a title called "Transcendent" which is literally what you are as you transcended your human body.] "So that''s how it works. I''ve decided to put the rest of my skill points into Sword Mastery." [Processing... Done.] [Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.3) has increased to Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.4)] [You currently have 0 skill points left.] "All right that''s done, now on to which word I''m gonna save." As I finish with my skill points there is a knock at the door. Chapter 36锛欴uel "Sir your opponent is ready for the Duel." The man from earlier says through the door. getting off the couch I quickly decide on a word to save and head out into the hall. Seeing that I came out he beckons me to follow him without speaking and leads me back to the main hallway. This time though we went through the large door at the end of the hallway which led to the entrance of the platform. "Your opponent is currently waiting for you to arrive, please follow the path and walk up the platform stairs." he says pointing towards the stairs while taking his leave. ''Alright then, I''ll use the silver sword so I don''t rely on LostVayne too much.'' I say while grabbing the silver sword and hand it on my hip. As I''m walking through the path the audience gets considerably louder and louder with their cheering. Maybe the guy I''m fighting is famous? As I get up on the platform the audience gets even louder and as I look around I notice some kind of runes along the edges of the platform until finally, my opponent comes into view. He has Mahogany brown curly hair with dark brown eyes. He seems to be around 6 foot and his outfit showcases his muscular body with a black shirt and loose pants. His gaze shows he''s sizing me up as he starts talking. "You better get ready because I''m not going easy on you. I''ve been told you''re a super rookie and can fight above levels so don''t expect any mercy until you forfeit. I''m also being paid very well so I intend to do my job well." The man says as his brown eyes shine in the sunlight. "What happens if I win?" I say while checking out his status. ''Appraisal'' Name: Shin Race: Human / Barbarian Age: 24 Titles: Battle Junkie, Unique Class Holder Class: Mana Warrior** Level: 42 Strength: 77 Agility: 79 Endurance: 72 Intelligence: 49 Wisdom: 49 Charisma: 21 Perception: 20 Regeneration: 13 Luck: 25 Skills: Fighting Instincts(Lv.Max), Sword Mastery(Master)(Lv.1), Herculean Strength(Lv.2) Spear Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.Max), Presence Detection(Lv.3), Mana Manipulation(Lv.4), Body Reinforcement Magic(Lv.3), Forced Regeneration(Lv.4), Weakness Identification (Lv.Max), Weapon Identification (Lv.5) "I haven''t been told anything about that." He says while a spear appears in his hands out of nowhere. ''Seems like he has something like my inventory but it wasn''t in his skills. Is it like a space ring from wuxia novels, or is it like a magic bag from RPGs.'' As I reach for the silver sword at my waist he starts rushing me with his spear and thrusts as he gets close to me. As he closes in on me the runes at the edges of the platform start radiating a faint light. As the runes get brighter a thin light blue barrier appears and slowly encases the entire platform in the shape of a dome. Seeing as he has no reaction to this I decide that it won''t affect me and probably isn''t that important and proceed to move my sword to receive the hit. "As I thought I couldn''t get you off your guard," he says while assuming an attack stance and strikes with his spear again. Slashing the silver sword at his spear sparks fly as our two weapons clash for a little bit until he starts pushing me back as he puts more strength into his spear. At the sight of the fight starting again, the crowd goes wild with cheering and chanting for Shin. "It seems I have more physical strength than you." he says as he rushes forwards leaving behind afterimages as he runs towards me at a high speed. Seeing as all his physical stats are higher than mine I decided to use word magic to shorten the gap. ''Harden'' Writing the word harden on my fist I dodge the incoming spear and swing my fist as hard as I could only to barely do any damage. Judging from his reaction it did do damage but it wasn''t enough to affect him. ''Shock'' Writing the word shock on my sword I slash at him as he tries to block my sword. Upon the clash of our weapons sparks of lightning radiates from my sword flowing through his spear electrocuting him. As the sparks slow down his reaction time I make another slash at his chest but he recovers from the paralization and tries to move out of the way only to get a clean cut across his arm in return for his efforts. The wound itself looks burnt due to being electrocuted by the shock effect. ''This magic is really interesting.'' ''Speed'' I quickly write the word speed as the shock effect disappears and decide to place it on my legs I dash behind him at an even faster speed than him as he could barely react to me as I proceeded to slash at his chest. Backing off to decide my next course of action I withdraw my blade that is covered in blood. As I swipe my sword through the air the blood comes right off and splatters on the floor. At this time I decide to look at the system and notice some notifications. [Combo Star Count: 1] [Combo Star Count: 2] [Combo Star Count: 3] [Combo Star Count: 4] [Combo Star Count: 5] [Combo Star Count: 6] [Combo Star Count: 7] ''Ah, I forgot to try that out.'' Putting away my sword I decide to fight with my fists from now on. "It''s time for round 2, Prepare yourself." He says with a determined look on his face as he puts the spear away and takes out a sword and encased it in mana. Due to the adrenaline running in me I didn''t even notice the sounds of the crowd throughout the fight as I get ready for his real assault. Chapter 37锛欴uel Round 2 "It''s time for round 2, Prepare yourself." He says with a determined look on his face as he puts the spear away and takes out a sword and encased it in mana. Due to the adrenaline running in me I didn''t even notice the loud cheers of the crowd throughout the fight as I get ready for his real assault. He has higher stats than me as well as a better skill level in sword mastery. I''m finished testing out word magic so all I need to try out is combo star, how much is the increase in strength for the combo as well as how can the combo be reset. Punching out my fist at the incoming sword attack as it comes closer and eventually they meet. With combo star added to my original stats, the combo is just enough to put us at a stalemate. "It seems I wasn''t the only one holding back." he says with a smile on his face as he strikes again. Every sword swing was countered with a punch but my combo never increased. It looks like I have to land a hit for it to be added to my combo. As sword and fist collide due to the sharpness of the sword my fists start to finally give out and blood seeps out profusely as I try to dodge and back away from him, but his attack was too fast and instead it took my left hand. "Damn you''re a monster. Who fights against a swordsman with his fists. You aren''t even a pugilist and your fists are so durable. You might want to get that reattached as fast as possible." he says stopping his sword thinking I would give up since I was missing a hand. Looking at the hand next to me as blood flows out of the wound I decide to use the word magic I''ve been saving from the start. I bend over and put my hand back in place as it starts trying to reconnect itself as the word activates and my arm shines brightly. As the word activates mana is constantly drained from me as my body goes back to what it was like before the fight. As the light dies down my opponent who has been staring at me in disbelief finally says something. "You''re more of a monster than Finn described." he says as he readies his sword again. This time I take LostVayne out of the inventory and reflect the incoming attack. As his arm flies back due to the strength I put into the swing I run my hand over LostVayne and activate physical clone and rush forward with 5 copies right behind me. ''Body Reinforcement'' After activating body reinforcement I run mana through LostVayne and continue to attack him in a group. As the attacks all land I continue to get notifications from the system notifying me of the combo getting higher. [Combo Star Count: 8] [Combo Star Count: 9] [Combo Star Count: 10] [Combo Star Count: 11] [Combo Star Count: 12] [Combo Star Count: 13] ... [Combo Star Count: 43] As the combo reaches heights I''ve never seen before due to my clones hits counting the strength of each hit gets heavier and heavier until eventually I hit my opponent in the head and check his status only to see it says he is unconscious so I stop and take notice of the audience as they are so silent you could probably hear a fly. As they take in the overwhelming win they begin to cheer even louder than before. ''I wonder if I can see Finn from here.'' I think as I scan the audience and eventually find Rose waving next to Finn and everybody else. ''I didn''t have to rely on time stop at all this fight.'' I say proud of myself as I walk over to my opponent and secretly use word magic to ''heal'' him. After healing him I leave the arena while the announcers are announcing the next fight after commentating on my fight. It seems like I might gain a reputation after this. Outside the Coliseum, I meet up with everyone and we talk on our way to the adventurer guild. "That was a nice fight Bell, we should have a duel one day." Edward says as he puts his arm around my shoulders happily. "Sure, I''m ready when you are. This time though I would like to do it at the guild training grounds, I don''t think I''m okay with going all out in front of so many people." I say as I check the notifications from the system during the fight. [Congratulations on winning your first Duel. You have been awarded Cursed Random Box x1] ''What is the Cursed Random Box and what does it do?'' [The Cursed Random Box is a special type of random box that gives you an item that you will need. The item gives you can be of any rank and will be a one-time use item that will be used once in your lifetime.] ''All right then, use it.'' I want to see just what I will "absolutely" have to use. [Using "Cursed Random Box"... Done. Please hold out your hand to receive your item.] As I hold my hand out while we''re walking down the road the others look at me kinda weird but Finn stares at my hand as if he feels something is about to happen. As the item starts to appear out of nowhere an apple appears in my hand. This apple doesn''t seem like an ordinary apple because it is giving me the chills just by having it in my hand. ''Appraisal'' [Item: ???''s Apple] [Description: An apple that can be given to someone to receive ???. This apple was given to ??? by the world tree as a reward for protecting it and the elves that inhabit it. The high elves were against such a reward but the tree''s decision is absolute, thus causing the high elves to show malice to anyone who should have this apple.] [Reputation - ??? 100%] [Repuation - High Elves -15%] As I read the description Finn walks over to me and grabs my hand that has the apple in it. "Where did you get that." He says he loses control of himself and his voice shakes. Chapter 38锛欸oblins Rage (1) In an unknown place on the Demon Continent. "Wierd, where did the apple go. I''m sure I placed it right here." A woman says as she looks towards the Demon guards sitting there with fear in their eyes. One of them finally gaining enough courage answers. "It disappeared within the hour, Ma''am." "It really chose an owner. The world tree said that it would choose someone worthy but it''s been decades and it hasn''t moved." She says as she takes in that the fruit is really gone she walks out of the room while thinking out loud. As soon as she left the room she looked over to the person kneeling at the entrance and said, "Find out where the apple went and give me a report about the person it chose. You have 3 days. Follow the aura that the apple gives off and you should find it." "Yes, Ma''am." The guard says and then disappears into thin air only to reappear on the Human Continent. "The aura is in the direction of the City of Light. Ugh, this is gonna be a hard task." The guard says as she disappears and reappears on the outskirts of the City of Light. "I''ll just wait here for them to leave the city." The figure says as the ground comes up on its own into a makeshift chair as she sits and waits. ----\----------------------------------------- As I read the description Finn walks over to me and grabs my hand that has the apple in it. "Where did you get that." He says he loses control of himself and his voice shakes. "I got it as a reward for helping someone a couple of weeks ago. It was an old woman, I found her in the forest and she was lost so I carried her to the nearest town and made sure she was safe." I say lying with just whatever came to my mind at the time. "Dammit. You shouldn''t have that." He says very angrily. "I know the owner of that apple, she would kill you if she found out that you have it. When I was her apprentice she would beat me until I was half dead for being in the same room as it. Get rid of it as fast as you can without leaving any evidence." Finn says in a panic trying to sway me to get rid of it. "I understand. How about we head to a Dungeon so I can get rid of it there?" I say decided to just tell him I got rid of it instead of actually getting rid of it. ''I trust the system. It wouldn''t say I needed it if I actually didn''t.'' As we go into the adventurer''s guild Finn takes me up to a receptionist and starts to talk. "What can I do for you today." The male receptionist says towards us. "I need to get Bell permission to go into the intermediate dungeon." Finn says to the receptionist. "Sure, to get permission all we have to do is have someone test him to make sure he is ready. You''re in luck today, the only test administrator in today is Shin. He just came back from his business today so he will be free for a while. I''ve signed you up for the test and Mr.Shin has been notified about the test. Please go through that door and he will be waiting for you there." The receptionist says with a smile as he points towards a door with a sign labeled "Testing Arena" above the door. "Follow me, you probably won''t have to fight again." Finn says as he smiles and leads me through the door. "As I thought it was you." A voice says as soon as I enter the room. Looking over it was Shin from the duel, he looks completely healed from the fight. I guess my heal really helped him recover. "Hello Mr. Shin, I''m Bell. I wish to get permission to be able to enter the intermediate dungeon." I tell him my purpose of being here after greeting him. "No problem, our duel was public so I''ve already approved your request. It''ll take a couple of minutes for it to go through but in the meantime let''s talk." He says pointing towards a bench nearby. "Sure." I say and take a seat. "Why are you guys going into the dungeon so fast for?" He asks. "He levels incredibly fast so I thought it would be a good time to show him a dungeon that isn''t guided by the guild. It''s already that time for him by now so I wanted him to experience a bigger dungeon." Finn says answering Shin''s question. "I understand. I would like to stretch my muscles and visit the dungeon as well. Would that be fine with the two of you?" Shin asks. "I''m fine with it if Bell is okay with it." Finn says as he looks at me. "Sure, I don''t mind. We can head out after the permission goes through." I say being okay with it. I''m fine with it as long as he doesn''t steal my experience. As we leave and update my guild card which is the permission to go into the intermediate dungeon. "Let''s head out then. I placed a teleportation array so we can go there immediately. It''s located in my house though so we have to walk there." Finn says as he leads the way and I follow closely behind him. As we entered into Finn''s house he leads us into an extra room in the house. Looking in the room the array is a circle looking enchantment. The unknown words glow purple and brighten and dim at random intervals. "Step inside the circle and close your eyes, you''ll get dizzy looking at the transfer." Finn says as he leads us into the circle and activates the array as we all were inside. As the array activates my body starts to feel as if it wasn''t real. I try to feel my arm but my hand goes through it as though my body wasn''t part of this plane of existence. After a while, the feeling goes away and I open my eyes. Looking around I see that we''re in a dungeon. "Welcome to the First Floor of the Dungeon Goblin''s Rage." Finn says while smiling. Chapter 39锛欸oblins Rage (2) "Welcome to the First Floor of the Dungeon Goblin''s Rage." Finn says smiling as he waves his arms in the air showing off how different the dungeon looks. The dungeon before just seemed like a cave that was man-made but this dungeon has crystals at the top that give off light. I don''t think this could be remade without technology from a sci-fi movie. The entire first floor is wide and I don''t see any people off in the distance as if we''re alone. "This is what dungeons actually looks like, all dungeons are made from the energy emitting from the dungeon core. The energy is different from mana and isn''t seen anywhere else in the world other than dungeons. This dungeon, in particular, focuses on goblins, goblins used to have a high population count outside of the dungeons but they were hunted down and slain by one man and his endless rage. The goblins in this dungeon were taken in by the dungeon core and were hidden until that person eventually died. Today the goblins are kept in low numbers outside so they don''t cause too many problems. The goblins in this dungeon are all stronger than the ones outside so be careful." Finn says explaining the dungeon''s history. "Alright, on the first floor you take the front. We''ll follow behind you and see how you manage." Shin says as him and Finn allows me to take the front. "Sure, as long as I can handle it I don''t mind. If I need help I''ll ask." I say taking the front and heading towards some goblins that were standing there idle. The goblins are short, green, and overall they look creepy. From behind, I can see that they have devilish smiles and look to be intelligent. As I approach I save a word with word magic and grab the silver sword out of my inventory and swing it through the unsuspecting goblins and slice through them like butter. [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 300 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 400 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 300 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] ''What?'' As I have a confused look on my face Finn starts laughing and then talks. "This dungeon is kinda special as every party that comes in here get their own "Dungeon" and the more goblins you kill not only do they become stronger, an even stronger "Mini-Boss" appears to try to get revenge. This dungeon is known for its monsters and their cruelty so don''t be merciful." Finn says answering my confused expression. As we go through the dungeon we run into little groups of goblins every now and then and I got some new notifications throughout the first floor. Throughout the floor, the goblins were getting stronger but it wasn''t that noticeable since they all died in one hit anyways. There were some Hobo-Goblins which are goblins that went through evolution but they weren''t that much and were very easy to deal with. [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [Goblin''s Rage 32/100] [You have killed a "Hobo-Goblin"... Received 900 Experience] ... [Congratulations you have reached level 30.] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [You have killed a "Hobo-Goblin"... Received 500 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] ... [Congratulations you have reached level 31.] [Goblin''s Rage 86/100] The counter just keeps on going up with my kills but I hope that when the counter hits 100 the so-called "Mini-Boss" will show up and try to get revenge. I hope he''ll be stronger than the other ones on this floor and put up more of a fight. "This floor seems to not be too difficult for you so how about we go ahead and go down to the second floor." Seeing how easy I''ve been taking the dungeon and how easy this floor is for me Finn decided to take it up a notch. "Sure." I say as we head through the dungeon and reach the entrance to the second floor. The entrance to the second floor is just stairs leading down in a dark hallway. In the second floor, the goblins were strong enough to take two hits but they still weren''t putting up much of a fight. At least that was what I thought until I got this string of notifications. [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [You have killed a "Hobo-Goblin"... Received 500 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] ... [Congratulations you have reached level 32.] