by John Gold
The most money the game has ever seen came from a dragon killed in a raid by two thousand people. Everything they got came to about seven million gold. Looks like there are going to be two fewer dragons in the world. The only thing I have to figure out is how to kill something one thousand and two hundred levels above me, not to mention all the resistance to damage they have.
∞ ∞ ∞
Anji was able to get out of the full test, though even the data they got showed that the boy was well past the basic education level. It wasn’t even that unexpected that he wouldn’t finish the tests.
The ability to sense strong electromagnetic fields was already proven, of course, but using it deliberately? Anji hadn’t just figured out what was going on with the test; he knew who was behind the mirror, too.
Vaalsie cursed for a while, getting out the anger he felt towards the boy for cutting the tests short. The less-than-intelligent supervisor had no idea what had happened, or that there was a genius under his guardianship. The next thing to figure out was why Anji was hiding his remarkable intellect and what the boy was after. The incident with the suspension spoke to the fact that Ganet didn’t do anything without a reason. He could wait years for the right moment, and then use the ace he’d had up his sleeve the whole time.
He definitely wasn’t going to be making contact.
∞ ∞ ∞
The smell of the sea and fish, the cries of the seagulls, and Bor’s voice muttering under his breath whirl around me as I lie on my stomach. The master is giving me the first tattoo on my back. The aroma of his tobacco reminds me of father, all the times when he sat out on the porch with a pipe between his teeth.
What can you do with six kilograms of blood malachite? I used it to create a mix of malachite and my own blood, and that was what the tattoo master used as the base for the ink. Blood magic and a little alchemy got me a solution for everything I need. Now, the recoil from using the “scroll” will be suppressed by my body. The experience I had making potions in Hell told me that malachite is similar to blood on its own, dissolving well into boiling liquid. That’s nothing compared to the strength it gains, however. I’m a mage by knowledge and skill if not by class. Cool!
“It’s done!”
Tattoo received: Dragon breath spell seal
Effect: When activated, lets you use the dragon breath spell. The damage the spell does is determined by your Intellect and Fire Magic skills, and you will take 5% of the damage the spell does when using it.
Mana cost: 900
Tattoo effect:
Intellect: +5%
Wisdom: +5%
Morale: +5%
Additional effect from the ink:
+610 mana reserve, is not destroyed when used
“Well, what do you think?”
Bor looks as happy as a clam. He charged me a thousand gold for each tattoo—a premium, but one I was willing to pay. For something like what he had done for me, it was nothing.
“I can’t see it, but I like the effect. Bor, how high is your skill if you can make something like that?”
“A little higher than five hundred. There’s a reason I’m in the guild’s top five.”
“I believe you. If you can do a tattoo like that, you should be number one.”
“No, it’s all about the ink. My skill just boosts the bonus and number of effects.” The master gets up and massages his back.
“You relax for a little while—I want to test the effect.”
Bor starts cleaning his equipment, and I can’t wait to see this thing in action. I decide to “breathe” right out the window.”
“Dragon breath!”
The effect is better than I could have imagined. From below, I hear curses and threats aimed at the bastard who decided to burn everything to a crisp. We’re on the second floor of the port authority building, and the window is charred, the glass is shattered, and the whole room is practically baked. Bor even fell off his chair.
∞ ∞ ∞
Damage taken: 880 (ignored: 0)
20/900
Resistance to fire: +0.02%
Thermal damage ignored up to 36/second
The recoil really hit me hard. A piece of skin is even burned. After the devil’s little joke, I lost almost all of my resistance across the board. I almost just killed myself.
“Idiot! What the hell are you doing?”
“Bor, calm down. I’ll pay for the damage, it’s okay.”
“He thinks it’s okay!”
“Bor! You just got to see what your masterpiece can do.”
“Screw my masterpiece—you’re going to burn down my whole shop! I want no more experiments out of you, and also a thousand gold to pay for the damage.”
“Okay.”
“Lie back down here before you burn the building down.”
Yeah, baby! There was a good reason I wanted to find the best tattoo master in the city. Both the detail and the size of the picture are important, and Bor’s mastery is high enough to keep the tattoo just a quarter of the size of my palm. It’s so small! But the effect is fantastic. The most powerful ingredients for ink are blood and malachite worked over with blood magic, and the craftsman and tattoo skills increase the number of bonuses as well as the size and strength of the effect. Yep, this is going to be my blade. Next, I need a shield.
“Hey, idiot in the underwear, lie down! We’re going to be busy until tonight.”
“You got it, my lord!”
Bor laughs so hard he drops his tools.
Can you describe the joy an achievement like that gives you? For non-mages, tattoos like that are useless. They don’t have skills or high intellect or wisdom. For mages, they’re also useless. What’s the point if you have spells you can use where the only recoil is the time you have to wait to use them again? Otherwise, mages would be killed every time they used a spell.
It takes all day to finish the tattoos on my back. To save space, we make them really small, and I focus on basic spells. Tomorrow, we’re going to get to work on the harder interdisciplinary stuff that costs five thousand gold apiece.