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [You have killed a "Hobo-Goblins"... Received 500 Experience] [You have killed a "Goblin"... Received 200 Experience] [Congratulations you have reached level 33.] [Goblin''s Rage 100/100] [You have killed 100 Goblins. Their rage and deep hatred for you has spawned the Goblin Horde. Please prepare as the horde will make it''s way to your current location in 10 minutes.] "The goblin''s rage has activated. Everyone prepare yourselves." I say to Finn and Shin who have been watching my progress throughout the dungeon. "Do you know what is coming? There are multiple versions that come depending on how much hatred racked up." Shin says as he gets ready for the assault. "The notification said it was the Goblin Horde." I answer as I get ready to use word magic. "Fuck me. The Goblin Horde is the worst one out of all of them. At least there will be 200 of them and at most 1000. If there is more than 500 we''re gonna need to retreat unless one of you have fire magic. They''re almost here and will probably take a couple more minutes to " Shin says angrily at our bad luck. "It''s fine then, I have fire magic. I even have the high-grade fire magic explosion." I answer Shin with a smug smile as I write explosion with word magic and wait for the goblin horde to come in range. "Ready. Fire" Finn says as he helps me determine the range of the explosion magic. As the explosion magic activates flames come out of the word and flew over to the goblin horde where it landed on a goblin and cause an explosion so strong it felt that the whole dungeon shook. My ears are currently ringing and I can''t hear anything but looking over all of the goblins were caught in the blast so I don''t have to worry about goblins hiding. [You have slain the goblin horde!] [Congratulations you have reached level 37.] [Congratulations due to your achievement you have gained the title "Goblin Slayer"] [The title "Goblin Slayer" gives you the buff of double damage against all goblins as well as an x1.5 multiplier towards all experience gained from goblins.] Chapter 40锛欸oblins Rage (3) [You have slain the goblin horde!] [Congratulations you have reached level 37.] [Congratulations due to your achievement you have gained the title "Goblin Slayer"] [The title "Goblin Slayer" gives you the buff of double damage against all goblins as well as an x1.5 multiplier towards all experience gained from goblins.] After all the notifications I take a look and my stats went up by a lot. I can''t wait to see what new skills I get for reaching the Second Rank. As I''m looking at my status Finn and Shin are recovering and a new notification appears in front of me. [The Goblin Lord has noticed your existence.] [The Goblin Lord laughs at your puny existence.] [The Goblin Lord de-activates "Goblin''s Rage"] ''This bastard is taunting me. I''ll make you regret that you fucking goblin.'' I say slightly annoyed at the notifications that showed up. While the notifications have my attention Finn and Shin both recovered from the blast of the explosion magic and we continue to go through the dungeon. "I think we can go faster than our current speed, these goblins aren''t much." I say to Finn and Shin while taking out the Shadow Daggers from the inventory. As they see the daggers both of them tense up but then they recover their senses and follow behind me as we run through the finished third floor. Based off of what Finn told me this dungeon has 10 floors with each floor becoming smaller as we go up until the boss room. On the fourth floor, there wasn''t much of a difference in the goblins other than a couple of evolved goblins that had some intelligence trying to have us run into traps they previously set. All throughout the fourth floor, there were terribly made traps. It looks so bad I thought that someone showed these goblins Scooby-Doo and they tried to copy Fred''s traps. As the traps were deactivated Finn and Shin were both leading me through the deactivation as I had to do them myself. "These traps are easy even for beginners. We''re lucky that these traps are your first experience with them. Follow these steps and you should be able to disarm them." Finn says as he leads me through the disarming. "Cut the rope here." Shin says points towards a rope behind a rock. "This trap is an easy one, just cut through this spring here and the trap won''t even set off." Finn says as he has me cut the spring. As I''m disarming the traps I get a notification from the system. [Due to your experience in deactivating traps you have the chance to use the experience you have earned to gain the skill "Disarm Trap".] [Would you like to gain the "Disarm Trap" skill for 2500 Experience?] [Yes/No] ''I can learn skills from experience?'' [Yes, you can also level skills through your comprehension of them just like the natives of this world.] As I select yes for the system to use experience a wave of light that only I can see goes off in front of me as the knowledge flows into my brain. [You have gained the skill "Disarm Trap" for 2500 experience.] [Due to your limited knowledge the skill "Disarm Trap" is set to level 1.] ''If I can comprehend skills while saving my skill points then I should probably use a sword then.'' I say while putting the shadow daggers back into the inventory and looking at both my swords. While trying to decide on which sword to use we walk through the hallway into the fifth floor. Stopping at the entrance I decided to look into the shop to see what swords they offer. [System Shop: [Armor] [Weapons] 1315] ''Purchase the Intermediate Sword'' [Processing... Done] As the sword is purchased it shows up in my inventory so I take it out and as I grab the handle a wave of surprise flashed in my eyes as I hold the sword. It feels as though I have been using this sword for years. The sword itself if just a normal iron sword but it gives me a sort of magic feeling as we continue through the fifth floor. My sword mastery may not be leveling up but I can clearly feel an improvement. I think I may be able to level it up without using skill points. "We''re halfway through the dungeon now, let''s take an hour break before we continue on throughout the dungeon." Finn says as he grabs some snacks and water from a storage bag. As we eat the snacks and stay hydrated with water Finn and Shin are talking as I sit down against the wall while trying to get a quick nap in. As I''m trying to close my eyes and rest I listen in to their conversation while looking at my notifications. It seems that I''m level 39 already and I didn''t notice the notifications. "So why did you say we need to follow him? He beat me in a fight and I can solo this dungeon. Why wouldn''t he be able to?" Shin says to Finn as he sits down. "It''s mainly to set his foundation as an adventurer. He''s talented but his focus is only on fighting. I mean you saw it when he was fighting but when it came to traps he had no knowledge whatsoever. As an adventurer no matter how strong you are there are times when you have your guard down so I''m trying to teach him the basics to at least ensure his survival." Finn says while staring at the ground. Chapter 41锛欸oblins Rage (4) "It''s mainly to set his foundation as an adventurer. He''s talented but his focus is only on fighting and he barely has any survival skills. I mean you saw it when he was fighting but when it came to traps he had no knowledge whatsoever. As an adventurer no matter how strong you are there are times when you have your guard down so I''m trying to teach him the basics to at least ensure his survival." Finn says while staring at the ground. Listening in on their conversation gives me a mixed feeling of emotions. I feel like I have to pay this kindness back somehow. Is there anything I can give him that will actually be useful? Looking through the store I don''t see anything like a gift section so I think I have to give him something myself. Looking through the store to see what might suit Finn the break time runs out and we head out onto the Sixth Floor. The second we get onto the Sixth Floor a chill runs down my spine and I look over to Finn and Shin and even they seemed to feel pressured and have noticed as well. Looking at where the feeling is coming from there is a shadow of a huge goblin, probably not the goblin lord but it seems to be close in strength from what I''ve been told. [Appraisal] Name: **** Race: Goblin(Variant) Titles: Variant, Likes Traps, Arrogant, Transcendent, Goblin Lord''s Right Hand Man Class: Goblin General Variant Level: 40 Strength: 91 Agility: 53 Endurance: 102 Intelligence: 20 Wisdom: 15 Charisma: 1 Perception: 29 Regeneration: 8 Luck: 13 Magic Types: None it''s a fucking Goblin General, not a Sorcerer Skills: Loyalty(Lv.1), Soul Manipulation(???)(???), Scratch(Lv.Max), Goblin''s Roar(Lv.2), Strong Arm(Lv.1), Soul Intent(???)(???) ''What the hell, a skill that can''t even be ranked. Is that even possible?'' Having surprise and shock written on my face as I look over the Goblin General''s skills. It seems that I''ve meet something incredibly rare. ''System how does the skill have question marks instead of any ranking or level.'' [Skills that aren''t from this world haven''t been ranked. They aren''t limited by this world''s laws either and don''t have a limited growth rate. At the same time, skill points can''t be used on them and the only way to know what it''s level is to have the skill yourself. Of course, that means that someone taught this Goblin General that skill so you have to be careful of the repercussions.] ''Alright then, It may not be a skill form this world but that won''t stop me.'' ''Skill Steal "Soul Manipulation"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done] [Congratulations the skill "Soul Manipulation(Lv.2) has been acquired] As the skill disappears from the Goblin General''s status and appears in mine I can feel the entirety of my soul and even look into it as well. Looking into my soul I can see orbs of light gathered around an even bigger light that is shining blue. My soul, in general, is like a never-ending ocean that swallows up everything. Upon receiving the skill a flow of knowledge appeared in my head and I know that each smaller orb is a skill and the thing their surrounding is my life force. The Goblin General seems frustrated and angry that it can''t activate it''s skill and rushes at us with bloodlust. "This one is a general but it''s a variant as well. This hasn''t happened in 40 years. The Goblin Lord has to be a variant as well if this guy was still loyal to them. Goblins have a rule of only the strongest can be the ruler so we might have to go back and admission a quest to the higher ranked adventurers." Finn says as he gets ready to retreat. "Alright, but your buying dinner." Finn says as he helps Shin push back the incoming Goblin General. "Are you sure that we need someone to come and kill the Goblin Lord? Why don''t we just kill it ourselves." I ask as the Intermediate Sword is lifted into the air and slashed down causing even the air to make way for it. The damage done to the general was that it barely cut through his skin on his shoulder. Jumping back I decide to use the Soul Manipulation skill to see what a skill not from this world is like. "Soul Manipulation" As my soul brightens and enlargens my eyes glow white and I can see everyone''s souls as well. Shin''s soul is like a small but sturdy pond, and Finn''s soul is like a calm and soothing lake. The Goblin General''s soul is huge and violent like the sea. It seems that he had a skill like that for a reason. Although I don''t know if it will still work or not I still need to watch out for the Soul Intent skill he had. With the skill, I felt that I could control all souls around me so I decided to try and crush the Goblin General''s soul. As the Goblin General''s face contorts in pain form the anger he had before he holds his chest tight and falls to his knees. The light in my eyes die out and the Goblin General''s soul is damaged in return as his will to fight completely vanishes and is replaced by a fear he has only felt twice before. Once when he was forced into loyalty by the Goblin Lord and another for the Demon who taught him how to manipulate his soul. He was able to make the skill he received level 2 due to his hard work and dedication but now that was all for naught. Stabbing the Intermediate Sword into the Goblin General''s head as he was laying in defeat I felt one of the skill orbs in my soul enlarge and another orb shows up with the others. ''It seems that the thing that gave us all a sense of fear was indeed the soul manipulation skill. Just from using it the first time on someone who wasn''t suspecting anything was very deadly.'' [Congratulations the skill "Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.4)" has leveled up to "Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.Max)".] ... Chapter 42锛欸oblins Rage (5) [Congratulations the skill "Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.4)" has leveled up to "Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.Max)".] [Sword Mastery Evolution Requirements: Endurance (86/60), Kill an Evolved Monster(1/1), Reach level 50 (39/50)] [Due to killing a second variant monster the title ''Variant Killer III'' has been upgraded to ''Variant Killer IV''] ''Nice, Use 150 Skill Points on the Disarm Trap Skill.'' [Processing... Done.] [Congratulations the skill "Disarm Trap" has reached level 3.] Seeing that I no longer need the Intermediate Sword anymore I decided to give it to Finn since his Sword Mastery skill is currently on Intermediate level 3. "Finn, since your sword broke from holding off the Goblin General why don''t you take this one?" I say while handing him the Intermediate Sword. "Are you sure, I don''t want to take your sword it seemed like you were really comfortable with it." Finn says as tries to push my hand away and deny the sword. "It''s fine, this sword was made to be compatible with whoever uses it so you don''t have to worry about that. If you really feel bad how about you owe me a favor then." I say while pushing harder and then eventually he gives up and takes the sword. "Fine, I''ll repay the favor soon." Finn finally gives up and we head on down to the Seventh Floor. "Be careful, from now on every floor will have a ''Mini-Boss'' with each being stronger than the last." Shin says while we head down the staircase and into the Seventh Floor where another Goblin with at least the same amount of strength is waiting. This Goblin doesn''t seem as bad as the other one but I shouldn''t underestimate it just because of instincts. These Goblins should all have unique skills since they''re strong so this is a gold mine for the current me who is in need of more skills. ''Appraisal'' Name: **** Race: Goblin Titles: Talented Magician, Necromancer, Blasphemous, Cursed Weapon Wielder Class: Goblin Necromancer Level: 40 Strength: 45 Agility: 78 Intelligence: 90 Wisdom: 91 Charisma: 3 Perception: 19 Regeneration: 7 Luck: 22 Magic Types: Necromancy, Fire Skills: Loyalty(Lv.1), Mana Manipulation(Lv.5), Scythe Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.1), Goblin''s Roar(Lv.1), Raise Undead(???)(???), Control Undead(???)(???), Bone Reinforcement Magic(Lv.3), Fireball(Lv.4), Flamethrower(Lv.3), Explosion(Lv.1), Scratch(Lv.1) ''Uh, I don''t think having skills like that will lead me down a good path so I''ll skip them.'' [Correct decision. The skills related to necromancy all affect the user''s personality and soul leading the user to become Crazy and Murderous.] Although the Goblin Necromancer has some really evil skills and the Scythe me has is filled with malice towards us. That scythe gives me a nasty feeling. ''Appraisal'' Item: Cursed Grim Scythe Description: A Scythe that was Cursed by the Goddess of Life. Anyone who equips this Scythe will be unable to sleep and plagued with horrible nightmares. ''Well damn, it''s cursed with something terrible. I''m starting to feel bad for him now.'' While looking at his status and the item''s description the Goblin Necromancer does what he probably does best and sent over an entire horde of undead monsters. A lot of them are decomposing Goblins but there are some skeleton monsters mixed in throughout the horde. ''Skill Steal "Mana Manipulation".'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done] [Congratulations the skill "Mana Manipulation (Lv.5)" has been acquired] [Congratulations the skill "Mana Manipulation (Lv.3)" has leveled up to "Mana Manipulation (Lv.5)"] ''He shouldn''t be able to use any magic skills now since he can''t manipulate the mana needed for the skill.'' "Immediately start attacking him before he can summon more of the undead and make this situation worse." Finn says trying to fight off the incoming horde of undead but also trying to make this into a lesson. They don''t have souls so I won''t even be able to use Soul Manipulation against them. Man, I just got that skill and still wanted to test that out. "The best way to deal with the undead is to destroy them entirely or use magic to crush them. Use the explosion magic fro earlier but tone down down the mana you put in it this time." Shin says while covering me so I can use the magic. Writing ''Explosion'' with word magic I try to imagine a smaller explosion than last time. Eventually, I just decide to think up a different process. Initially, I thought of a bomb going off but this time I''ll try to use the process of an explosion. Thinking of creating the process of an explosion I immediately think of a highly concentrated region of hydrogen and oxygen and then start compressing them. The word this time has not only the color of an explosion to it but it''s giving off an aura of its own. As I go to activate the word it has very small explosions around the word as they chain into even bigger explosions. "Word Magic Explosion!" As the word activates the explosions chain together and gets bigger until eventually, it shoots out towards the incoming horde as Finn and Shin jump out of the way for the explosion. The word magic explosion lands in the middle of the horde and finally activates causing a huge explosion wiping out the entire horde and causing a little shaking to the dungeon. This one was more controlled than the last one so the aftershock shouldn''t be as bad. [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [You have killed ...] [Congratulations you have killed the "Goblin Necromancer", an item has been confirmed and has been stored in the inventory please check the item when you have time.] ''Before you use the current experience take off auto-leveling.'' [Experience: 21,490] "You ended up killing the Goblin Necromancer in the blast as well. The next floor should be around the same strength but have a different area of focus. So stay vigilant and don''t relax your guard." Chapter 43锛欸oblins Rage (6) "You ended up killing the Goblin Necromancer in the blast as well. The next floor should be around the same strength but have a different area of focus. So stay vigilant and don''t relax your guard. I''ve finished this dungeon numerous times and it hasn''t been as hard as this until the boss fight at the least." Shin says as he takes the lead this time down the stairs onto the Eighth Floor. "The floors have all been stronger than the last in some type of way so we need to be cautious and wary. I''ve sent a message to the guild master and if we don''t send another message within 3 hours they are to presume we are dead and then the guild master will come himself with the best that they can send at the time." Finn says continuing off of what Shin said. As we enter into the Eighth Floor this Goblin doesn''t have any aura at all and I don''t even see anything here. "Are we alone?" I ask while looking towards Finn to get his opinion on this situation. We enter the small room and there still isn''t any reaction to my Presence Detection. Is there an enemy with the Stealth skill higher than my current Presence Detection? "This enemy shouldn''t be as strong but its stealth is probably level 5 or higher. Stay close together and be alert of your surroundings." Looking around and still seeing nothing I decided to try out a new word with word magic. Making the word while trying to find the enemy is my main focus. "Discover" Using the word Discover it immediately causes a thin wave of mana into our surroundings and everything in this room becomes seen as plain as day. This not only includes Finn, Shin, and myself but also a Goblin that was trying to sneak up from behind me. The Goblin itself hasn''t noticed and neither have Finn and Shin so the Gobin just continues to tiptoe and try to sneak up behind me as quiet as he can. Looking at the incoming Goblin I decide that this one must be an assassin type so I have to steal an important skill before he has the chance to notice that I''m alerted to his presence. ''Appraisal'' Name: **** Race: Goblin Titles: Talented Assassin, Coward, Unique Monster, User of Shadow Magic, Idiot Class: Goblin Assassin Level: 40 Strength: 55 Agility: 71 Endurance: 32 Intelligence: 28 Wisdom: 30 Charisma: 5 Perception: 49 Regeneration: 7 Luck: 1 Magic Types: Shadow Skills: Loyalty (Lv.1), Goblin''s Roar (Lv.1), Shadow Manipulation (Lv.5), Dagger Mastery (Intermediate)(Lv.1), Backstab (Lv.4), Stealth (Lv.5), Cutthroat (Lv3), Lockpicking (Lv.2), Raise Shadow (???)(???), Control Shadow (???)(???), Shadow Reinforcement Magic (Lv.3), Shadow Step (Lv.2), Evade(Lv.7) Scratch (Lv.1) ''So shadow magic is a thing. I remember reading something about that in a manga. The manipulation skill doesn''t really look that enticing to me so I guess I''ll just take Control Shadow or something since I should be able to get the manipulation skill after trying some more. Now that I know that I should have stolen the soul intent earlier. I guess you learn after your mistakes.'' ''Skill Steal "Control Shadow".'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done] [Congratulations the skill "Control Shadow (???)(???)" has been acquired] [Congratulations a new magic type "Shadow" has been unlocked.] [Congratulations you have gained the title, "User of Shadow Magic"] "Watch out the Goblin is right there." I say while pointing out the Goblin as it started to notice that something was wrong. I guess I shouldn''t have stared at it for so long and it ended up suspicious of me instead. As I point out the Goblin I can tell it was shocked at first because it''s stealth was undone but then immediately tries to go back into stealth and retreat from the fight. It seems like titles don''t lie, this guy is a huge coward and his highest leveled skill is something that helps in running away. At first sight of being caught, he immediately ran back into hiding. He may think he is currently in hiding but the word magic that I used earlier is still in effect and I can''t tell when it will end. "Finn, I''ll give you directions so you help me deal with him. Watch out though he has the unique magic called shadow magic. His skills are all focused on running at taking advantage of the element of surprise." I say to Finn so we can get this floor done with. If the Goblin isn''t even strong then what''s the point of him being higher ranked than the other two. "Don''t underestimate the Goblin, it''s on the lower floor so it has to be stronger. It may be stronger by relying on something though so be careful of traps laying around." Shin says while looking around for traps to disarm while we deal with the Goblin. As we approach the Goblin that thinks it''s stealth is still working he put himself behind a rock near the corner of the room. This guy literally just trapped himself, how is a Goblin this stupid supposed to be stronger than the ones who actually put up a fight up on the higher floors. The Goblin is trying to use the shadows to his advantage and made sure to get rid of his. Seeing our shadows approach the Goblin tries to hold in a laugh as he gets ready to pounce on the unexpecting trespassers. "Soul Manipulation" Using soul manipulation on the unsuspecting Goblin who thought we didn''t see him proved to be a success as he is stuck in place and all his skills in which he used has come undone. Seeing a shadow pop up behind the rock and then the Goblin right after it Finn strikes the Goblin that can''t move due to being stunned from the shock of having his soul crushed. This Goblin''s soul is larger than the Goblin who had the original soul manipulation skill so I guess he was stronger in some way. The Goblin tries to fight back against the soul attack but is rendered helpless after Finn plunged the Intermediate Sword into its heart. [You have killed a "Goblin Assassin"... Received 2000 Experience] [You have only received half the experience since you have not dealt the killing blow.] "Watch out, there''s another Goblin Assassin!" Shin yells at us as he tries to rush over to help us out. Chapter 44锛欸oblins Rage (7) As I''m paying attention to the notifications from the system and being disappointed with only getting half the experience I hear a shout from Shin who is behind us. "Watch out, there''s another Goblin Assassin!" Shin yells at us as he tries to rush over to help us out. Hearing Shin''s shout I turn my head and look behind me where immediately after a shadow engulfs me and I notice a dagger almost at my throat. "Time Stop" In a panic, I immediately activate the skill Time Stop and the world goes silent. The dagger that was inching over faster than I''ve ever seen before stopped right before piercing my throat. The Goblin floating midair with a smirk on its face as it thought it has gotten its prey. I can see why that Goblin Assassin was stronger than the Goblin Necromancer, he wasn''t the only Goblin Assassin and he was being used as bait. If he went for Finn or Shin in this situation I don''t think I would be able to save them without stopping time as well. Just thinking about being fooled by something so simple really makes me angry without a limit. You thought you would be able to pick us off you bastard. I feel stupid for getting played in the hands of a mere Goblin. I''m gonna make this Goblin regret trying this on me. After some thinking, I decided that the best way to see this Goblin despair in this situation would be to make him think his plan worked only to be hit with the cold hard truth and then have his own plan turn on him in the last moment. Taking LostVayne out of the inventory I run my hand over the blade and leave a physical clone in place as I surround the Goblin and have all clones activate stealth while we wait for the stopped time to resume. Time resumes and the Golbin Assassin''s face doesn''t change from the evil smirk as his dagger finishes crossing the inch of space that would have been my end and finally, the dagger ended up piercing the skin of the clone as blood sprays and the dagger continues to go farther in the jugular. Seeing that the attack went through both Finn and Shin''s heart drop. The feeling of not being able to protect someone in a dungeon even though they cleared this one too many times to count. The feeling was like a wave smashing into them. Seeing their expressions I decided to quickly stab the smirking Goblin Assassin in all directions with all my clones while releasing my stealth after they all connected. As LostVayne pierced through the Goblin Assassin his expression changes from shock to fury seeing that I used his trap to bait him. One copy of LostVayne pierced through his kidney while the others sliced through his limbs to make sure he can''t fight back. The Goblin Assassin''s arms fall to the floor along with its legs as gravity comes into effect and causes him to land on top of all his limbs. Blood splatters even more than it did at first when he lands and the blood continues to flow out of all the open wounds. Watching the Golbin Assassin''s expression change from a smirk to shock and then fury, followed by the look of absolute despair gave me shivers throughout my entire body. The only way I could describe it would be as the best feeling in the world. Just knowing how he set up an elaborate trap and set his teammate up as bait only to work against him and be one of the leading factors to such an end gives me an indescribable feeling. ''Appraisal'' Name: **** Race: Goblin Titles: Talented Assassin, Cunning, Unique Monster, User of Shadow Magic, Calculating, Hard Worker Class: Goblin Assassin Level: 40 Strength: 62 Agility: 80 Endurance: 45 Intelligence: 34 Wisdom: 41 Charisma: 21 Perception: 49 Regeneration: 2 Luck: 0 Magic Types: Dark Skills: Loyalty (Lv.1), Goblin''s Roar (Lv.2), Mana Manipulation (Lv.5), Dagger Mastery (Intermediate) (Lv.3), Backstab (Lv.4), Stealth (Lv.6), Cutthroat (Lv5), Critical Strike(Lv.Max), Lockpicking (Lv.4), Speech (Lv.1) Shadow Step (Lv.2), Scratch (Lv.1), Dark Prison (Lv.2), Dark Escape (Lv.1), Desperate Strike (Lv.1), Poison Resistance(Low) ''There aren''t any skills not from this world so I guess I''ll take something interesting.'' ''Skill Steal "Critical Strike"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done.] [Skill "Critical Strike" has been added to your status please check your status to see results.] [You have killed a "Golbin Assassin"... Received 3000 Experience] [A Special Ticket has been found, look at the Special Gacha to see what anime, manga, or novel it has been changed to.] "Bell, what happened I thought you..." Finn asks but then stops himself. "Sorry about that, the second I heard Shin''s yell I left a clone in my place while I used blink to teleport behind and then surrounded him with all my clones while all of us were in stealth, I didn''t want my plan to fail so I didn''t get to show you all that I was alright and that''s why you couldn''t see me." I answer while feeling bad. They saved me from having to experience having my neck pierced so I feel bad for lying to them. Silence fills the room and the guilt eats into my soul for what feels like an eternity. "Let''s head to the next floor before they can set up a trap for us." Shin says trying to change the topic. "Before we head on to the Ninth Floor let''s rest and we talk more about some strategy. The next monster is always the same one so we have to tell you about it and how to counter its skills as well as how it fights." Finn says while taking a seat on a rock nearby. "What kind of monster is on the Ninth Floor?" I ask curiously since we never had to have a strategy meeting before. Is this monster so dangerous? Are its skills so dangerous that we have to be warned beforehand so we don''t fall into them unexpectedly? This really makes me wonder what''s down there if it heavily relies on those skills than I don''t have anything to worry about since I have the All Status Ailments Resistance skill. Chapter 45锛欸oblins Rage (8) "The monster on the Ninth Floor is always a Goblin King, it''s skills vary every time but there are a couple of skills that stay the same no matter what. Those are the skills we can prepare ourselves for. One of the skills are it''s Sword Mastery, it has already reached the rank of "Master" and can be said to rival even the dungeon boss itself, although that may not be the case anymore. If my theory is right then the Dungeon Boss mutated in some kind of way and now has intelligence on the same level as the High Goblin''s which was infamous for being more intelligent than a level 100 mage, normally the Dungeon Boss only has the intelligence level of a growing teenager at most but this time it has shown way too much intelligence, it even deactivated the Dungeon skill because it looked down on us. This is what it should look like." Finn explains while drawing a figure in the dirt. As he continues talking the drawing becomes more apparent until he eventually finishes and the figure is displayed. The figure in the sand looks just like all the other Goblins but the only factor that differentiates them is the crown on the top of his head. Looking at the drawing I get confused and ask, "What''s so special about him if he barely looks different than the regular Goblins?" "Don''t ever judge something based on what it looks like. It may look like a regular Goblin but it will tear you to shreds. Its strength is at least in the 90s and may even have reached 100. The Goblin King is known to use underhanded tactics when fighting and even enslaving female adventurers while using the males as fodder. Always make sure to finish it or else it will continue to control the adventurer''s it has previously defeated." Finn says telling me off about underestimating it. You can''t blame me for not taking it seriously though, I can''t appraise a drawing. "Okay, so what are the skills we have to be wary of?" I ask trying to cut the lecture short. I just want to finish this dungeon and take a good, long nap. "The skills you have to look out for are its Sword Mastery, King''s Intimidation, and it''s mysterious ability to read thoughts. It may not be exactly mind reading but adventurers have reported that it acts as if it was an experienced fighter." Shin answers in Finn''s place. "If we''re done here let''s go down to the Ninth Floor then." I say while heading for the stairs. "Alright, we''ll go down. Wait for us, and don''t get too far away, if you''re thoughts are influenced we may have to knock you out." Finn says as he follows behind me. Going down the stairs onto the Ninth Floor we leave the Eighth Floor behind us and decided to think about how I can change my habit of underestimating the enemy. The Goblin Assassins were tricky and in a way harder than the Goblin General and Goblin Necromancer. Seeing that my view on Goblins are limited and I have no experience with them I decided to listen to them and take their advice this time. It just goes to show if I didn''t have the ability to stop time then I would have been seriously injured if not dead right there. ''Alright, I''ve decided to plan ahead for this next fight,'' I say while going into stealth after leaving behind a physical clone from LostVayne. I may not be the clone but I can share the clones senses and even retain the clone''s memories if I choose to so it won''t be any different than me actually being there. As I follow the group from behind I let my clone continue the conversation as we head further down the stairs. "This Goblin King is very strong os from here on out we have to fight together. I''ll be tanking the Goblin King since I have the most experience fighting him. Shin, I want you to try and cut the back of his knees as fast as possible while his attention is on me. The Goblin King may be smart but it can''t resist the skill "Taunt" which literally taunts him and shifts all of the hate onto the user, this will leave an opening for you to get rid of its mobility and then we can bombard it with skills. Bell, use your magic and try to deal as much damage as possible before I use taunt, remember that any damage at all can help out later." Finn says explaining the plan as we all reach the end of the staircase and right into the Ninth Floor. As we reach the Ninth Floor and look towards the loud snoring a Huge Goblin with a crown fixed on its head is laying down on the dungeon floor and using a Goblin''s corpse like a pillow. The loud snoring which wasn''t audible until we reached the floor is heavily suspicious so none of us decide to approach it as it may be faking it. Seeing the opportunity I decided to appraise it and look at its status and skills. ''Appraisal'' Name: **** Race: Goblin Titles: Goblin King, Evolved Monster, King Class Monster, Enslaved, Forced Loyalty, Mutated Monster Class: Goblin King Level: 40 Agility: 91 Endurance: 100 Intelligence: 81 Wisdom: 71 Charisma: 13 Perception: 80 Regeneration: 25 Luck: 20 Magic Types: Earth Skills: Loyalty (Lv.Max), King''s Intimidation (Lv.2), Mana Manipulation (Lv.6), Sword Mastery (Master) (Lv.2), Presence Detection (Lv.6), Rock Bullet (Lv.4), Rock Wall (Lv.3), Earth Sense (Lv.2) , Rock Absorption (Lv.1), Enhanced Body (Medium), Human Speech (Lv.2), Scratch (Lv.1), Acting (Lv.3), Poison Resistance (High), Mind Reading (???) (???) Looking at his skills I''m shocked, he can actually read minds as Finn said was possible earlier. It isn''t some cheap version either, it doesn''t seem like it has a limitation. Finally, a skill that is related to the mind and can be used in almost any situation has been revealed. Chapter 46锛欸oblins Rage (9) As I read his status and get excited over the skill I''m about to steal I decide to stay in stealth and see exactly how the Goblin King uses the Mind Reading skill. As I''m moving away from the group and into a position to help them at a moments notice the Goblin King stops acting like it''s asleep and instead speaks in a deep voice, "You humans are no fun. Not a single one of you wanted to approach me." As the deep ominous voice fills the room an uneasy feeling washes over me and my clone in an instant. The feeling like I''m being watched as if my stealth wasn''t even activated. I decided to deactivate stealth since he can see through it anyways and a couple more clones appear around me as we all rush towards the surprised Goblin King. The sound of feet hitting the rock hard floor echo throughout the floor as Finn moves into position and succeeds in tanking the swing holding the Goblin King in place as all my clones move from behind him. As all the clones hit the Golbin King one by one a notification form the system comes to me that has stayed behind casting magic. [Combo Star Count: 1] [Combo Star Count: 2] [Combo Star Count: 3] [Combo Star Count: 4] [Combo Star Count: 5] [Combo Star Count: 6] [Combo Star Count: 7] ''So the clones hitting does count towards combo star, that really takes a load off of my shoulders.'' As each of the notifications represent a clone hitting the Goblin King each clone that lands a hit does even more damage after every hit. The first clone hit the Goblin King in the thigh with the copied LostVayne and barely did anything at all but as the second clone hit right after the damage done changed exponentially. The second clone hit him and this time it pierced the Goblin King''s thick skin even if no blood was drawn it left a mark. The third clone hit with precision and slashed at the exact same spot and there was finally some blood spilled out as the Goblin King smiles like a madman. "Really interesting, every hit grows stronger than the last." The Goblin King says as he smiles and shows off his jagged teeth. The fourth and fifth clone hit respectively and dealt nearly the same amount of damage all around the Goblin King''s body. The magic that my main body is preparing drains my mana until I''m almost out leaving me fatigued and it hasn''t even finished yet. As the sixth clone hits the Goblin King in the arm the Goblin King destroys the clone in one hit while the only thing the clone left behind was a deep cut on the Goblin King''s arm that is about a third through the entire arm. As all of this is going on Shin makes it around the busy Goblin King and slashes at the back of its ankles near the heel cutting the ligament in half causing the Goblin King to fall on its knees in pain. As the seventh and final clone moves in on the Goblin King it finishes what the sixth clone couldn''t and chops off the Arm of the Goblin King leaving it to fall far away with blood splattering all over the floor. "You humans really are interesting with your plans and using the knowledge you have of the anatomy of the body against your opponents. This would have worked if it wasn''t me." The Goblin King says smirking while invoking magic. "Rock Wall" As the Goblin King''s magic activates the ground around him rises up above his height and envelopes him blocking us from finishing him off. The rocks themselves are too hard for us to break. I sent a clone to try and the attack bounced off as if it was nothing. As the rock wall settles in place we hear another activation of magic from the Goblin King that is encased in a rock wall. "Rock Absorption" As the magic activates the rock wall slowly shrinks and enters the now visible Goblin King''s body. All the wounds he received rapidly healed in front of our eyes. Finn and Shin are both stunned from the shock. All the damage from throughout the battle has healed and even his arm was replaced. The shock on my face disappears as I see that the word I choose has finished writing. I have all my clones rush to the Goblin King since he currently doesn''t have his guard up and as each clone reaches him they attack only to be stopped by the Goblin King in retaliation, none of the hits counted towards combo star but I still have the combo so it seems that clones don''t reset the combo. As all the clones disappear from the damage they have received they all leave behind blood that covers where they were standing as well as cloud of smoke that ends up covering my real body as I approach the Goblin King and activate the word magic as he is focused on Finn and Shin thinking that he already finished me off. "Word Magic ''Reverse''" Chapter 47锛欸oblins Rage (10) "Word Magic ''Reverse''" As the word magic activates and encases the Goblin King in light all the rocks that were absorbed slowly seep out of the Goblin King as if they were never even absorbed in the first place. The cuts all over his body start to reappear and his arm falls off and turns back into a rock. Upon seeing that his magic was reversed and his body changing against his will the Goblin King becomes furious and goes berserk attacking everything in sight. He tried to activate the magic multiple times but every time he tried the mana inside him would seep out back into the air as if it was draining out. "What! What have you done to me!" The Goblin King screams as his body starts to continue to reverse without stopping. His body grew back from before the fight even began but it didn''t stop there. It was like watching a movie in reverse, his body continuously grew wounds and then got rid of them within a few seconds. All of us are staring at the Goblin King as his body rewound its own time on the command of the word magic. I didn''t think that the effect of rewind would be this strong, I thought it would only rewind the healing but it basically dealt with this guy by its self. What was the point of using a plan if I can just rewind someone until they''re not stronger than me? There has to be a limit to this. Let me steal the skill before he ends up losing it. ''Skill Steal "Mind Reading"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Error!] [The target "Goblin King" doesn''t have the specified skill.] ''What! I shouldn''t have waited to steal the skill, it''s all my fault for waiting.'' Seeing that the Goblin King no longer has that skill due to the reverse I continue to try other skills he had before. ''Skill Steal "Enhanced Body"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Error!] [The target "Goblin King" doesn''t have the specified skill.] ''Fuck me, what skills does he have then.'' I continue to try to steal some skills but it isn''t working. ''Appraisal'' [Error!} [The target''s status isn''t stable and can''t be shown at this moment.] ''Fuck me'' ''Skill Steal "Rock Absorbation"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Error!] [The target "Goblin King" doesn''t have the specified skill.] ''Skill Steal "King''s Intimidation"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done] [Congratulations the skill "King''s Intimidation (Lv.2) has been acquired] [Congratulations you have gained the title "Potential King"] ''Finally, a skill was able to be stolen. That was the first time that there was an error so I was worried that all his skills disappeared.'' While I tried to steal any skill I could think of from the Goblin King I decided to look back at the Goblin King and instead of the Goblin King from before there is a Goblin in his place and it continues to shrink until there is nothing left. ''Well damn, I shouldn''t use reverse unless I really need to. I didn''t even get any experience for killing the Goblin King, wow.'' "This is exactly like the Time Lord''s secret technique, "Time Reversal" which literally reverses the time of the target. There weren''t many ways to block this technique and even then it was a technique that was hard to get rid of. I''m surprised to see something like it in this world seeing that the Time Lord just disappeared one day." Finn says under his breath after watching that scene. "Well then, let''s take a short break and head on to the next floor." Shin says as he sits down and takes a breath. I don''t blame them, that fight took a lot of stamina and at the same time took even more mana than I''ve ever spent before. I feel empty inside and don''t feel motivated at all. In the future, I shouldn''t use all of my mana it just leaves me in a lethargic state and my state of mind feels off. Since we''re sitting here anyways I decided to check out the new Special Gacha banner. ''System, what is the current Special Gacha content.'' [The current Special Gacha content is from "Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon" or "Danmachi" for short.] [The Special Gacha reacts to your extraordinary luck, you have received a free pull.] Looking at the interface, it seems that I have to use the free pull first since the ticket pull isn''t showing up right now. ''Use the free pull.'' [Processing... Displaying Results] [(Free) Special Gacha Results: Noble Brave (Finn Diemne) ''Appraisal'' Skill: Noble Brave Description: Provides high resistance against mental attacks ''So I got a skill that isn''t really needed since I have All Status Ailment Resistance.'' [You currently have 1 special ticket. Do you wish to use it?] ''Sure, go ahead and pull for me.'' I say while thinking of the Transcendent title. The Guild Master got it because he was able to manipulate his soul so by now he might actually have the skill. The transcendent title showed that he was able to go farther than the 199 limiters on all of the stats and continue growing so does that mean the Goblin''s here were born without the limiter or did someone teach them the skills they had. [Processing... Displaying Results] [x1 Special Gacha Results: Spirit Healing (Riveria Ljos Alf, Ais Wallenstein)] ''Nice, a skill from Ais and Riveria. Now I''m curious about what it is.'' ''Appraisal'' Skill: Spirit Healing Description: Automatic mana regeneration. Begins regenerating mana at a small rate after magic use ''That sounds like an amazing skill that can be upgraded even further. I might be able to upgrade it to unlimited mana regen or something.'' Chapter 48锛欸oblins Rage (11) ''That sounds like an amazing skill that can be upgraded even further. I might be able to upgrade it to unlimited mana regen or something.'' [Would you like the system to answer?] [Cost: 100 System Points] [Yes/No] ''Yes'' [That upgrade isn''t available for the "Spirit Healing" skill as the system decided that since unlimited mana was in the cheat pool it won''t be available until pulled with a cheat ticket.] ''Understandable have a nice day.'' "Bell, let''s head down to the Boss room. We should be ready to retreat at a moments notice. If it is too much for us to handle I''ll be the bait so you guys retreat ahead of me and bring back up as soon as possible." Finn says with a serious face. I understand that he may feel responsible but he should feel responsible for me. All of us here should be able to take care of themselves. After taking in his statement I think more about ways of retreat. I can use my word magic to have any effect I want as long it is one word. The word retreat would probably just enhance my ability to retreat or something so I should think of something else. Using retreat is a no go since I can''t be sure of its effects, teleport would probably take only me but I may be able to use it on other people. I decided to try writing the word teleport in the air with magic tracing my finger. As the magic concentrates on my finger and continues to flow into my finger I try to write out the word teleport. As I get halfway through the word the magic becomes unstable and disperses into the surroundings. Am I missing something in trying to use teleport? It surprisingly didn''t use up too much mana but that may be because I didn''t get to complete the word so I should be prepared to do that. As I try to write the word again this time I think of a location, the Guild''s receptionist desk. This place would probably be the most useful in getting a report done quickly and have a second team come in for backup. "I brought you guys here while you were touching me so if I was to try and reverse the array we would have to be in physical contact. It shouldn''t be impossible but I don''t think that the Goblin Lord would let us go through with it peacefully. I would need cover for an unknown amount of time and I don''t want to risk that." Finn says while thinking for a while as Shin gets up and gets ready to go. "This dungeon has changed for some reason, it may a change due to the concentration of mana but it also may be because of outside interference. Think about it these goblins are way too strong to be caused by the change in mana around the area. The mana in the area has been changing recently and we just had that spike in mana a couple of years ago but this is too sudden for monsters of this kind to be created." Shin says after thinking our situation over. He''s right, these monsters are clearly different than what they should have been, they even had skills from another world which couldn''t be ranked by the world. I was shocked as I heard of the powerful skills and as I stole them I felt changes in my soul that ranged from a cooling feeling to enlargement of the soul. Hearing Shin''s reasoning Finn stops in place and has a sudden realization. He puts his hand over his mouth and looks over towards me. "There''s no way. That can''t be true." He says trying to convince himself otherwise. "What, why are you looking at me like that?" I say trying to question his rambling. He isn''t suggesting that this has to do with me being transported here from Earth right? There''s no way it''s been like a month or so and the monsters are only changing now. "It either has to be your arrival in this world that has some kind of effect on the mana or it may be the apple that you have. The apple gives off a unique mana response so it may have mutated the dungeon''s mana as it came into contact with it." Finn says as he looks towards me with an I told you so smirk. "That may be the case so if I transport the apple away with my magic would the dungeon return to its normal state?" I use word magic to transfer the apple to my room at the Inn. As I activated the word and sent the apple to my room nothing changed and I still get a bad feeling from the stairs at the end of the room. "It didn''t change anything so it is either a problem with me, the mana in the area, or outside interference." I say after concluding it wasn''t the result of the apple. It may have a unique mana response but it was in my inventory so it shouldn''t have affected anything. I had a hunch and it seemed that I was right, the apple had nothing to do with it. "Well then, let''s head down the stairs and confront this Dungeon''s boss." Shin says as he takes lead towards the stairs. They seem to think that this dungeon boss will be extremely strong and we won''t make it out of this so they are trying to keep their cool. As we proceed down the stairs I keep getting a feeling that I may need no use some extreme measures to make it through this one. I may have to try using word magic to reverse the Golbin Lord''s time until he disappears just like the Golbin King. I may not be getting experience for that move but it is a life saver. Chapter 49锛欸oblins Rage (12) After thinking through all of our options and having decided to save the word Reverse to use instead of teleport I follow the staircase down onto the Tenth and final floor. The Golbin Lord should be down here but I wonder if he has any guards with him. Now that I''m thinking about it we haven''t heard from the Golbin Lord since he deactivated the Dungeon''s unique skill. The last message he sent said something like, "The Goblin Lord laughs at your puny existence." and since then he hasn''t really sent anything else. Entering the Tenth Floor there is another hallway that opens up to a large room. In the middle of the room, the Goblin Lord just stares at us as we enter the room. The Goblin Lord is standing there with a smirk on his face, he looks like a green 7-foot human. I heard that the closer monsters are to their higher evolutions the closer that they start to resemble humans but this is the closest I''ve ever seen, he barely has any leftover features showing his Goblin heritage. The only noticeable thing is the pointy ears and his skin being slightly green. "If you can talk