I spend half the night pushing myself to the limit, wanting to try all my new acquisitions. It’s a little piece of heaven where I’m a monster with an ocean of mana. Two more completed contracts give me another five hundred gold when I bring back the crushed, charred bodies of the monsters, though I can’t use my most powerful spells until I boost my stamina and resistance. Tomorrow, I’m going to get something far stronger than anything I have so far.
Morning in the port means hundreds of boats and the hubbub of people working on them. We spend the entire day working on six new tattoos, and we finish with my whole body covered in them. The simple ones are on my back, the more complex are on my chest, and my neck, arms, and legs are clear. It may not look aesthetically pleasing, but it’s awfully effective.
“Attribute window!”
Name: Sagie
Level: 0
Experience: 0/100 (100 left until the next level)
Race: Human
Class: None selected
Basic attributes
Strength: 90
Agility: 90
Stamina: 90
Intellect: 116
Wisdom: 116
Available attribute points: 0
Additional attributes
Speed: 90
Athleticism: 90
Morale: 116
Survivability: 90
Derivative ratings
Physical damage: 45 (strength/2, but no less than 1)
Carrying capacity: 225 kg (strength*10/4)
Mana: 16410 (wisdom*10)
Health: 900 (stamina*10)
Strength: 1000 (stamina*10)
Health restoration: 900/minute (survivability*10)
Mana restoration: 1160/minute (morale*10)
Strength restoration: 900/minute (athleticism*10)
Running speed: 36 km/h (1+speed/10)
Defense: 1
Resistance
/> Physical damage: 1.72% (damage ignored: up to 421/second)
Poison: 8.66% (damage ignored: up to 25811/second)
Fire: 0.02% (damage ignored: up to 36/second)
Skills
Cooking: 250
Trap setting and disarming: 19
Archery: 250
Swimming: 250
Breath-holding: 250
Stealth: 250
Life Magic: 250
Mind Magic: 250
Space Magic: 250
Earth Magic: 250
Water Magic: 250
Fire Magic: 250
Air Magic: 250
Light Magic: 250
Dark Magic: 250
Meditation: 250
Hand-to-hand combat: 92
Perception: 166
Necromancy: 250
Blood magic: 250
Chimerology: 250
Ritual magic: 250
Artifact creation: 250
Poison-making: 25
Ointment-making: 25
Metal reinforcing: 25
Wood reinforcing: 25
Body enhancement: 25
Professions
Herbalist: 250
Fisherman: 250
Tailor: 250
Blacksmith: 250
Carpenter: 250
Miner: 25
Skills
Imp eye
Undecuple consciousness
One of our own
Shroud of Darkness
Gifts
Meeting deferred
The game limits you to no more than twenty-five tattoos, no matter where or how large they are. The classes have their own specialized tattoos, and even whole sets, all of which offer a particular effect. Currently, I have nineteen ordinary and six complex spells as seals, with each subsequent one boosting the overall effect by 1%. And that’s more than enough for me—the important thing is that it doesn’t influence their secondary effects. I have an ocean of mana! My wisdom, morale, and intellect are all up 29%, and I have access to stronger spells. My blade is forged; now, I need to sharpen it.
To collect all the money I need, I’m going to have to destroy a lot of high-level monsters, and I know a great place where nobody will bother me. It will even give me an excellent chance to work on my resistance. I can’t wait to see what eleven streams of dragon breath looks like! I’m not going to use my strongest spells yet—they would definitely kill me. Hey, I have a meteor! Hm, what would happen with eleven of them? I can’t wait until I get to Level 1.
A month of farming monsters with the local guild earns me respect in Sural, and I only have thirty contracts to go until I hit esteem. I have seventy completed contracts under my first-rank belt. I’m evil incarnate, but I’m still wearing Level 1 sandals. That means I need to buy new clothes, as the old ones are fraying and about to uncover my tattoos.
About to set off on my long journey, I need to think about how to pick up some money.
“Hi, Miss Hela.”
“Hey, Sagie. Looking for another quest? You’re already up there with the leaders—leave some of the quests for the others.”
She was getting her giggles in at the expense of “the others.” Hela loves it that a kid has been able to complete way more contracts than the adult players.
“That’s nothing. For a beautiful girl like you, I’d find a way to the center of the Hashan Desert.”
Hela’s face went from laughing to serious in an instant.
“You’ve never joked once since I’ve known you. Was that your first?”
“Nope. I mean, I’m doing it for myself, but I like it when you compliment me. You’ve been the only one to all this time, and that means a lot to me.”
“So, you want to take a trip out into the desert? The aura out there is so bad the caravanners and marauders don’t even go in there! There isn’t a single person or oasis in the desert.”
“I’m not afraid of auras or monsters. And I’m a kid, so I don’t need food.”
“Got it.”
“Anyway, I’m here to find out if there are any contracts for killing monsters in the Hashan Desert.”