that would make this easier, Silver-haired human." The Goblin Lord says while looking at me. "What do you want?" I ask seeing that he is willing to talk. "Unfortunately I will have to ask you to leave, you humans aren''t needed here and I won''t be staying here either. The demons have offered me a position in their army and I don''t wish to have to deal with you three. Although the three of you aren''t enough to kill me I would lose an arm or two in the fight with no way for regeneration so the best option for both parties is to just ignore each other''s existences. How is it, benefits us both and I won''t touch any of the locals as well." The Goblin Lord nods as if he expects us to agree with him. "And you''re supposed to have us all figured out huh, you know exactly how much strength we have as well as all of our skills?" I answer after listening to him. "Stop speaking nonsense human, you humans have never been as strong as us monsters who have reached our peak evolutions. I may not be at the peak of all monsters but I am at the Final evolution for a Goblin Lord, and through the Demons, I can go even farther. What is the use of fighting if both parties sustain permanent damage and are willing to avoid the fight? To have revenge for the fallen humans? I''ll have you know that since I''ve been born I haven''t even seen any humans face to face, they all die on the Seventh or Eight Floor. You have already gotten your revenge and more out of them than what should have been possible so leave and come back to the Dungeon after I''ve left." The Goblin Lord explains while holding his arms out showing he doesn''t wish to fight. I... I don''t know if I can trust this Goblin Lord, there isn''t any reason to trust him but I keep getting the feeling that I shouldn''t kill him. "What will happen to the Dungeon after you''re gone?" Shin asks after thinking for a while. "The Dungeon will return to normal after I leave and it will be like I was never here in the first place. I may be a monster but as we monsters evolve we become more like humans in more ways that one." The Goblin Lord answers. This Goblin Lord seems different than the one that sent me the message of a puny existence. After thinking it through I decide to use this situation of nonaggression and take the opportunity to check his status. ''Appraisal'' Name: Shiv Race: [Human]Parasite Titles: World Traveler, Evolved Monster, Mutated Monster, Unique Monster, Cursed Immortal, Seeking Death Class: Parasite Level: ??? Strength: ??? Agility: ??? Endurance: ??? Intelligence: ??? Wisdom: ??? Charisma: ??? Perception: ??? Regeneration: Luck: -100,000 Magic Types: Earth, Water, Fire Skills: Self Calamity (Lv.Max), Appraisal, Mana Manipulation (Lv.4), Qi Manipulation (Lv.4), Sword Mastery (Intermediate) (Lv.2), Presence Detection (Lv.6), Rock Bullet (Lv.2), Earth Wall (Lv.1), Create Earth (Lv.1), Waterball (Lv.3), Create Water (Lv.Max), Extreme Poison Resistance, LifeStyle Magic (Lv.1), Body Reinforcement Magic (Lv.1), Trap Detection (Lv.4), Stealth (Lv.2), Survival Instincts (Lv.Max), Fireball (Lv.1), Create Fire (Lv.Max), Create Water (Lv.Max), Disarm Trap (Lv.1), Dungeon Adaptapion (Lv.Max) Unique Skills: World Traveling (Lv.34), Immortal Soul (Lv.Max), Parasite (Lv.5) Looking at his status a wave of sadness hits me. What type of life would you live if your luck was in the negatives? Would I be able to give him the death that he is seeking? I might be able to if I steal his immortal soul skill. After seeing his status I''ve decided to help him since I would be able to get rid of his skill. Seeing Finn and Shin''s indecisive behavior on whether leaving him alone or confronting him would be a good idea I decided to speak up. "Finn, Shin, we''re leaving without dealing with him. I can''t really explain the reason why but I believe that he isn''t lying at least." I say while immediately starting to write the word ''Return'' with my word magic. As the magic runs to my finger the Goblin Lord stares at me as Finn questions me. "Did you see something." Finn asks as he gives me a deep look into my eyes as if he was staring into my soul. Chapter 50锛欸oblins Rage (13) Instead of using words I felt it would be better to just nod and Finn and Shin both agree that we will be leaving. As I go to activate the word I move my finger towards Finn and Shin before they connect with me and activate the word sending them back to Finn''s basement array where we came from. The word activates and they start to phase out of existence as they return back to the basement. Confirming that they have left I turn to the dungeon boss Goblin Lord and look at his surprised face. "Why are you not leaving human?" The Goblin Lord asks as he looks confusingly at me. "I believe that I can help you in your current situation." I say after thinking about how to go about this. Upon hearing me the Goblin Lord became even more confused and asked, "And what is it that you can help me with?" "I believe that I have thought of a way to kill you." I answer after seeing his status once more. Every time I see the status and the skill world travel that has leveled to the 34th level I get a painful feeling in my heart. Just knowing that there are people out there who are stuck in an endless loop of despair really kills my heart. If I ever run into any of these people I''ve decided if they allow it to take on their pain while relieving them of theirs. "And on what grounds do you believe that you can kill me? I don''t understand how you can to know about my curse but since you know about it you should also understand that I''ve tried everything already and have lost any hope. I''ve tried the priests class cure, the world tree''s sap, the fountain of youth, and I''ve even tried other curses. Nothing has worked for thousands of years and now a human child believes that he can give me death. And how do you think you can give me my wish." The Goblin Lord Shiv says laughing at me for even trying but still wants to hear about the method on how I think I could achieve it. "I have the ability to steal skills so all I have to do is steal your Immortal Soul skill and then you can finally die." I answer to him revealing one of my ultimate abilities. It may seem like a stupid thing to do but I feel that since he would end up dying if it works then no one would find out anyways. "So that''s why on the Seventh and Eighth Floor their skills stopped working and they became distraught. I may be on the Tenth Floor but I''m the boss of the Dungeon so I''m connected somewhat with all of the lifeforms in this Dungeon. It''s true that the way you thought of just might work but wouldn''t that make you take my place in this suffering instead? Why would you do that for a stranger?" The Goblin Lord questions me not understanding why I would take the suffering in his place. "That''s easy. It''s because I have a way to delete my skills. Skills that I have to need for or ones that I find irrelevant I could erase them like I never even had them in the first place. So using the same principle I wouldn''t have an immortal soul because I got rid of the skill." After explaining my method to free him from his thousand years of suffering his confusion clears up and he becomes more acute. "Go ahead and try it then, I have nothing to lose in this situation." The Goblin King says as he agrees to my help and lowers his guard. This may be a quick decision for him but it is probably the only time I can actually confirm if this would work. I should be able to recycle it and gain some tickets from it. I don''t know what kind of tickets I would get from it but there is a possibility of getting something really good from this. "Alright, sit still and I''ll tell you when I''m done." ''Skill Steal "Immortal Soul"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done] [Congratulations the skill "Immortal Soul (Lv.Max) has been acquired] [Warning! A change in the soul has been detected. Running diagnostics... Done.] [The results of diagnostics is that the soul has changed types from ??? to undying. No matter what happens you will not be able to fully die, upon death you will be resurrected after some time in a perfect state.] ''System go ahead and recycle the skill Immortal Soul.'' The reason I want to get rid of the skill is that having that skill would lead to despair no matter how you think about it. I would outlive all of my friends, people would be suspicious of me because I never age, and I would have to cover it up by moving and never having a place I could call home for long. [Recycling... Done] [Recycling the skill "Immortal Soul" has earned you 1 Shop Ticket(Low).] [The Shop Ticket is a ticket that allows you to get one free item from the shop. The current Shop Ticket is limited to a low amount of System Points. Anything 2000 System Points and under can be purchased for free.] "I''ve finished. How about you? Do you feel any different?" I ask looking up at the Goblin Lord Shiv. "Yes, after a thousand years I eventually began to feel my soul wasn''t decaying like it was supposed to and after having it tested throughout many worlds I found that it had the undying property. I was stuck in an endless loop of world traveling instead of reviving in the same world so I had many people try to help me out. Who knew that trying to become evil and taking over a Goblin Lord''s body would have led me to what I was hoping for. I thank you Silver Haired Adventurer, for releasing me and for risking yourself in case the deletion of the skill didn''t work. This may be selfish but I have one more wish, please finish the job. This Goblin Lord no longer has the strength to move." The Goblin Lord says as he lays on the ground as his soul slowly starts decaying throughout the thousand years that it should have. Feeling happy that I could help him and relieve him of his suffering I decided to end this with what a Goblin Slayer should say. Chapter 51锛欻eartfelt Gratitude [Secret Achievement Unlocked: Heartfelt Gratitude] [Achievement Description: Gratitude from the depths of the heart is the biggest reward you can receive.] [Reward: 1 Cheat Ticket] Standing there in silence from the notifications I decide to ask the system, "Why did I receive a Cheat Ticket for a minor secret achievement?" [Upon review of how the achievement has been received as well as the person who gave the Heartfelt Gratitude and the situation it has been deemed worthy of a Cheat Ticket. The experience earned from the Goblin Lord was also used to increase the reward as well.] ''Turn back on Auto Leveling, please.'' [Congratulations you have reached level 44.] [You currently have 1490 Experience left.] ''Well, that must have been a lot of experience saved up.'' After taking care of the Goblin Lord and receiving his gratitude I decide to head out and use word magic to return back to the basement where Finn and Shin were waiting for me. Seeing me come back in one piece they''re happy and eventually question me. "So what happened? Why did you stay behind?" Finn asks as Shin nods while standing behind him. "I used the same thing from the Goblin King, I had a talk with him before that though. We talked about how the lower floor bosses had unusual skills. He said that the mana from the apple was the problem after all as well as some outside help by the mana rising in the area." I decide to hide the incident about the Immortal, not because I didn''t trust them but because I would have to explain my skill stealing as well and I don''t want to be hunted for it. "So it was coincidences stacked up giving a bad outcome. The increase in mana increased more than just monster activity huh, we''ll have to increase guards at the gate and investigate the Dungeon further." Shin said as he puts his hands behind his head and we leave Finn''s basement and head to the guild. At the guild, it was like a regular day. Adventurer''s coming and going, people searching their adventurer rank mission board. Walking up to the front desk we''re told that the guild master is busy so we have to wait for permission. As we sit around and wait the guild master comes down himself and grabs us as we head back into his office. In his office, the guild master cleaned off some room on his desk so he can write up our reports. "Bell, explain your side first." The guild master took my report first and said I could leave so I went to the receptionist''s desk to ask for some information. "Hello, what can I help you with today?" The male receptionist asks with a friendly tone. "Hello, I''m looking to go to a book store or a Library. Are there any in this city?" I ask the male receptionist as he looks puzzled and then answers my question. "What about the inner Library?" I asked curious of it since he directed me towards the outer one. "To access the inner Library you need to either be of nobility or permission from an Earl." the receptionist answers as he hands me the directions on a sheet of paper. "Thank you for your help." I thank him and head out following his directions. As I follow the directions on the paper I eventually finish them and come upon an average church with a cross that emits light. I walk up to the church admiring the detailed carvings, I wish to meet whoever made these carvings they look like they can even rival the Ancient Greek and Roman creations. ''He said it''s across the street so...'' I walk I turn around and there is a huge building that has a sign that literally says "Library" while also having another sign with a book on it. Walking into the Library there is a list of rules on the wall outside. [1. No talking loud.] [2. No checking out books.] [3. 1 Silver Coin Fee.] ... There are more rules but they are mainly the same as Earth''s Libraries so I head in. As I walk inside the interior is filled with books and shelves. I walk up to the front desk to pay the admission fee while taking a silver coin out of my inventory. "Hello, I would like to read some books." Isay while putting the silver coin on the desk. "Yes, I''ve received payment so go ahead. Here is your ticket, it will glow when your time is up. After 1 hour you will be reminded to either renew your time available here or leave the Library." The Librarian tells me while handing me a piece of paper. I put the paper in my pocket and look around the section labeled world history. Reading through the book at top speed since my intelligence stat has raised to 96 after level up to level 44. After about 40 minutes pass I run into a book labeled "The Goddess Gaia." The Godded Gaia is the original goddess who was born with the creation of the universe. The one true God who governs everything but one day she was infuriated by humans. The humans had to idea what they did to offend their God but in return for offending her they could no longer see their status, use experience to level up, and they had to create technology to advance their classes. All the "Humans" who had reached godhood had abandoned their fellow humans and left the plane of existence. Thus the humans had no contact with the so-called gods until one day an envoy came down out of the sky and introduced himself as an envoy of the God of Light and that he would like to set up a church and spread the God of Light''s teachings. Soon followed by an envoy of the God of Fire, and then followed by an envoy of the God of Magic, followed by an envoy of the God of Space and Time. This continued until one day an envoy of the God of Plague showed up and set up a cult. Chapter 52锛欴onating To The Church In front of the Library, there''s a commotion and all the people go to see what it is. While they all get up to go check it out I continue to read through the book ignoring the commotion at the front of the Library my head starts to throb and some pain arrives as if it was there in the first place. This is probably the thing that Finn mentioned. An array I think? As my head continues to throb more and more things continue to go through my head. A woman''s figure continuously shows up in my mind but I can''t make the face out. All I see is a figure that looks photoshopped and censored. Eventually, my headache calms down and my head stops throbbing but I still can''t remember the face of the woman. Getting up to go check the commotion outside since my time was almost up. I walked to the entrance of the library only to see a crowd surrounding a guard that caught a little kid. They''re in front of the church as the guard has a hold on the little kid. "Let me go!" The kid yells as he continues to try and get free from the guard''s grip. "No, I told you all to stop stealing from the stalls and you continued to do so." The guard says as the crowd makes way and they head into the church. As the crowd disperses I found the librarian and I give the ticket back to him and as I leave I decide to head towards the church and walk in the open front door. The people of the church aren''t here right now and it''s probably because of the guard bringing a kid here. I guess they''re running an orphanage like a lot of churches. After some loud talking, a door towards the back opens and the guard from earlier and a priestess follows after. "Thank you for bringing him back, I will make sure he will go and work off the debt of the things he stole." The Priestess says as she slightly bows and bids farewell to the guard. "It''s fine, if it was another guard who didn''t know your circumstances then he would have put the thief in the local jail and he would have been forced to do manual work until it was paid for. They seem like good kids so try and keep an eye out on them." The guard says as he turns around and notices my presence. The guard and the priestess both notice me as the guard starts to walk towards the entrance. "Is there something I can help you with?" The Priestess says she walks over. "Yeah, I''d like to pay for that kid. Is that fine?" I answer while looking at the guard. The guard realizes that I''m talking to him so he answers, "Yeah, that''s fine as long as the owner gets his money. That''ll be 30 copper coins." The guard says. "Sure, here you are." I say taking 40 copper coins out of my pocket I hand it to him. "There''s some extra." The guard says while eyeing me closely. "It''s for the seller. Make sure to tell him that the kid is sorry." I say while insisting he takes it. "Alright, see you later." The guard says to the Priestess as he waves and leaves. "Thank you, sir, for your kindness." The Priestess says as she bows. "No problem, I was planning to ask you guys if you take donations." I ask as I get ready to take out some money. "Yes, we do. How much will you be donating and will you like to be recognized for this or would you like this donation to be anonymous?" The Priestess says as she grabs some papers from a desk nearby. "I would like this to be anonymous, and I have 30 coins here for you." I say as I hand her the Gold coins that I took out of the inventory and put in my pocket. "Thank you for your donation, you may want this to be anonymous but thank you for your help. Any amount can help when feeding the children." She says as she grabs the coins and writes down the amount. "It looks like having an orphanage is costly so make sure to use that money on the kids. I''ll be back to donate once again at a later date." I say as I leave the church and head towards the blacksmith''s shop that Finn told me about earlier. The Priestess waves goodbye as I head out and then she looks down at the coins I gave her. "Even copper coins could let us feed them for a couple of days at least." She says as she looks down and notices that the coins look a bit different than copper coins. "Wait, these aren''t copper. Sir, are you sure you wish to donate this much?" Upon noticing that the coins are gold coins the priestess tries to chase after me and call after me but I made sure that I was out of sight before I left. After walking for some time I reach the blacksmith shop and head in since there aren''t any people currently here. In the blacksmith''s shop, there are some weapons on display as the sound of a hammer hitting metal echoes throughout the shop. "Hello, what can I do for you?" I hear the blacksmiths loud voice over the sounds of the hammer and metal. "I''m looking for a dagger or something so I can dismantle monsters, also I need some maintenance on this sword." I answer thinking that I might as well as stop using my silver sword for dismantling and handing him the silver sword as I can tell it has become dull over time. As the blacksmith takes the silver sword and hands me a dagger he inspects the silver sword. "It''ll be 70 copper for the dagger and the maintenance will be 1 silver so that''ll be 1 Silver and 70 Copper." he says after inspecting the sword for a while. ''Maybe it''ll be a good source of income if I learn blacksmithing as well.'' Chapter 53锛歎sing The Shop Ticket Deciding to make some money with blacksmithing I decide to open the system shop. [System Shop: [Armor] [Weapons] [Skills] <--- [Magic] [Cheats] ---------------- [Skills Shop: ... As the options continue to show up I decide to use the search function of the shop. ''Search for skills related to Blacksmithing.'' [Searching... Done.] [Skills Shop: [Blacksmithing] [Mana Crafting] [Hammer Mastery] [Metal Working] [Ore Appraisal] [Mineral Appraisal] [Metal Extraction] [Ore Purification] [Mineral Purification] ... The list continues on but just looking at it they are all important parts of what I need. I think I should earn blacksmithing so I can use the experience I have to possibly learn the other extra skills. ''Use the Shop Ticket(Low) on the skill Blacksmithing.'' [Processing... Done.] [The skill "Blacksmithing" has been added to your status.] [Due to your limited knowledge the skill "Blacksmithing" has been set to level 1.] [Would you like to purchase knowledge related to Blacksmithing? There are multiple versions and each version''s cost varies.] ''Sure.'' [Beginner Blacksmith Manual] [Description: Gives you knowledge that fits a beginner blacksmith.] [Cost: 100 System Points] [Intermediate Blacksmith Manual] [Description: Gives you knowledge that fits an intermediate blacksmith.] [Cost: 1000 System Points] [Master Blacksmith Manual] [Description: Gives you knowledge that fits a master blacksmith.] [Yu Ilhan''s Manual] [Description: Gives you knowledge that fits a Blacksmith God.] [Cost: 1,000,000,000 System Points] ''Go ahead and buy the beginner manual.'' [Processing... Done.] As the system completed the purchase knowledge flows into my head about blacksmithing. At first, I thought it would just pop into my head but it was like I learned it instead at a fast pace. I learned some of the hammer method needed, as well as how to forge basic weapons such as a Sword, Spear, Kunai, Saber, Dagger, Shuriken, Lance, a Magician''s Staff, and also a Kitchen Knife from Earth. I wonder who uses a Kitchen Knife as a weapon? There are a lot of beginners weapons needed for a blacksmith I guess. The Armor that I''ve learned to make is Shield, Helmet, Gauntlets, Boots, and Chest Plate ''Could I buy a house from the system as well?'' [Anything is available.] As the system responds to me it displays the information that I''m looking for. [House] [Item Description: A small house that can be modified by the system.] [Cost: 1000 System Points] [Upgrade Cost Varies.] ''How much System Points do I have?'' [Currently, you have 115 System Points] ''Go ahead and use the cheat skill ticket.'' [Processing... Done.] [x1 Cheat Ticket Results: Future Sight(Low)] [Congratulations, you have acquired a skill that lets you see into the future. Please proceed with caution when you are in doubt.] [Congratulations! You have completed the secret quest "Time Manipulator"] [Desription: Have at least 2 skills related to the manipulation of time.] [Reward: Time Magic Affinity has been increased.] [Congratulations you have gained the title "Time Mage"] After leaving the blacksmith''s shop I decide to head back to the guild and find an extermination quest to go on and earn some system points to buy a house so I can expand it to have a blacksmith''s environment. Inside the guild, I walk in a check the Rank D Mission board. The mission board has many options like Goblins taking animals from a nearby village, Kobolds that had attacked a village and need to be checked, Orcs that were building up their forces and they wiped out a village. Grabbing the Orc quest I look at the details. [Quest: Orc Hunt] [Details: A group of Orcs has destroyed a village nearby. It is assumed that they have taken the woman to breed. When investigated there weren''t any remains and the village was on fire. The Orcs were nowhere to be seen and need to be found.] [Requirement: Level 35+ [Reward: 25 Silver Coins, 2 Silver Coins Extra Per Orc.] Taking the quest paper to the front I register the quest and head out to the village given their directions. I use word magic to hasten myself but with an agility stat of 96, I can run this distance the distance of 10 miles in about 20 minutes. After reaching the village in question there isn''t anything left but the remains of a burned down village. No surviving villager''s, no bodies, and no signs of any Orcs. Seeing that there aren''t any obvious clues as to where to Orcs went I decide to use word magic to try and find them. I begin writing the word I''m thinking of using on my hand as it slowly starts to glow and activate once the word is finished. "Word Magic Find" Using the word "Find" with the Orcs in mind the word slowly shifts into an arrow and points towards the direction I came from. ''Did I pass by them without noticing them?'' I think as I turn back and follow the direction that the arrow points me towards. After a couple of minutes, the arrow slowly starts to change directions and points towards the right which leads to a forest and after following the arrow for a while, is a huge cave entrance that is covered with moss. The cave entrance doesn''t have any tracks at all and doesn''t look like it''s been used in a while. The entire area surrounding the cave is covered with moss, even up to the trees. ''The arrow is pointing to the inside so I guess I''ll just go inside and take a look.'' Following the arrow inside the cave entrance, I try to avoid the moss to leave fewer signs of my entrance. As I step into the cave my surroundings change and I enter stealth to make sure anyone who is in here doesn''t notice me. The Orcs set up some kind of Illusion at the entrance so there has to be some kind of evolved Orc-like an Orc Mage or something. Walking through the cave it seems like it was manmade instead of natural. There are some smaller Orcs walking around doing patrol near the entrance so activating stealth was a good idea. My stealth is only level 2 so far so I might need to use some of the skill points I have to level it up. Following one of the patrolling Orcs, we walk throughout the cave and enter into a smaller tunnel that leads to another room. As we enter the tunnel I continue to get a bad feeling as we go in further. The Orcs continues to speak to himself as we enter the room only to see that this is where they are keeping the human women that they have captured. Chapter 54锛歋ealing the Cave The Orc continues to speak to himself as we enter the room only to see that this is where they are keeping the human women that they have captured. The room itself is dark with the only light coming from the entrance but all the women here are lying there in despair. I kill the Orc that I''ve been following and recycle his entire body to gain some system points as I think about how to deal with the women here. I have a way to reverse what happened to them but I''m not sure if I can stop the reverse word. The word literally reverses the time of whatever it touches but I''m not sure if I can stop it. After all, I''m not even sure if they can still live with the fact that they were captured. As I''m debating what I should do one of the women grabs my leg with barely any strength. "Please kill me." She says with no emotion as she stares at me with a deadpan face. All the other women here all continue to sit there but they all say the same thing. "Please kill me." The blonde haired young woman says. "Please kill us." The brown-haired young woman says. "Please kill me." The brown-haired older woman says. "Please kill us." The brown-haired woman says. "Please kill me." The red-haired young woman says. "Please kill us." The blonde haired older woman says. A wave of guilt fills my heart as I decide to ask anyway. I didn''t think I would be dealing with this so soon. "I may have a way to save you all. Do you still wish to die?" I say barely maintaining my voice. I can''t understand how these women would react to the question but I know for sure that there will be some that don''t wish to live with themselves after all that has happened to them and their families. Upon hearing my question none of them speak as the room is filled with the sounds of rapid breathing and crying. "I understand your choice. I can only hope you will meet your families in the afterlife." I say as I grab LostVayne and walk over to the group of women who are all sitting there in silence. "I promise that I will not only avenge you and deal with these Orcs in the most painful way I can, but I will deal with all future Orcs I encounter in the harshest way I can so that I can further prevent others from having the same calamity as you." I say to them and prepare myself for what comes next. A new feeling bubbles up from inside of my heart. The Orcs should have been sighted before, why were they not reported? Was it their Illusionist? I''ll make sure to use his illusions to torture them to make them feel as much pain as possible. My chest continues to beat irregularly as my heart feels as if it is gaining weight. [The System has detected an abnormality in the host''s emotions.] [Detected abnormality... Identifying Issues... Done.] [Result: Abnormal Hatred for Orcs.] [Quest: Destroy The Orcs] [Quest Description: Orcs are monsters that are made out of the miasma in the world as well as mana. Destroy these vile monsters that use other species females to breed. Give satisfaction to all the poor souls who have been tainted by the hands of Orcs.] [Rewards: Gives satisfaction to the lost souls.] [Reputation - Souls +10%] [Reputation - Orcs -10%] After reading the quest that was given I decided to ask the system for a favor. "System." [Yes host?] "Don''t absorb anything from these women. Please leave them completely intact, body and soul alike." I''ve been thinking about my abilities and exactly what is "experience". So far my theory is part of their soul. Anything other than that would be in the realm of something I don''t quite understand yet so I''ll just leave that to your imagination for now. As I finish asking the system for my favor my head goes silent for some time before I get a reply from the system. [Yes.] I leave the room after putting all of their bodies wrapped in cloth into the inventory. I head down the tunnels and dispatch all Orcs that try to get in my way. As I head back to the entrance I move magic power to the tip of my finger as I begin to use word magic and start writing a word on the entrance to the Orc hideout. "Word Magic ''Seal''" I activate the word magic and seal the entrance so none of the Orcs can escape as I slaughter all of them. I especially don''t want the illusionist to escape right under my nose as I deal with the other Orcs. As I continue throughout the Orc''s hideout I continuously activate and deactivate the skill time stop whenever I can to see if I can comprehend the uses behind it and possibly I may be able to comprehend some time magic from understanding the principles behind this skill. If I can understand the principles and apply them to other things I can make my own skills. [Congratulations you have reached level 45.] These Orcs don''t give that much experience. I''ve killed more than 30 now and I don''t know the exact amount of how many are left, my presence detection skill only tells me the direction but not how many there are. ''System, how many Orcs are left.'' [There are currently 10 Orcs in your surroundings. The Orc Mage is currently to your left with the rest of the remaining Orcs. If you take a left and follow the tunnel you will run into their hiding place. Currently, they believe themselves to be under an illusion so they wouldn''t expect you to come and attack them.] ''Thanks. I''ll make sure to steal the illusion skill that he has while they don''t see me coming.'' I say as I follow the system''s instructions and follow the tunnel while trying to be on the lookout for anything unusual. Chapter 55锛歍he Illusionist Following the system''s instructions and going through the tunnel I end up running into a dead end. The illusion doesn''t seem that perfect to me because I can still feel their presence with the presence detection skill. I guess this illusionist isn''t that experienced with his own skill. I activate Stealth followed by Time Stop as I run into the wall and through the illusion. Trying to go through the illusion keeps putting thoughts of doubt into my head. I persist through it as time is stopped only to see a group of Orcs huddling together in a corner of the makeshift room. They aren''t moving due to time being stopped but just by looking at them I can tell that they were shivering in fear. ''I guess that they knew I was slaughtering the other Orcs. They just couldn''t do anything to me.'' As I get closer to the Orcs time resumes and their bodies go back from being still to shivering as if they were freezing. Looking at them I decided to appraise the one in the middle of the group as they are all crowding that Orc. ''Appraisal'' Race: Orc Illusionist Titles: Evolved Monster, 2nd Rank, Unexperienced Illusionist, Carried, Coward Class: Illusionist** Level: 50 Strength: 40 Agility: 36 Endurance: 68 Intelligence: 87 Wisdom: 84 Charisma: 1 Perception: 7 Regeneration: 12 Luck: 25 Magic Types: Illusion Skills: Mana Manipulation (Lv.4), Survival Instincts (Lv.Max), Dungeon Adaptation (Lv.Max), Improved Thinking (Lv.Max), Speech (Lv.2), Swordsmanship (Beginner) (Lv.2) Unique Skills: Illusion Magic (Lv.1) ''This Orc''s status is kinda bland. It''s like he has done nothing all his life.'' ''Skill Steal "Illusion Magic"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done.] [Skill "Illusion Magic" has been added to your status please check your status to see results.] Upon confirming that the skill was in my status I try out the fabled illusion magic. As I try to activate the skill all the other illusions in the surroundings are released as they are no longer being supported by the original skill holder. I begin to think about what kind of environment and monsters would bring them the despair and helplessness that they deserve. After going through the options while time was stopped I finally find something that would give them terror like never before. After thinking it through I decided to send them all into the illusion of them being transported onto a ledge in the middle of a volcano that looked as if it was about to erupt. Looking into the illusion that is playing in their minds I can feel the heat as it starts to make me unconsciously sweat. The heat itself was more than enough to cook them alive if they were actually there. As they looked around the ledge that they were on they can''t see any way out as the Lava starts to slowly rise and their faces contort in pain from the intense heat. The pain that they are feeling is my imagined version of the Sun back on Earth. This was the closest that I could get to the original 27 Million Fahrenheit/15 Million Celsius that the sun is. As the Orcs tears dry up before they can even leave their face they continue to try and find a way off of the ledge only to find that the Lava starts to slowly go down as a giant figure covered in lava starts to float up. The lava that flows down off of the giant body as it exposes large deep red scales that resemble the scales of a Komodo Dragon except for these scales that are exaggeratedly large. The figure eventually comes out of the lava fully to be a full-on Red Dragon and it looks pissed. The Orcs that were crying and trying their hardest to find a way out of this hell are all sitting there in disbelief as the Dragon locks eyes with them and gives them a big smile and then opens its mouth and swoops down and grabs one of the Orcs as the rest continue to scream and run around. As soon as the Red Dragon moved in to grab an Orc I make sure to kill it outside of the illusion and recycle the body so it won''t leave any evidence as the Orcs continue to scream in despair as they sit there in an illusion. Leaving the illusion myself I decide to sit there and let the Orcs feel the fear of the full front of a Dragon as I imagined. [You have killed an "Orc"... Received 80 Experience] ''Now that I think about it, the dragon kinda looked like one from a movie on Earth. I can''t remember the name but it was a widely famous series. I''m beginning to remember less and less about anything from Earth. Its been a couple of weeks since I''ve been here but a lot has happened, I''ve only gotten to see the town and it''s surroundings a little but I''ve never left the area. I read in the library that this world is huge itself. The reincarnated people said that it was at least 5 times that of Earth.'' After killing off some of the Orcs I continue to recycle them while also reaping in the experience all the while making sure that the illusionist that kept these Orcs from being found and reported stays alive for a little longer. [You have killed an "Orc"... Received 90 Experience] ''These Orcs definitely aren''t worth the experience. It''s probably due to the level gap between them and me. The highest level other than the illusionist was about 20 and right now I''m more than double that so I understand the sad amount of experience that they are giving me is reasonable.'' [You have killed an "Orc"... Received 70 Experience] While thinking to myself the Orcs slowly whittled down to the very last one that is the original illusionist. The illusion that I set on him may have ended but the mental fatigue he has right now is real. The Orc illusionist sits there staring at me as his eyes slowly lose any light in them and a relieved look shows on his face as my sword pierces his head. Chapter 56锛欱urial [You have killed an "Orc Illusionist"... Received 9000 Experience] [A Function Ticket has been found] [Quest "Destroy The Orcs" has been completed.] [Rewards received: Gives satisfaction to the lost souls, Reputation - Souls +10%, Reputation - Orcs -10%] [Warning! Your reputation with the "Orc" race has gone from "Neutral" ----> "Hated"] [Warning! Your hatred for the Orc race has caused them to feel the same. Any Orc within 10 feet of you will automatically avoid everything else and attack you.] [Your increased reputation with souls has shocked the "Community of the Dead" as a result, you have an increased affinity with souls.] Ignoring the flood of system notifications I quickly recycle the Orc illusionist''s body and leave the cave hideout. As I leave the cave I use word magic to lead me back to the village since I only have a vague idea as to where the village is. After arriving at the village''s remains I find an open area and buy a shovel from the system shop. As the sounds of dirt piercing the ground resounds in the area I begin to think over what to do next. Should I take a break and find a plot of land to put the house on, or should I go on another quest hunting more Orcs? ''System, how many system points do I have now?'' [You currently have 2013 system points.] [You recycled over 50 Orcs with all of them being in near perfect condition. All of their skills were recycled as well. Due to the nature of your quest, the souls of the Orcs were recycled and sent to live out an eternity of pain.] ''Thanks.'' As I continue to dig a couple of body-sized holes that are pretty deep I take out one of the women and after putting her carefully in the ground I fill the hole back up as carefully as I can. ''I can buy the house now so I should buy a plot of land, as well as some modifications to the house from the system. I hope that they aren''t too expensive or I would have to go on another quest from the guild.'' As I finished the burial of the women sounds of walking in dirt reaches my ears as I turn around and greet him. "Hey, Finn. How was reporting to the guild master?" I say as I put away the shovel after cleaning it. Upon seeing the graves Finn''s expression changes but then quickly goes back to the calm expression that he had before. "It was fine, do you want to walk back together?" Finn says. "Sure. I''m finished here so let''s head back together." I say while checking out the system store. ''Could you show me the house from earlier?'' As the system displays the information for the house without replying. [House] [Item Description: A small house that can be modified by the system.] [Cost: 1000 System Points] [Upgrade Cost Varies.] [Would you like to buy this item?] [Yes/No] ''Yes.'' [Purchasing... Done.] [The "House" has been put into your inventory] "So how was your guild quest?" Finn asks probing for my reaction. "It was okay, I was too late to save anyone. The village was burned down by the Orcs and the women were taken." I answer. "I see. That happens sometimes. We can''t save them all, but when you have the chance to save anyone. I believe that you should take that chance because not only in this world but every world I''ve been to or heard about, there are people who just ignore the other''s plight and only think of themselves." Finn says as he starts leading the way. "I think that is a good idea." I answer after listening and thinking about what he said. ''System.'' [Yes.] ''Use the Function Ticket please.'' [Using Function Ticket... Done.] [x1 Function Ticket Results: Create NPC] [Congratulations! A new system function has been unlocked. You can now create NPC characters that will do a specific action.] [The first Bot created is free. Do you wish to create an NPC?] [Yes/No] ''Yeah sure.'' [Processing... Done] [Congratulations! An NPC has been created. Do you wish to name the NPC?] [Yes/No] ''Yes.'' [Please input the desired name.] ''Wrath'' [Do you wish to confirm?] [Yes/No] ''Yes.'' [Please create the character''s appearance.] ''Copy my appearance, from there I will make adjustments.'' The character customization screen from when I was first transported to this world is displayed in front of me once more. I had it copy my appearance so there is a complete model of me. The silver hair, blue eyes, and a complete copy of my body. After thinking while walking back with Finn I decide on making the hair black but leaving everything else. [Congratulations! The NPC "Wrath" has been created. Feel free to issue an order whenever you are ready.] ''Hunt Orcs.'' [Spawning the NPC "Wrath" on a random Orc settlement... Done.] ''What can I do with the monster that the NPC kills?'' [NPC''s give all reward to the master. All experience is given to the host as "NPC Experience" which can level the NPC to become even stronger. The first NPC will start with 50% the strength of the host but every NPC from now on will be 10% of the host''s strength.] ''So I get a different type of experience, what about the system points that are earned from the monsters?'' [All system point earned are the hosts to keep. At the same time, you can use the system points to upgrade the NPC''s skill set.] ''Nice.'' [The system has detected that you have enough experience to create another NPC. Do you wish to proceed?] [Cost: 10,000 Experience] [Yes/No] ''Yes'' [Processing... Done.] [Please create the character''s appearance.] ''Copy my appearance, from there make the hair white. Name the NPC "Gluttony". '' [NPC "Gluttony" has been created.] ''Spawn Gluttony in the same place as Wrath.'' [Yes.] ''Just update me on the progress of the NPC''s every morning.'' [NPC Settings have been changed.] As I was creating the NPC''s appearances the walk with Finn continued as he brought up topics and continued to walk at a leisure pace. "How were the Orcs?" he asks. "They were fine, One of them was level 50 and had the illusionist class so it was hard to find them." I answer as we continue to head back to the city. . Chapter 57锛欱uying Land As we approach the city and enter through the gate Finn talks. "You mentioned that you were looking for a house right? I''ll wait outside while you complete the quest report." Finn says tells me to go inside without him. "Alright, I''ll be right back." I answer while turning around and heading towards the guild door. Walking inside the guild it''s the same as normal. People sitting in a group drinking, laughing, and overall they''re all being rowdy. It''s not even 4 in the afternoon and these guys are already drinking. Walking up the line for turning in quests the receptionist sees me and asks, "What can I help you with?" "I''m here to turn in my quest, I believe it was called "Orc Hunt". I''m here to report that the village was already destroyed and all of the Orcs are dead." I answer reporting to the receptionist as he writes down all of the information as I continue to describe the events that happened. "I got there and everything was destroyed, the Orcs had a hideout in a cave nearby but it was under an illusion. The Orcs were lead by an Orc Illusionist as he tried to cast an illusion on the surroundings. There were 50 Orcs and all of the Orcs all died in the attack. Any bodies I found were buried." I continue to describe the events as best as I could. As the receptionist continues to write at a breakneck speed he stops and looks up to me. "Yes. If that is all here is the reward." The receptionist says as he puts the report away and hands me the reward according to the number of orcs. [You have gained 75 Silver Coins.] The system immediately deposited them into the inventory as I walk out of the guild and find Finn. "I''ll lead you to the real estate agency that I used to find my house. They keep everything anonymous and won''t leak any details." Finn says as he takes the lead. "Sure. I just need a house." say as I follow closely behind him so I won''t get lost. As we go throughout the city I follow Finn until he comes to a stop outside of a big building. "It''s right here." he says to me and then opens the door and heads inside the big building. As we walk inside the building an employee comes up to us and greets us. "Welcome to our real estate agency. How can I help you two today?" he asks. "We''re looking for a house for him." Finn says as he points towards me. "What kind of house are you looking for?" he says after picking up some papers off of a nearby desk. "Preferably one that kind of isolated and has a lot of land so I can make necessary renovations if needed." I answer after thinking up a description. "What''s your budget?" He asks while looking at me. 1 Gold Coin was enough for a family of 4 to live for a month. 