“Yes. The caliph offers ten gold for every monster you kill, and you get the money automatically from the monsters you kill, but they’re really strong. All of them are local bosses, and people have even come across some raid bosses out there. The desert is teeming with them. Sometimes, they even come out to the outskirts of the desert.”
“Basically, it’s a nasty place you shouldn’t go to if you’re not ready for it. Perfect. Where do I get the contract?”
“Head up to the fourth floor. There’s a board with open quests.”
“Thanks, have a good day!”
There’s one problem with the quest: you need a pack animal for all the trophies, and it has to be highly resistant to fire and mental damage. That kind of damage is constant throughout the desert, and it only gets worse the farther in you go. Time for a trip to the market square.
There’s a whole row where they sell animals, including pack animals. I’m offered everything short of ghosts and dragons, though I can’t find anything I like. Instead, I head over to see the seller with the widest selection.
“Hello there. Which of your pack animals has the most resistance to mental and fire damage?”
“What, heading out into the desert?”
“Yep.”
“Croots are all that survive out there.” He points at the large body of a lizard with thick skin and bone plates. It’s as big as an aerocar, has six legs, and each of the legs is the size of my torso.
“Oh, so you’re trying to sell me your most expensive pack animal.”
“No, it’s just that that’s the only one that can live in the desert.” He forgot to tell me that the creature really was his most expensive one.
“It probably eats its weight every day! It’ll die in the desert on the second day.”
“Well, take some grass with you, buy a wagon, and ride in that.”
“…” There isn’t much else you can say to a stupid idea like that. I’d rather carry everything myself than buy that creature.
I’ve never seen a dumber attempt to fool a buyer. And that’s with a boosted reputation? At least, it gave me an idea.
I end up buying a one-seater cart with bags hung on it and harness…myself. Yup. I haul the empty cart straight through the city, with everyone turning to look at me—all I need is a horse mask. Hm, that’s a decent idea.
Just like that, I get through the area and start out toward the desert. Running isn’t hard, my strength is practically unlimited, and I can empower myself if I need to. My cart, from what I can remember, is called a rickshaw, and I’m the chauffeur.
I run through the forest all day, then cross the steppe and reach the desert as evening breaks. This is a good spot to spend the night. I camouflage the cart and log out to sleep in real life.
The best mornings are the ones that start with a run, and mine is no different. The local beasts are so happy that meat is running up to them that they make the mistake of trying to taste me. Their skins and trophies are the first I add to my collection, and I get to the desert by noon. Then, I’m on my way to the center.
∞ ∞ ∞
Damage taken: 100 (ignored: 0)
800/900
Resistance to mental damage: +0.01%
Mental damage ignored up to 16/second
Ah, how I’ve missed those messages. It’s time to take off the bandage with the poison, otherwise I’ll die inadvertently. There’s nothing but sand, dunes, and lots of monsters in every direction. The latter attack me as soon as I catch their eye, and they all have mountains of health.
The desert is enormous, stretching almost two thousand kilometers deep into the continent. Over the course of the day, I make it about thirty kilometers and reach the limit of my health.
∞ ∞ ∞
Damage taken: 1000 (ignored: 106)
108/900
Resistance to mental damage: +
0.01%
Mental damage ignored up to 108/second
Resistance to fire: +0.01%
Thermal damage ignored up to 122/second
The numbers look minuscule, but I need to boost my resistance. All of my new spells have a recoil, most of which are capable of killing me. The incident with dragon breath showed me that I would have died if I’d had just one more point of intellect. But I have an idea for how to handle that problem, and a pack of sand dogs is exactly what I need. Where are my spikes?
Monster, Sand Dog, Level 244
After a quick battle, I stun and paralyze my victims. I’m never going to find five hundred of them here, not to mention twenty-five hundred, but I’m nothing if not patient. I can wait for my dozen to turn into a hundred. In the meantime, they can lie there paralyzed—we have lots of work ahead of us.
Back in Heron, when I was working with Claude, I found out that sand turns into glass when it reaches four hundred degrees. It takes me a few hours just to get the area ready for me to work. I’m a kid in the world’s largest sandbox! By the time I’m finished, I’m up to forty victims, and I haven’t even been the one doing the attacking. It’s all their fault for jumping me.
Now, I can use my ritual for sharing pain and health to boost my attributes. The first ten dogs will be perfect for that.
An enormous column of fire bursts from my palm and turns the sand into glass.
∞ ∞ ∞
Damage taken: 1135 (ignored: 152)
458831/461200
Resistance to fire: +0.01%
Thermal damage ignored up to 167/second
That’s not much. What if I try two streams?
∞ ∞ ∞
Damage taken: 2270 (ignored: 167)
457716/461200
It still isn’t that much. I need to try everything at once and see what I come up with.
This time, the flame isn’t orange; it’s a blinding white. I even hear a roar and get a debuff—I’m blinded. It feels like I could go up like paper in the face of the terrifying might springing out of my hands. Did I really do that?