350 Gold Coins should be enough to get a large sized property with some extra land. I might be able to make the house into a mansion with tons of specific rooms by expanding it with system points. "Hmm... there are only 3 properties that are currently available for that amount. One of them is very large but the house is considered haunted so I don''t think you would want that one." He whispers to himself as he picks up some papers and looks through the properties. After scanning through the papers for some time he looks back up to me. "This house here should fit what you are looking for." he says as he hands me papers relating to the house. Looking at the papers it seems that the house and description of the land fit perfectly to what I asked for. A large amount of land "I''ll take it." I say decisively. I don''t even need to see the house since I''m replacing it with the system''s house. The house from the system would be brand new anyways. I bought it for 1000 system points so I''m gonna use it no matter what. "Then please follow me to sign over the property. The house already has some things inside so you are free to keep them or replace them." he says as he sees my lack of interest in the look of the house. He probably thinks that I''m some rich second generation who likes to spend. As we finish signing over the deed of the land over to me I take the deed and put it in the system for safe keeping. It should be the safest place that I can find so no one should be able to steal it from me. I had to put a drop of blood on it so there shouldn''t be anyone who can forge it either. As Finn and I leave the real estate agency he turns to me and says, "Well, I''ll be heading out then. You go check out your house and get comfortable there. If you have any questions you know where to find me." "Sure, thanks for helping me out." I say glad that he didn''t want to come. I didn''t want to explain how the house changed in one day. As Finn leaves I head to the location of my newly bought house that was provided by the agency. If the house looks bad then I can just replace it with the system house anyways. While thinking of what types of changes I would want to make to the system house the property comes into view after a 20-minute walk. The house doesn''t look too bad but it looks kinda old and it doesn''t look like anyone really kept good care of it. There aren''t any houses nearby either so I''m not sure if I have any neighbors. ''Did anyone even want this house in the first place? Why was it so expensive?'' I think to myself as I continue on the road leading to the house. The size of the property reminds me of a farm on Earth. The deed to the property says that it was about 300 acres of land but man there wasn''t anyone on the way here either. Maybe I bought a property in a deserted part of the city? Chapter 58锛欵xorcism ''This place might be a deserted part of the city or maybe no one wanted to live here for other reasons?'' I think to myself as I continue on the road and eventually reach the house. It is a pretty big house, about twice as big as the ones on Earth. The house is basically run down with no upkeep whatsoever. "System go ahead and replace this house with the one bought from the system shop." [You are unable to replace the house when enemies nearby.] "What! Where are the enemies? I don''t sense anything nearby." [Scanning area... Done. Displaying results.] [Enemy Scan results: Ghosts x14, Zombies x3, Ghouls x2, Undead Vampire x1] "Well, why didn''t the sense presence skill sense them then." [These kinds of enemies don''t have a presence to emit so they weren''t detected by the skill "Sense Presence". This is the number one reason why the undead are feared by adventurers as well as the number one reason that they are able to catch people off guard. Please keep your guard up at all times until you are able to exorcise all of them.] "So ghosts do exist then." I say surprised that ghosts were confirmed to exist so easily. ''How has no one noticed the ghosts at all. They seem like they''ve been here for a while.'' Magic power flows through my body and down my arms as it begins to grow immensely in my hand. Now that ghosts have been proven to exist then this word should be a perfect counter to them. I really have to hand it to the system, the notification that it gave me was a perfect hint on how to solve this situation the fastest. As the magic power continues to grow in my hand I begin to write out the word using word magic and the immense amount of magic power gathered in my finger as I write a word that should help me in this type of situation. "Word Magic ''Exorcise''" As the word magic activates a white light darts towards the rundown house at a speed faster than my eye can catch. Cries emanate from within the house as the white light encases it and everything inside the house. [You have killed a "Ghost"... Received 70 Experience] [You have killed a "Ghost"... Received 70 Experience] [You have killed a "Ghost"... Received 70 Experience] [You have killed a "Ghoul"... Received 300 Experience] [You have killed a "Ghost"... Received 70 Experience] [You have killed a "Ghost"... Received 70 Experience] ... [Congratulations! you have reached level 46.] [Congratulations! The Stat "Regeneration" has reached its limit of 100.] [Congratulations! Due to your regeneration stat reaching the limit of 100 a new skill has been created.] [The skill "Transcendent Regeneration" has been created.] [Due to the skill "Transcendent Regeneration" the Stat "Regeneration" will no longer be displayed in the status.] [The skill "Transcendent Regeneration" can be strengthened through use. Current skill level is set to level 1.] [Congratulations! Due to the Stat "Intelligence" having reached 100 a new skill has been created.] [The Skill "Telekinesis" has been created. The Skill "Telekinesis" is currently set at skill level 1 and can be strengthened through use.] [Congratulations! Due to the Stat "Wisdom" having reached 100 a new random property has been added to your mana.] [Congratulations! The Random Property added to your mana is "Depletion".] [The Mana Property "Depletion" can deplete the stamina and mana of whatever it touches.] [Due to the discovery of a Mana Property a new section in the status has been created!] [Congratulations! All Stats have reached 100!] [Congratulations! You have gained the title "Balanced Character"] ''Are there any enemies that survived that magic?'' [Scanning for enemies... Done.] As the system scans the surroundings I get tense from how much longer it is taking this time. I hope nothing survived that I want to see the house that I bought from the system shop in person. [Scan for Enemies Results: No Enemies Detected.] "Thank God. The suspense was killing me." I say while feeling relieved that there aren''t any enemies. ''Wait, that means that the undead vampire that the system mentioned in it''s earlier search was killed off as well. I thought that vampires were supposed to only be able to die to silver and the sunlight?''As I feel happy that there aren''t any more enemies nearby I begin to think of ways to get rid of this house. "System, can I recycle this house?" I ask the system as I am unsure if it was possible. [You can but the house is run down and you will only receive system points for the materials and not the value of the house.] As I got the answer from the system I decide to go with it and receive some system points. "Go ahead and recycle the run-down house then." I say as I stare at the house to see what the system would do to it. [Recycling the item "House(Run-Down)"... Done] As the system gives me the notification of it starting the recycling the house in front of me begins to slowly break down and get smaller until it becomes so small that it disappears out of sight. [You have received 200 system points.] "How many system points do I have right now?" [You currently have 1213 system points.] "I guess that''s a plus of buying this house then. Can you put the house from the system down then?" I ask as I stare at the area where the old run down house was. It may have been a bad house but it brought me 200 system points so I won''t say anything bad about it. [Using the item "House(Customizable)"... Done. The item "House(Customizable) has been placed successfully.] [The item "House(Customizable)" has been set to the standards of Earth but it can be customized further for system points.] Chapter 59锛欱oundary of the Realm As the notification sounds in my head, something gradually starts to get larger in the same place as the old run-down house from before. The new house looks like a standard house that you would find in the suburban area of a certain country. The painting on the house is a beige color with a couple of windows and a second floor. The interior opens up to a living room filled with couches and a coffee table while the dining room is connected without a door but it has a dining table and 4 chairs surrounding it. The dining table is the exact same from my house on earth wood base with a glass circular top with a tablecloth over the top. Heading up the stairs there is a hallway with 1 door at the end of the hall. Bracing myself for what I''m about to see I walk through the door. Upon opening the room I''m met with a room that itself is just a cleaned version of my room on Earth. Looking at my desk that is in the corner of the room is the laptop that started this all. The screen is still the same as the one on that fateful day. The day that has lead me down this path of another world. I may not have chosen to die myself but I have no regrets leaving that world other than leaving my mother. I may not have been a good son but I still wish the best for my mother. ''Is there anything I can do for my mother?'' I say while remembering all the time spent with my mother. After my sister died due to the illness and my father just completely disappeared without any trace my mother and I really took a hit mentally. I could see that she was keeping to herself more and when I eventually stopped going to school she continued on going through the day with work. When I moved out and got my own place after winning some money through tournaments in games. I raking in a minimum of a million a year and I didn''t get give her access to my bank account. [There is but it is extremely difficult to send things through realms and it will take some time. Are you fine with that?] "Yeah, that''s fine with me. What can I send her?" I ask wondering what would be good to send her. [Currently, you can give her access to your bank account which has a total of 2.3 million USD sitting in there. You can also send money to her bank account with the use of system points at a rate of 100,000 USD for each system point. The last thing that you can send to the world "Earth" is medicine. The medicine here would be too potent for the humans of that realm as mana exists here but you can still send her the medicine called "Panacea" it may be useless here because the existence of mana forced the illness to evolve with the attributes of mana but the archaic diseases and illness of the earth is a piece of cake to deal with and can be cured immediately upon use.] As the system explains to me what I can do for my mother back home a new screen shows up in front of me as three options are displayed. [1. Allow Access to bank account - Free] [2. 100,000 USD - 1 System Point] [3. Panacea - 10 System Points] "Before I choose anything, how much system points would the blacksmith upgrade be?" I ask before making a decision. I''ll be able to help but I can fuel her bank account for the rest of her life with a constant stream of System Points every couple of months. [The upgrade to the house would include a new room on the second-floor hallway and would be a total of 1000 System Points.] The system replied to my question. "Go ahead and purchase that upgrade then." I say while thinking about what to send with the remaining 213 System Points. [Processing... Done. The upgrade time will be 1 hour for the upgrade to be completed.] "I''ve decided. Give her access to my account, send her 113 System Points worth of cash, and send her 10 Panacea just in case she gets sick." I say after deciding on what I should end to her it may not be enough to replace me but I knew for sure that this could help her live her life better. [Giving access to bank account... Done.] [Sending money to bank account... Done. The total amount of 11,300,000 has been sent to the desired bank account.] [Sending Panacea... Error! If sent with just this then the panacea will be thrown away. Would you like to send a message as well?] "I can send a message!?" I shout as I heard the system saying that I can send the message. [Yes. You can send a message but it will be heavily censored and won''t even be written. The only things that can go through the realm''s barrier without being erased completely would only be instructions on how to use the Panacea.] The system explains in the same robotic voice as always. "Send the instructions as well." I say heartbroken. I didn''t want to die and reincarnate but here I am in another world having abandoned my mother. ''Maybe there is a way to transfer over the realm boundaries since I''ve already done it once. I''ll finish everything needed here and I''ll head back to her within a couple of years. It''s been a couple of months since I''ve been here so I should be able to be there within 5 years. Maybe I should find more ways to increase my leveling speed. Chapter 60锛欱lacksmiths Room [Everything has been sent and is currently trying to pass through the boundary of the realm. The system will send a notification once your mother receives the items you have sent.] "How will she respond to the sudden amount of money as well as the access to my bank account?" I say out loud as I wait for the house to finish upgrading. "Do you think she would believe the effectiveness of the pill?" I ask the system worrying that she would just throw them away thinking she was crazy. [The recipient is given a false memory that explains the effects of the pill. If they are thrown away it will automatically go back to the case that they came in.] ''That''s a relief, it may be a false memory but it won''t lead to any changes.'' After looking around the house for a while I got a notification from the system. [Upgrade complete. The blacksmith addition to the item "house" is complete and can be found in the upstairs hall.] Sure enough, there was a new door in the hallway and it is located right next to my room door. The door has an anvil carved onto a sign as it hangs from the door. Opening the door leads to a basic fantasy blacksmith shop. There''s a huge anvil in the corner with a fireplace in the middle of the back wall. There are hammers lining the wall as they are all held up on a shelf and they all vary in size and weight. A fire is already lit in the fireplace and I can feel the heat from the entrance of the room. The heat itself wasn''t that strong but I can feel it as if it was an extension of my body. [You can adjust the heat to whatever you need just by pouring in magic power and thinking of the degree needed. The system can change the heat while you get used to the mana usage.] "Can I enhance weapons here as well?" I ask the system hoping to be able to enhance any equipment myself. [You can but there are two different ways to enhance equipment. One being a reforging process which includes using mana to strengthen the equipment further which only increases the already existing attributes on a piece of equipment and another being an enchantment where you add properties that weren''t present to a piece of equipment using the skill enchantment.] "So currently I can only do the reforging process. That''s fine I guess but how do I start the reforging process on this." I say as I take the Silver Sword that I got back from the blacksmith out of the inventory. This item is OP against Vampires and can be said to be a trump card but I never run into any vampires and I only use it on demons and monsters. [You currently don''t have the skill to increase this item. The Silver Sword is made of pure Silver and was made by someone who was a master blacksmith. If you want to increase the attributes attached to the Silver Sword then you would need a Blacksmithing level of at least 7. Then after that you still need experience in the art of reforging to be able to enhance the Silver Sword any further.] "Damn..." I say while putting the silver sword back into my inventory and taking out the Dagger that I got for dismantling. ''Appraisal'' Item: Dismantling Dagger Description: A dagger specialized in dismantling while it is made out of iron it has a great affinity for mana. The dagger has increased sharpness while dismantling. That blacksmith was pretty nice to give me a dagger that specialized in dismantling for the price of a regular dagger. Maybe he just didn''t know the dagger''s effect. "Can I enhance this?" I ask the system while holding the dagger with expectation. [Yes you can. It will become sharper and can be used for gaining experience.] The system responds to my expectation with a satisfactory answer. "So I just need to heat it up and apply mana right?" I ask the system to make sure that I have everything down. [Basically yes, but further down the line there will be other things you can do to strengthen items.] As I take a seat by the fireplace I make sure that I''m ready as a wave of red soars across the room reaching the end of the room instantly and then disperses into nothingness. "Did I just see that?" I ask the system wondering if I had seen a hallucination due to the heat. [Yes. What you saw was the wave of mana used to create the heat. The magic power was used and sent throughout the room to disperse evenly.] The system answers as I continue to question what I saw. As I sit down again and grab tongs that were sitting in a rack I put the dagger in place and put it directly into the heat. [Now apply mana through the tongs until you feel that it is enough.] The system says explaining the next step just in case I needed any help. As I send mana through my hands and to the tongs there is a wall in the way of me sending the mana any further. [You sent the mana to the tongs instead of through the tongs. Make sure to envision the dagger, not the tongs.] As per the system''s instructions I sent mana through my hands and through the tongs this time until eventually, it reaches the dagger and stays there accumulating as I continue to pour more mana in. Eventually, I decided that it was enough mana and stopped sending mana through to the dagger. As I take the tongs and dagger out of the fire I make sure to put the dagger and tongs into the water bin that was on the other side of the room. Chapter 61锛歍esting the Enhancement "There isn''t much in this room but at least it has the basics." I say as steam comes from the water as it cools the dagger and tongs. As the dagger and tongs finish cooling I take the tongs out and put them back where they came from while also taking the dagger and appraising it to see the differences. ''Appraisal'' "Did I upgrade it?" I say as I peek at the information form the appraisal. Item: Dismantling Dagger +1 Description: A dagger specialized in dismantling while it is made out of iron it has a great affinity for mana. The dagger''s sharpness can be increased at will with mana or if the dagger is used while dismantling. "Nice, it has an upgrade and I can increase its sharpness with the usage of mana." I say while staring at the dagger in my hand. The look of the dagger hasn''t changed at all but it looks as if someone has polished it. "Well, I guess I can try this out on a quick visit to the forest." I say as I put the Dagger back into the inventory and leave the house. Putting the house key into my inventory I ask the system, "Are there any kinds of upgrades that let me add a defense mechanism or maybe just letting only people I allow inside the house?" [There are. Defense mechanism range from simple golems as guards to high ranking magic to alert you when someone has entered. They cost a lot of points so check the system shop when you have more system points later on.] "Well, I guess I could go try out my upgraded dagger now." I say as I walk back to the adventurer''s guild and take a herb collection quest. I''ve never really done this but apparently not a lot of people like to take monster hunting quests instead of herb collecting and inspection quests considering it was late in the afternoon and almost all monster quests were already taken. I guess I should take quests other than monster hunting from now on. Maybe I should try to move to a bigger city? As I continue walking towards the forest of where I first came to this world I get a bad feeling in my gut as I look around grabbing the herbs that were mentioned in the quest. I know from experience that there wasn''t anything strong around here but here I am feeling fear from the unknown aura I''m feeling. I can''t sense anything in the surroundings with sense presence but I get the feeling that something is watching me. Walking further into the forest the feeling gets more intense and I start to feel as if it is piercing my soul. It feels as if something is trying to take over my body like a parasite or something. As I continue to try and fight whatever is trying to enter my soul something appears in front of me out of thin air. On reflex, I immediately cast appraisal and looked at the status of whatever this thing was. ''Appraisal'' Name: ****** Race: Parasite(Elf) Class: Elf Archer(Parasite) Level: N/A Strength: 145 Agility: 130 Endurance: 129 Intelligence: 90 Wisdom: 90 Perception: 97 Regeneration: 72 Luck: 51 Magic Types: Spirit Mana Property: None Skills: Body Invasion(Lv.4), Body Enhancement Magic(Lv.1) , Appraisal, LifeStyle Magic(Lv.3), Presence Detection(Lv.6), Dismantle(Lv.Max), Mana Manipulation(Lv.5), Dungeon Adaptability(Lv.Max), Trap Detection(Lv.2), Stealth(Lv.1), Survival Instincts(Lv.Max), Summon Spirit(Lv.2), Disarm Trap(Lv.1), Enchantment Magic(Lv.4), Forced Regeneration(Lv.1), Telekinesis(Lv.1), Invisibility(Lv2), Scratch(Lv.3), Hightened Senses(Lv.Max), Spirit''s Call(Lv.1) Skill Steal "Invisibility"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Done.] [Skill "Invisibility" has been added to your status please check your status to see results.] As the figure completely comes to view it looks to be an Elf with pointed ears but from its status, I can see that it is clearly a parasite. So my guess was right earlier. Maybe because I''ve experienced this before? "Stop right there." I say to the parasite as it walks towards me. Upon hearing me speak the parasite ignores it completely but it''s expression changes slightly so it probably heard me. The parasite continues to walk towards me but all of a sudden it bursts into a sprint at me and tries to jump on me. ''Time Stop'' As time stops all around us the parasite stops in mid-air defying the law of gravity as the world itself stops as if frozen completely. "Man, it seems that the parasite can''t speak. I guess I''ll just kill it then. I wanted to ask about the feeling from earlier." I say disappointed as I grab the new dagger from the system inventory. Running mana through my body to the dagger in my hand as the dagger glistens in the light from the sun. The dagger itself shines as mana courses through it and it easily passes through the Parasite''s skull like butter. "The upgrade made it sharper than I thought it would, it was only enhanced once and its status had a +1 like it could be enhanced even further." I say while time resumes and the once frozen world resumes as if nothing happened in the first place. With a loud thud, the body of the parasite falls to the ground from the mid-air position it was in. As I move in closer to activate fire magic to burn the body since I didn''t get any experience the sound of leaves rustling sounds all around me as if I''m surrounded. The skill Sense Presence shows that there are living things surrounding me and just by looking I can see that a group of elf archers and elf hunters are surrounding the body that the parasite took over and me. The parasite is still alive so I have to be on guard so I make sure to write something with word magic and save it for later just in case. "How can I help you?" I say while looking at the one Elf who is approaching me with caution. Chapter 62锛欵lf Village near the Spawn Point? "Are you the one who did this." He says while pointing towards the body that the parasite took over that was lying on the floor with a hole in his head. "Yes, he attacked me with the intent to kill so of course, I protected my self." I say while looking at the Elf in the eye. "It seems not all humans lie compulsively." he says as he stares at me with a look of curiosity and then turns around and speaks to the other elves in a different language. "Sauer Voiel Dragus Umph Ningen Gnere." He says to the other Elves as the all sigh in relief and put their weapons down. [New language detected... Translating language... Done.] [Congratulation! A new language has been unlocked "Elven"] As the system give me the notification of the new language being unlocked the elven speech becomes understandable and more clear to me. The words that the main Elf spoke before replay in my head. "It''s okay, this human''s aura is Green." As the words replay in my head I can''t help but question his words. What does he mean by my aura is green? Why can''t I see the color of my aura? Does aura have colors? As the Elven Language was automatically translated the other Elves responded to the leader as they put their weapons down. "Thank the Lord!" One elf says as he throws his hands up into the air happy. "The savior has come!" Another elf comments as she stares at me. "His aura last time was as scary as a high leveled monster. If his aura is green this time then something has happened to him since the last time we saw him. Lead him to the village, We''ll ask him for a favor then." The lead elf says as he looks back at me and puts on a smile. ''Looks like they need some help but it can only be done by a human.'' "Human, we would like to thank you for finishing off the vermin. We would like to give you a reward for killing the vermin. Please follow us to our village/" He says as he turns around and speaks to the other elves. "Let''s head back, we couldn''t catch it and the young elf was completely gone anyways. Make sure to give compensation to his family." He says as he starts walking back the way they came. As they all follow him one of the elves turn around and motion for me to follow closely behind them. "Don''t get lost, it won''t be good for you." The lead elf says from the front of the group. I guess out of all the elves here only he can speak the same language as humans. Now that I notice it the humans here all speak English. I thought that was just the world language but maybe language is divided by race? As I follow behind the elf group I continue trying to get a line of sight on the lead elf since he was talking about the color of my aura but I can''t get a constant look at him. One of the downsides to appraisal is that I need to look at the target constantly and if I look away then the appraisal will go away as well. As the status keeps appearing and disappearing almost as soon as it appears I just appraise the elf that is walking in front of me instead of the leader out of frustration. ''Appraisal'' Name: Marie Race: Elf Age: 76 Titles: Talented, Special Class Holder, Magic Archer, Successor of the Elven Village Head, Ifrit''s Contractor Class: Spirit Archer Level: 54** Strength: 62 Agility: 86 Endurance: 51 Intelligence: 90 Wisdom: 90 Perception: 97 Regeneration: 17 Luck: 72 Magic Types: Spirit Contracted Spirits: Ifrit Skills: Summon Spirit(Lv.Max), Spirit Contract(Lv.1), Hightened Senses(Lv.Max), Spirit''s Call(Lv.3), Body Enhancement Magic(Lv.1), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.3), Presence Detection(Lv.4), Dismantle(Lv.Max), Mana Manipulation(Lv.5), Forest Adaptability(Lv.Max), Trap Detection(Lv.3), Stealth(Lv.2), Survival Instincts(Lv.Max), Disarm Trap(Lv.4), Flame Arrow(Lv.3), Fire Tornado(Lv.2), Flame Blast(Lv.1) ''Well then, do all Elves have the fucking Fire Spirit Ifrit as a contracted spirit or is this one just a special case?'' I say while dumbfounded by the presence of the name Ifrit in her status. If this is the same fire spirit Ifrit as the one from stories on earth then this may be a problem. ''Seeing that could they let her walk around as she likes Ifrit probably isn''t dangerous or she is strong enough to control him. Who knows maybe the Ifrit of this world is rational and doesn''t randomly go berserk like the stories of how it was depicted on Earth. As I follow the elf group of men and women we continue to walk through the forest as the forest becomes thicker. We eventually come to a stop as the trees around us move as if they were alive and I begin to check the movement of the elves but they are completely unfazed as the trees continue to move and make a circle which lights up and becomes a portal leading to our destination, The Elf Village. Chapter 63锛歐aiting for the Villages Request ''Isn''t this near the place where I spawned into the world? How did I not notice that there was someone watching me? Now that I think of it, it was probably because I was a low level then and didn''t have any sensory skills. '' The Elf Village is just as it would be described in a fantasy novel. With a limited number of elves due to their fertility rate, they expanded at near the same rate of humans. Although the current humans are still behind the ones of Earth. The Elves expanded in the forest while studying magic, making strides in magic and magic tools instead of advancing as a civilization. The houses were pretty normal for how advanced they seem to be. Just from the entrance, I can see that it was either a teleporter or a magic tool that covers the entire village in an illusion. Hopefully, it''s an illusion. I want to look more into how I can use illusions, I may be able to cover villages and hide them from monsters. "Follow me please." An elf says as he leads me to a nearby house. There are only a couple of houses, around 30 maybe? The house that I was brought to though resembled the houses that the humans of this world made in the city. I guess this isn''t the first time that a human has come to this village? The house looks quite old but it has been kept care of. "This house is where you will be staying for the duration of your visit. It may not be much but please bear with it until the chief calls for you." The Elf says as he bows and leaves me with the key. Entering into the house I decided to sit in one of the chairs and wait for the village chief to call for me. It doesn''t seem like it would take a while to be called since they looked like they had something important to ask of me. I''ll just look at my status in the meantime. ''Appraisal'' Name: Bell Silverbane Race: Human/??? Age: 16 Titles: Main Character, Variant Killer IV, King Class Killer II, Demon Killer, Goblin Slayer, User of Shadow Magic, Potential King, Time Mage, Balanced Character Class: Cheater Level: 45* Strength: 100 Agility: 100 Endurance: 100 Intelligence: 100 Wisdom: 100 Perception: 100 Regeneration: 100 Luck: 100 Magic Types: Fire, Water, Light, Shadow, Time Mana Property: Depletion Skills: Appraisal**, All Status Ailments Resistance(Lv.Max), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.1), Sword Mastery(Intermediate)(Lv.4), Presence Detection(Lv.4), Auto-Dismantle(Lv.Max), Mana Manipulation(Lv.5), Dungeon Adaptability(Lv.Max), Improved Thinking(Lv.Max), Evade(Lv.4), Body Reinforcement Magic(Lv.1), Trap Detection(Lv.4), Stealth(Lv.2), Fighting Instincts(Lv.Max), Create Fire(Lv.Max), Create Water(Lv.Max), Disarm Trap(Lv.1), Soul Manipulation(Lv.2), Control Shadow(Lv.1), Critical Strike(Lv.Max), King''s Intimidation(Lv.2), Blacksmithing(Lv.1), Transcendent Regeneration(Lv.1), Telekinesis(Lv.1), Invisibility(Lv.2) Special Skills: Counter Vanish*(100-Meters), Hunter Fest, Vain*(Passive), Combo Star, Noble Brave, Spirit Healing Cheat Skills: x2 Stat Point Gain, Skill Steal(Limited)*, Time Stop(3 seconds), Word Magic*(One Word)(Save Words), Future Vision(Low) Class Specializations: x2 Skill Point Gain, All Weapon Mastery ''Blacksmithing is level 1, Transcendent Regeneration needs to be tested, Telekinesis needs to be tested as well, and Invisibility can be tested immediately.'' I say to myself as I''m looking over my new skills. I feel that there might be some really useful things I can do with Telekinesis and the Transcendent Regeneration literally sounds Over Powered. ''Invisibility'' Upon casting invisibility a see-through aura encases me and my body becomes see-through as well but it is still kinda visible. [The skill makes to so you can see yourself but others cannot.] ''Alright then, Invisibility seems like another stealth so I''m not sure if it would be as useful. How about the uses for Telekinesis?'' I say as I deactivate the invisibility skill and my body becomes visible again. Grabbing the recently upgraded dagger from the system inventory I throw it at a random wall and as the dagger flies through the air ready to tear through the wall, I activate the Telekinesis skill focusing on the dagger as it stops mid-air. As I move my hand the dagger follows the same trajectory throughout the air. After testing it out some more I can move it with just my mind but it takes a lot more focus and more mana to use the skill. It doesn''t move as smooth as before either. I guess that I have to level the skill up for it to be more useful. Deactivating the skill I look at the new screen on the system the NPC Screen. [NPC Status] -Wrath (Lv.1) -Gluttony (Lv.1) [NPC Exp: 4600] ''How much experience does it take to level up the NPC''s?'' [The level formula for NPC''s is Level x 1000. Currently, it is 1000 experience to level up any NPC.] ''Level them both up to level 2.'' [Processing... Done.] [Remaining NPC Exp: 2600] ''Level up Wrath to level 3.'' I say after decided on which NPC to level up. [Processing... Done.] [The NPC "Wrath" has reached level 3.] ''It really is a shame that I couldn''t get the final hit on the parasite from earlier, I would have definitely leveled up from that.'' I say with a sigh as I think of what could have happened differently in that situation. ''How many skill points do I have left?'' [You currently have 240 Skill Points.] ''How many to upgrade the blacksmith skill?'' [The Blacksmithing skill can only be upgraded through hard work and proficiency. Skill Points cannot be used on "life" skills.] ''Damn, I wanted to be able to make OP items pretty quickly.'' After thinking about where I should put the skill points in I decided to put them into transcendent regeneration as a fail-safe. ''Put the skill points into Transcendent Regeneration then.'' [Processing... Done. Skill Points have been added to the skill "Transcendent Regeneration".] [Congratulations! The skill "Transcendent Regeneration" has reached level 2.] [You currently have 40 Skill Points left.] "Damn only level 2 huh," I say as I reflexively look towards the door where I can feel multiple presences approaching. Chapter 64锛欱eing Summoned As the group of Elven people approaches the door I put my hand on the dagger just in case something goes wrong. As they knock on the door it slowly opens as I quickly put the dagger back into the inventory before any of them notice. "Please follow us, the Village Chief and the Elders of the village wish to speak with you." The lead elf from earlier says in the human language as he proceeds to lead me outside. As we walk throughout the village a lot of the elves look at me curiously through their windows as I walk by with the group. Their whispers in the elvish language were translated in real-time to me as soon as I heard it. "Look, its the human the Chief found." One elf says while taking glances as me. "Do you think he really will do what the chief will ask of him?" Another elf says while staring at me with a face full of suspicion. I wouldn''t blame him though, I''m mainly here to get some experience to reach level 50 and reach the second rank already. "I don''t know about that but it was said that this human was one we already found before, but unlike this time he was predicted to be hostile by the Village Chief even after the Chief heavily wounded the wolf monster that was near him when he appeared out of nowhere." An Elf says in the elven language as he peeks at me with discontent. ''Damn, I thought it was weird that the variant wolf cub was so badly injured. I thought that I was given a free pass since I had just come into the world but it seems that I could have died if the elves weren''t there.'' ''Damn, the world really let me spawn there with no protection, whoever sent me here could have been at least careful of where they put a level 1 person. I would have died if that wolf cub wasn''t badly injured That would have been a prime example of spawn camping that everyone hates no matter the game. Whoever sent me here must not care about me then. I thought that they gave a system so I can adjust normally but maybe it''s something else.'' "We''re here. Please be respectful when in the presence of the elders. You may not understand our customs but please respect them." The leading elf says as he leads me to a large tree with a door on the base of the tree. "I understand." I answer as I follow him through the door that has been opened by the elven guards. As we walk through the doors we enter into the tree that has been hallowed out on the inside. As I look around the tree that''s been hallowed out but still very much alive I see that there is a group of older looking elves all sitting around the elf village chief from earlier. Seeing as how there isn''t anyone conveniently blocking my from using appraisal on him I decide to do so. ''Appraisal'' Name: Galan Norra Race: Elf Age: 176 Titles: Magic Archer, Elven Village Chief, Aura User Class: Elven Archer Level: 99** Strength: 82 Agility: 96 Endurance: 51 Intelligence: 90 Wisdom: 90 Perception: 97 Luck: 25 Magic Types: Spirit Contracted Spirits: Mizu Unique Skills: Aura Reading(Lv.2) Skills: Summon Spirit(Lv.Max), Spirit Contract(Lv.1), Heightened Senses(Lv.Max), Spirit''s Call(Lv.3), Body Enhancement Magic(Lv.3), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.4), Life Detection(Lv.2), Presence Detection(Lv.4), Dismantle(Lv.Max), Mana Manipulation(Lv.5), Forest Adaptability(Lv.Max), Trap Detection(Lv.3), Stealth(Lv.2), Survival Instincts(Lv.Max), Disarm Trap(Lv.4), Water Arrow(Lv.3), Water Tornado(Lv.2), Aqua Blast(Lv.1) ''Aura Reading? That sounds like a weird skill to have.'' I think to myself as I appraise it to find out more about this weird skill. ''Appraisal'' Skill Name: Aura Reading Description: Read the life aura of any living being. (Lv.1) Grants the ability to read aura. (Lv.2) Grants color to the aura showing the current level of danger. (Lv.3) ??? ... ''So not even I can see further into that skill huh.'' I say to myself as the elder village council finish sizing me up. "He isn''t as strong-looking as you said he was. Are you sure that he defeated the elf that went out of control? He doesn''t look like he can hurt our weakest elf rather than one of the top 10." One of the elders says in the elven language. I guess that they think no humans would bother to learn the elven language since the elves are a hidden race in this age. "I agree, I don''t see how he has the qualifications for us to ask him for help. Can''t we just ask another village to help us?" Another elven elder agrees with the first showing his discontent. "Well, he may look frail with those clothes on but if you look closer you can see that he has been through some battles. Every elf should learn to discern how strong an enemy is before they even reach 50 years old, have you finally gone senile old man?" An elder elf on the other side of the table says as he tries to start an argument. Upon hearing the bickering of the old elves the village chief just sighs and nods his head. "I can see your concern but I have over 5 witnesses that can account for his strength. He wasn''t going all out and he could fight Garn to a corner. He didn''t only have him on his back he would have killed him if we hadn''t stepped in to stop him. We may be able to get rid of the parasite that is corroding him with this human''s help so I decided to ask him. Any objections?" The elven chief says while giving the group of elders a stern look as if saying that he wouldn''t be moved from his decision. Chapter 65锛欰 Bountiful Quest Appears! After the elder''s heard his statement about the situation they all went quiet as if they had no right to go against it in the first place. ''I can see who has the real power in this village. If they want to go against him they probably have to all band together and it doesn''t seem like that could happen any time soon.'' "Human, we have invited you here to our home to request your help in a problem we have. Would you please help us?" The village chief says as he faces me still with his stern face. "I''d like to hear about the problem first before I promise anything." I answer after deciding that I owe them but I hope they don''t be excessive. "Of course, our current problem is what you fought against. A parasite has taken over one of our best fighters and has gone rampant. It''s been attacking everything in its path friend or foe and we have only found one lead on how to get rid of this parasite. The current situation is that we have him chained down in the village prison but we don''t know how long that can last. We want you to go into our trial chambers and get choose a certain reward. The reward in question is called "Full Restore" it gets rid of all status ailments and will get rid of that parasite for good." The elven chief says as a notification appears in my retina. [Quest: Help the Elves] [Quest info: The elves are being terrorized by the sight of their kin being controlled against their will. Thankfully the elves have found a possible solution for their current problem but none of them are able to retrieve the item required. Many have tried but all have failed, will you be any better?] [Quest Rewards: +1 Level, +1 Skill Level up Card, 100 System Points] [Time Limit: 3 days] [Will you accept?] [Yes / No] ''Of course, I would help with those kinds of rewards. The system must want the elf that was taken over by a parasite to live since it even brought out a new type of card and guaranteed a level up for me.'' ''Yes.'' [You have accepted the quest, the current time remaining for the quest is 3 days. Complete the quest before the parasite completely erases the remaining will of the corrupted elf.] "I''ll accept your request on the condition that you tell me why you can''t just get one of the elves that live here to do it instead of a random human like me." I say even though I already accepted the quest from the system. "Alright, I can head over to the trial right now since you guys seem like there is a time frame that you need the reward item. I will try my best to rush through the trials." I answer the elven chief as all the elder elves stare at me with distrust. It seems that they aren''t happy that a human is going to save them from a mess they couldn''t clean up themselves. "Yes, we believe that the time limit until the parasite completely takes over is 5 days at the most. We hope you can rush through the trials and claim the "Full Restore" as your reward. We elves will give you an elven magic tool to trade for it." The village chief says as the other elder elves all look at him in astonishment. "Are you sure he deserves that? Weren''t we in agreement that all magic tools made by elves were to only be used by elves? The humans have been known to reverse engineer the magic tools of the past, are you sure we want to give the humans even more power than they have right now?" One of the elder elves who has been quiet until now finally spoke his mind in the elven language. "Quiet. I believe I told you that I already made my decision." The elven chief says in a loud voice as he has the guards that were waiting escort me to the destined location. As we continue to walk to the back of the elf village all the elven guards are surrounding me as the village chief follows behind with the elders. With complete silence between the elven guards, the elven elders, the elven village chief, and I, we finally reach the trial location. The assumed trial location looks to be an ordinary cave in the side of a small hill. Everywhere I look is covered with green, grass everywhere up to my ankles, trees as far as the eye can see, and vines hanging from the branches. "Enter in through the cave and the trial will begin, we prepared some supplies in advance for you that you will end up needing for the trial. Please remember that you need to beat the fifth trial in order to receive the "Full Restore" as your reward." The elven chief hands me a bag filled with random items. Looking through the items I look at one that caught my attention and decide to appraise it. ''Appraisal'' Item Name: Scarlet Orb Item Description: Used to activate the hard mode for the elven trial, this item was said to be made by the elven hero from long ago. Use it to increase the difficulty of the trials and increase the rewards gained at the end of the trial. Item Rating: S+ A ball radiating dark red light from within it was reacting as I got closer to the entrance of the cave. As I was sent into the trial by the elves I entered into the cave entrance bracing myself for the increased difficulty. As I go inside the entrance of the cave disappears and a voice is heard inside my head. "Do you wish to start the trial?" A monotone voice said in my head. Chapter 66锛歍he Elven Trials "Do you wish to start the trial?" A monotone voice said in my head. As the voice echos in my head, the Scarlet orb in the bag from the elves starts to shine brighter as if reacting to something. As the light gets even brighter the system gives me a new notification. [Would you like to increase the difficulty of the trial? Increasing the difficulty will also increase the rewards gained.] [Yes/No] ''Yes'' [Please select the difficulty you wish to choose.] [Normal(x1.0), Hard(x1.2), Very Hard(x1.5), Insane(x2.0), Hell Mode(x2.5), Impossible(x5.0)] After looking at the varying difficulties and trying to decide what would be the best course of action I decided that 5 times the rewards sounded very enticing, and since I had to clear the 5th trial to get the reward "Full Restore" on normal mode then on impossible mode I can get it after the 1st trial and keep the rest of the rewards to myself as a bonus. ''I choose the Impossible difficulty.'' [Warning! You have selected the impossible difficulty, you may not be able to die through these trials but you will have an end even worse than death. At the very least your soul will be torn to shreds and your body will be permanently injured. Do you wish to continue?] [Yes/No] ''Yes, I would say I''m confident to at least get through 2 trials, I can give up whenever I want so everything after the first trial is just extra rewards.'' [Confirming your choice... Done.] [Randomizing the first trial''s contents to match the difficulty chosen... Done] [The first trial has started] As the system''s voice echos in my head the surroundings start to change slowly from the barren cave into a fighting platform. Hundreds of people are surrounding the fighting platform as the one on top of it staring at me with a smirk on his face. The crowd all staring at me in disbelief. Seeing my expression he speaks, "What? Don''t tell me that you''re too scared to accept my challenge now that you''ve seen the scope of my power. When I told you that I am taking that top disciple spot by the end of the day what did you do? You laughed at me and told me not to throw my life away, now that I''m challenging you in public you don''t dare to be so arrogant!" he says "What are you talking about?" I say as my mind shook, foreign memories invaded my brain causing my head to hurt as numerous memories play in my head as if I was watching a movie of someone''s life in the third person. ''Why can''t I remember what he''s describing. How could I act like that? The last thing I remember was that he showed up to my house wanting to challenge me but I don''t remember acting anything like he''s describing. As I''m beginning to grasp the situation and get ahold of myself something else in my body reacts to the statement that he had made. "I never fought you for a reason, it seems that I''ll need to put you in your place then." As I''m trying to make out something in this situation a voice so familiar yet so very different comes from my mouth. ''Wait I didn''t say that!'' As something takes control of my body and speaks it also jumps up onto the stage and an unfamiliar aura rose from my body. "Oh my God! He''s already broke through to the peak of the Body Tempering Stage! How could this be? He was stuck there for years without advancing! Did lady luck finally decide that he was worthy?" Someone in the crowd yells as everyone else is just as surprised as him. ''How could they not be surprised, I was stuck at the Late stage of the Body Tempering Stage for so long, after 1 year of pushing my limits I found out that I was doing it wrong. I was tempering my body instead of my actual cultivation. If not for that mysterious senior pointing out that I was going at it wrong I probably wouldn''t have advanced in my lifetime.'' What feels like another person''s thought runs through my mind as I hear their excited cries. As my body releases an unfamiliar aura my body strengthens and I could feel my physical stats increase. ''What type of technique is this? It feels so different from the level system, I can''t use some skills in this world, Appraisal doesn''t work and I can''t view my own status. I can''t even call out to the system in this world. "Why don''t we make this interesting. We both bet all of our Contribution Points and the winner gets to take them all. I won''t make any trouble for you either after this." The boy no older than 16 years said with extreme confidence. As his offer is said the entire world stops as all the sound from the crowd disappears and the offer is shown in front of me with two varying options. [Bet all Contribution Points] (Pro: Gain Contribution Points. Con: If you lose the trial ends in failure.) [Don''t bet Contribution Points] (Pro: Sill continue the trial even if you lose. Con: You don''t gain anything from this trial.) ''Well obviously I''m going to choose the first option, how else can I get the "Full Restore", the elves said you can only get it in the first trial.'' As I choose the first option the world starts up again and the voices from the crowd go back to whispering. "I''ll bet, I currently have 3500 Contribution Points." I say after looking through the memories searching for the exact amount. "Since there is a duel going on shouldn''t we have 3 judges according to the clan''s rules? Why don''t you let these two old men take the other spots." A voice from the sky says as two clan elders slowly descend from the sky. Chapter 67锛欱eginnings of A Monster With both the old men taking their seats next to the elder who first decided to be a judge the elder said, "Then let us begin this fight." he says with a disappointed look on his face as he sits there with his hand holding up his face. ''I guess he was looking forward to something but know that the other elders came it isn''t possible?'' The voice of the original inhabitant of this body continues to think to himself not taking "Alright then, let''s get started." the guy says as his aura rises and he rushes straight at me. Although he was about 10 feet away from me he reached me in almost an instant, the only signs of him that I saw was him leaning forward before he appeared in front of me. As I move to block his fist his voice echos from right behind me, "How do you like my Shadow Step?" He says as his fist collides with my lower back and I fly forward through the fake him without actually making contact. ''So it can create a somewhat "Clone" of him huh. It seemed completely real to me until the last moment when his voice was heard though.'' Falling forward from the sudden hit I take note of his skill and move to hit him before he can use it again. Thankfully it seems that I''m faster than him when he isn''t using the speed skill so my fist landed on his chest pretty easily and sent him flying back with little damage. The crowd grows louder seeing my reaction and one of them yells, "He''s that fast without even using his cultivation base? Just how strong is his body? He''s a monster!" one of the older disciples says as his body involuntarily shudders at the thought of if he were to try to fight the monster on the stage. This fight may seem like a low-level fight to the judges whose cultivation was higher but to these disciples who have barely even left the clan, this is the highest level fight they''ve seen in their life. With the challenger Jungho leaving shadows every time he activated the shadow step he was practically everywhere on the stage the disciples themselves already thought of him in a different league than the rest of them but as they were watching the fight progress they noticed that he was barely doing any damage to the number one disciple Bell who was taking everything without even using his cultivation base. Using only his physical body and none of the mystical or immortal properties of the world this monster took on one of the strongest of the younger generation of their clan and has been laughing while doing it. A fist rushed past my face as I move to dodge while throwing a punch of my own sending him flying again. As he falls back he stops himself from falling on his knees albeit barely while wiping the blood from his mouth and spitting out the blood that was in his mouth. He looks around the fighting stage only to notice all of the blood on the floor slowly drying up from the heat of the sun. There''s so much blood on the floor that if it was Earth this would be labeled as a murder scene and blocked off by police. Of course in the cultivation world, this could be seen as normal, as people in this world were stronger, of course, they wouldn''t always listen to laws and instead would do as they wish. Survival of the fittest is one way someone would say it. As Bell continued to knock down the challenger Jungho in a slugfest, one after another, each time Jungho tried to get up and throw a punch he would be countered perfectly as if he was facing an experienced soldier who came from the battlefield. After a while of mindlessly getting beaten Jungho himself started to question himself. Why did I think that I could take this monster on? Where did I get the confidence to rush straight into death? How did I end up like this in the first place, always arrogant and not caring about those weaker than me? Constantly trying to get stronger only to get knocked down by those stronger than me and betraying those weaker than me for benefits. It was at this moment that Jungho realized something, at this time in his life he had what the weaker people had said before when they cursed at him for taking advantage of his strength, gotten beat so hard that he had some sense knocked into him. His mind cleared and in turn, what was blocked before had become completely free, no longer enslaved by the hatred of always being second place, the jealousy he held towards the number one spot, and the fear of being found weak. As his mind slowly started to change he himself thought, ''It''s fine to lose.'' For the first time in his life, he wasn''t afraid of the consequences of losing, he wasn''t afraid of being called weak, and he was no longer held fear of those stronger than him. "I give up. There''s no way I can win against you Bell, you''re the same monster that you were 3 years ago when we were accepted into the clan." Jungho says as he lays on the floor defeated. "Then I will announce that the winner of the match is the Number One Disciple Bell!" The main judge says as everyone in the crowd is silent with the image of Bell knocking around one of the strongest among them like a ragdoll. No matter what he tried to do he was always knocked down, Bell didn''t even use his cultivation base and only used his physical strength. And this monster who laughs while treating the second strongest like a ragdoll is currently standing there with a smile while surrounded by dried up blood. He was staring at the air in front of himself as if there was something there. [Congratulations on completing the first half of the trial. The reward of the first trial is still pending as you haven''t completed it. You may now use the system again. Good Luck!] Chapter 68锛欰 Different Source [Congratulations on completing the first half of the trial. The reward of the first trial is still pending as you haven''t completed it. You may now use the system again. Good Luck!] Upon seeing that my immediate response was to appraise the young man I fought as he was passed out on the floor after that beating. ''Appraisal'' Name: Jungho Race: Human Age: 17 Cultivation Base Level: Body Tempering (9th Level) Cultivation Methods: StarNight Eclipse Cultivation Technique (Low: Low) Martial Skills: Pulse Cutting Palm (Low: Intermediate), Monkey Fist (Intermediate: Low) Movement Skills: Shadow Step (Low: Low) Auxiliary Skills: Enhanced Hearing (Low: High) ''Weird, his status looks different than normal. System, is there a reason for this?'' I think to myself after taking a quick look at his status. [Yes, we are currently in another world through a special method. Every world has a status, it''s just that this world has evolved differently and so they have used their "Source" as a way to increase the power of their overall bodies. This world went down a "Cultivation" type of road instead of an "RPG" type of world. No resident of this world can see the status other than this world''s Plane Will.] ''Okay, so what''s a plane''s will?'' [A plane''s will is the manifestation of the World''s Will. You could call this will "Gaia" also known as Gaia''s Theory on Earth. Basically, this will makes sure that the world is balanced and keeps the world from total destruction.] After listening to the system I couldn''t help but feel that there is something else missing, ''But if that is really the case then why was I summoned from another world to kill the Demon King and whoever is controlling him? Wouldn''t that ruin the balance?'' [As long as the world itself is destroyed why would the Plane''s Will care? The Plane''s Will takes care of the world not anything that inhabits them.] ''So every race in that world can go extinct and the world won''t do anything to help?'' [Yes. From the world''s point of view, humans and the other races are just byproducts of what they have maintained for many years.] ''Then what is the second part of the first trial?'' I ask trying to get some information from the system now that I can use it again. [That is for you to find out.] The system says heartlessly rejecting my request for information. "Now that we have a winner, the bet shall be upheld and your total Disciple points have been updated. Go ahead and check it on your badge." One of the judges says as he gets up ready to leave already. As he says that I lift up the badge from my pocket as it has been shining since the battle ended. [Disciple Points have been Updated.] [Disciple Points: 5120] Now that skills and the system are usable again and this is a world where I won''t ever be back to I might as well as take advantage of that. ''Skill Steal "Shadow Step"'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Error.] [The skill you are trying to steal is from a different "Source". Do you wish to convert the skill to the source of your world?] [Yes/No] ''Yeah sure.'' [Activating skill... Stealing skill from target... Changing the "Source" of the skill... Done.] [Skill "Shadow Step" has been added to your status please check your status to see results.] After successfully stealing the skill I immediately decided to appraise it to see just what has changed from the original skill. ''Appraisal'' Skill Name: Shadow Step(Lv.1) Skill Description: Create a Shadow of yourself to help confuse the enemy. The shadow created is an exact copy of yourself and will seem real until hit. The shadow will be in perfect sync with you so it is harder to tell which is the shadow and which isn''t. This skill is incomplete and can be upgraded through use. ''Nice, I got a movement technique from another world. It''s too bad that it''s level reset to level 1 though.'' [Warning! Different world''s "Source" detected in the host''s body.] [Do you wish to merge the unknown world''s "Source" with your own?] [Yes/No] ''Does it pose any dangers to me if I do?'' [At most the system will have to use a special method to force the "Source" to merge with your current one. It will be an attack on a level you have never faced before, it will hurt your soul beyond repair if failed.] ''System, what is my current luck stat?'' [Luck: 100] ''I chose to go through with it.'' [Confirming... Done.] After what felt like an eternity of pain my mind became clear and I started reading the system''s notifications that I missed. As the headache or should I call it "Soulache" faded the words became more clear and I could finally read them. [The "Source" in your body is reacting to the incoming source.] [The "Source" in your body is beginning to accept the new source.] [Congratualtions! The "Source" in your body has successfully merged with the incoming source.] [You can''t do anything with your "Source" yet but it will be very beneficial for your growth.] ''So I went through all the pain for no reason? Bruh.'' Looking around I''m still in the same place as before and it was as if no time passed at all. The judges left all except one who stayed behind. "I''d like to have a word with you in my quarters. I''ll take us there immediately." he says as he grabs ahold of my hand and pulls out a piece of paper with weird drawings on it. The world around us starts to change as my vision is filled with white as all color from the surroundings start to fade out of existence. After almost all color was replaced with white new objects started to fill in the white emptiness. Quickly the world changed into a house with a view on the side of a mountain, looking down at almost all of the clan. I could see the arena we were just in as well. "Since we''re here now go ahead and take a seat while I make some tea." the old judge says as he turns around and walks into another room, presumably the kitchen. Chapter 69锛歄bvious Choice As I''m sitting on the couch quietly waiting for the elder to come back I hear his voice from the kitchen. "Do you prefer tea or coffee?" the elder asks as sounds of cups hitting a table echo out of the room. "Tea please." I answer the elder with a polite tone while also thinking about how different the coffee is in this world could be. There''s probably no creamer either so I''ll just take tea. After the elder made a pot of tea he set out some teacups and poured some tea before sitting down on a chair nearby. "Now that you have defeated Jungho you have gained enough contribution points you can enter the clan hall and get a reward of your choice." The elder says after taking a sip of the tea. As the elder puts his tea down my point of view changes as I feel that I''m no longer in control of the person. It feels like I''m watching someone else play a game as the elder continues talking. "I suppose so." The person who I was just in control of says as he stares at the elder. They sat in silence as the elder continued to drink his tea, eventually, the elder spoke up, "Would you like to be my apprentice? I can''t offer you much but I can offer you a path for your future. I''m the medicine elder, a Rank 4 Alchemist, and I have an authority that rivals even the clan leader. I only require that you tell me what happened during the fight just now." Seeing the elder being so serious the First test host went quiet while deeply thinking about his answer. ''Just say yes already. Your gonna pick to be his apprentice anyways. Isn''t that how these types of stories go?'' I think to myself as time passes by while they sit in silence. The First Trial''s host is just sitting there looking conflicted about whether he should become the elder''s apprentice or refuse the offer. The choice should be a direct yes, he gains everything in this trade, he literally has nothing to lose. So why is he conflicted and taking so long to answer? "I don''t think I can Sir Elder, this opportunity for me is a blessing but I know my talent very well. I only have a talent for fighting, even I don''t really know what happened during my fight. I got very mad, and then that''s the last thing I remember before blacking out." The host says in confusion, of course, he doesn''t remember anything. He wasn''t even in control but it seems that the trial made me take control of his body while putting him in a sleep-like state. I thought that he would at least remember the fight though... that''s definitely weird considering he took control when speaking sometimes. But his refusal for this heaven-sent opportunity made me feel some respect for this guy, he was given a chance to instantly upgrade his life and future but he chose to stay on his path. Would I have made the same choice if it were me in his place instead? "I understand, there''s no need to be nervous, it''s your choice and I''ll respect your decision. The reason I offered you an apprenticeship is because you have an aura of death around you. The aura wasn''t there before when I''ve seen you from afar but after seeing your fight I caught sight of it and became curious and wanted to see if I can help you avoid it. If the clan were to lose a genius like you then how are we supposed to grow in the future?" The elder says as he looks at the First Trial''s host again after a sigh. "It''s fine elder if I were to die then that''s just my fate. If I''m fated to die then I shall twist that very fate and prosper in the world." The First Trial''s host says confidently after listening about the deathly aura. I guess he''s confident in his abilities? Honestly, it seems like he''s just gonna die off. "Alright go on to the clan hall and choose some rewards for your contribution points. You''ve earned them yourself so I can''t make you choose anything but I will remind you, you should choose things that can change your fate. A strong sword or spear can only last so long." The elder says as he sends off the First Trial''s host to the clan hall with a teleportation talisman. After sending the guy away the elder turned to look at me in the eyes and then turned around to leave while whispering to himself. "I hope that your fate will change young man, it seems that you might be destined to die." As the elder finished speaking the entire world froze over as if I used the time stop skill but it felt different and more powerful than when I use it. Like the entire world coming to a permanent halt instead of the temporary one normally I do. [Congratulations on completing the First Trial. The reward for completing the First Trial is being calculated based on your performance and difficulty...] [Trial Completed: 100 Points] [Preformance Rank: S-] [Difficulty Chosen: Impossible...] [Calculating results...] [Congratulations you have earned 1000 Points for clearing the First Trial] [Congratulations due to your performance you have gained an extra reward. Searching for what you currently need... You have earned the quest item "Full Restore"] [Would you like to continue on to the Second Trial] [Yes / No] ''Yes.'' I say after confirming that I got the Full Restore item. Putting it into the system inventory for safekeeping. [Confirming your choice... Done] [The Second Trial has started] With the voice telling me that the Second Trial was generated the world around me slowly fades out of existence as everything turns white and a new world fades into existence. Chapter 70锛欰 Time Mages Predicament As the system notifications end the surrounding world becomes clear, it looks like a student''s room but it was as if someone exaggerated it, there are books in towers everywhere surrounding the middle of the room where there is barely any space left at all. As my conscience starts to take over the current trial''s body and my senses come back to me I can sense that something is wrong with the body that I''m currently in right away. It feels as if someone had used time stop but modified the skill so that it applied towards an object instead. Memories from an unknown source come flooding into my mind as I sit there with my head throbbing from the overflow of information. The only reason I didn''t blackout from this enormous amount of information is that I have the improved thinking skill that aided me in the sorting of this body''s information and personal memories. This man was a Tier 3 magician who started focusing on time-related spells since getting his first class. The time element fascinated this man to an abnormal degree and he started doing experiments with time magic, he started off slowing things down and speeding them up, he continued throughout his journey of exploring the attribute of time until eventually, he got to being able to stop time for 1 second, but he couldn''t go any farther than he had no matter how hard he tried as there was some kind of wall that he couldn''t pass. One day he thought of the idea of finding someone else to experiment on but he was a kind person. As a result of his kindness, he only searched for people who would be a test subject willingly and in the end, no one wanted to be a test subject in something that had no prior history. With no test subjects for his experiments he only had himself so he began trying to experiment with himself instead. With the time attribute being one of the most difficult attributes to study in magic the magician found himself in a race against time, even with him being a tier 3 magician time still affected him. And so in the last 10 years of his life, he changed his goal from reaching the pinnacle of the time attribute, to trying to stop his body''s time so he could research some more. In his last moments, he turned to summoning a demon to help him stop his time, whether it was fate, plot, or just luck he summoned the Demon King that had some control over Time, the Demon King seeing his predicament offered him a contract, for a copy of his memories and a couple of other miscellaneous things the Demon King would not only stop his time he would also send him back to his prime. The promise of eternal youth to a dying old man must have felt like a miracle to the magician and he accepted the offer without even taking a look at the terms of the contract. This one mistake would lead him to an eternity of hell. After sorting through his memories I decided to see if I can use the system in this trial as I take a look at his status real quickly. ''Appraisal'' ... ''Appraisal'' ... ''Damn the system is locked again.'' I say to myself as I go through this guy''s recent memories. He was trying to create the magic to reverse time so he could get out of the demon contract. He originally wanted to try and just void the contract with other magic but he soon found that he had no talent whatsoever in the other elements of magic, the farthest he could go was level 1 on a lot of them. He had so many times in his life that he regrets and he just wishes to have a second try at life. The last thing he thought to himself before I took over was, "If only I had chosen differently." This thought that he had was what was on his mind almost every day as he continuously tried to create some type of time magic to reverse time and change the choice that landed him in this mess. The contract stated that he must kill 1 person a month or else he would be captured by the Demon King and tortured for eternity. In return, he would live in his youth eternally. He wouldn''t age any matter what and in the event that he died that Demon King would resurrect him without failure. ''Damn that''s kinda heavy. This guy must have had the worst luck possible to summon a demon king, but he can only blame himself for not looking at the contract before he agreed to it. If he''s stuck with eternal youth and having to kill someone then what am I supposed to do to finish this trial? He was looking for ways to reverse time or just void the contract altogether so I guess I''ll start there. ''Let''s see... the contract that he signed is currently marked deep in his soul so it probably has something to do with managing his soul. Soul Manipulation is most likely gonna be the most important factor to solve this trial. As I begin to use Soul Manipulation on the current soul of the Second Trial''s body the soul starts to move in any direction I want it to. I continue trying to get the mark off of the soul but no matter what I do the mark comes back, removing the mark by trying to separate the part of the soul that it is on isn''t working either. The mark and the part of the soul just keep coming back to the main soul. ''What if I try to use Word Magic to erase it?'' I think to myself as I begin writing Erase with magic flowing to the tip of my finger. The amount of mana that this is going to take will be enormous and I may need a break after this trial. With the word ''Erase'' completely written I separate the mark from the soul and move it closer so I can apply the word magic. The word magic activates and a force starts fighting back as the mark slowly but surely disintegrates into nothingness. [Congratulations on completing the Second Trial. The reward for completing the First Trial is being calculated based on your performance and difficulty...] [Trial Completed: 200 Points] [Preformance Rank: S] [Difficulty Chosen: Impossible...] [Calculating results...] [Congratulations you have earned 2200 Points for clearing the Second Trial] [Congratulations due to your amazing performance you have gained an extra reward.] [Extra Reward: A Time Mage''s Memories] [Would you like to continue on to the Second Trial] [Yes / No] "Give me a minute" I say as I decide to wait out the choice as I continue to sit there and think to myself. As I look over the notifications from the trial the system gives me its own notification. [The system can now be used.] ''System are you unavailable during the trial due to the limitations or are you scared of whatever is running this trial?'' [...] With the system being quiet refusing to answer I decide to use appraisal on the man while the trial was wrapping up. ''Appraisal'' Name: Augustin Auclair Race: Human(Former) Age: Unable to determine Titles: Hardworker, Time Mage, Tier 3, Devoted, Demon Summoner, Contracted with a Demon(Voided), Eternal Youth, Demonic Body Class: Magician of Time Level: 199*** Strength: 150* Agility: 150* Endurance: 150* Intelligence: 150* Wisdom: 150* Perception: 150* Regeneration: 150* Luck: 0 Magic Types: Time, Fire, Water Mana Property: None Skills: Improved Thinking(Lv.3), LifeStyle Magic(Lv.2), Mana Manipulation(Lv.7), Create Fire(Lv.1), Create Water(Lv.1), Haste(Lv.8), Slow(Lv.8), Replay(Lv.3), Duration Manipulation(Lv.1), Demonic Body Reinforcement Magic(Lv.1), Demonic Mana Manipulation(LV.3), Demonic Language(Lv.Max) Unique Skills: Parallel Thinking(Lv.2) ''Damn this guy is loaded with time-related skills. He must have spent decades at the least trying to find some way he could reverse his time.'' I say as I begin debating on whether or not I should take one of the time-related skills he has. [The allotted time is up please choose an option.] [Would you like to continue on to the Third Trial] "Yes" [Confirming your choice... Done] [Randomizing the Third Trial''s contents to match the difficulty chosen... Done] [The Third Trial has started] Chapter 71锛欰nnouncements This announcement is to tell those who have been waiting for the next chapter that I will be rewriting the story from the beginning so all the chapters will have the same flow. I''m setting a schedule for myself and I plan to keep to it on there so if you wish to continue this story then it is under the same name.