While Joshua was digging through the menus, a system notification popped up. All of his passive Pestilence regeneration had been pouring towards his Scourge Blackguard set, and it was paying off.
Scourge Blackguard
Soul-Bound Class Set
Mitigation Potential: 3000
Pestilence Towards Next Upgrade: 0/250,000
Set Bonus: Pestilence Vision, Instant Equip, Empowered Weapons
The Scourge Blackguard set is made from the very essence of its wielder. As such, the wielder can sense the environment through it.
The Scourge Blackguard set is made from the very essence of its wielder. As such, it can be instantly conjured and dispelled, and automatically summons itself if its wielder is ambushed.
The Scourge Blackguard set is not only composed of armor but sword and shield as well. The sword and shield are automatically upgraded to the same level as the armor for free.
The mitigation potential of the set doubled, greatly enhancing his defense. Unfortunately, the cost for the next upgrade had increased by a factor of five. Joshua knew that, even then, it wouldn’t take long for him to reach that next upgrade, but the numbers were starting to get overwhelming. Of course, his sword and shield had upgraded as well.
Plague-Ridden Obsidian Longsword
Soul-Bound Weapon
Damage Potential: 2000 Blunt/20,000 Sharp/10,000 Infection
Plague-Ridden Obsidian Greatshield
Soul-Bound Shield
Damage Potential: 5000 Blunt
Mitigation Potential: 10,000
Special Ability: Envelope
The obsidian making up this shield has absorbed the Pestilence that once surrounded it. Tendrils of Pestilence lash out, digging into the flesh of attackers and holding them in place.
The stats of the entire set had doubled across the board. Despite the massive growth in power, the class set didn’t undergo any major changes. It was noticeably heavier and denser than before, but that was all. As if to answer his confusion, another notification appeared.
Class sets, once created, require massive investment and a specific goal in order to change. They will continue to grow in power, as well gain new effects every few stages, but will only rarely change in appearance. At its current power, you may modify the Scourge Blackguard set’s appearance and style for a one-time cost of 100,000 Pestilence. This cost will increase exponentially as the set grows. This cost may not be worked towards but must be paid in full. Energy stored in items may be used as payment, and such storage items can be bought in any Item Shop.
Being able to switch the armor’s appearance later was good, the cost wasn’t. High Pestilence costs, such as the next armor upgrade, were fine specifically because he could put a little energy towards it at a time and work his way there. A one-time cost like this would take nearly five times Joshua’s current Pestilence reserves. By the time he had that much Pestilence to spare, the set would be even stronger, and the price higher. The sets style was new and focusing on that word brought up yet another box.
Every class set has a style based on the creator’s intent for that set. The creator of the Scourge Blackguard set had an idea of a Pestilence-wielding magic knight during creation, and the set adopted that style. Continued upgrades of the Scourge Blackguard set will result in higher damage mitigation, higher damage potential, and occasionally a new Pestilence-related ability. Sets created with the style of a mage in mind may result in enhanced magic and stronger barriers, sets created with a ranged attacker in mind may result in increased accuracy and faster movement speed, etc. A set’s style is almost always given away by its appearance.
Joshua stared at the screen as his mind filled with possibilities. The set styles opened a world of possibilities for future sets, even if it didn’t affect him that much. Whatever he tried to create would always be tainted by Pestilence, and that limited his options somewhat.
Another notification dinged shortly after Joshua finished reading about the styles. The timer on the Blighted Necromancer set auction had ended, and the result was in.
Your Blighted Necromancer Class Set has been sold at auction!
Final bid price: 22,000 credits
Profit after 5% auction house fee: 20,900 credits
Joshua watched with glee as the number of credits in his account rose. His account balanced had nearly doubled in a single sale, from 24,700 to 45,600. He set his head back on the bed’s pillow as a feeling of contentment rose over him. Macrocosm wasn’t just going to be another game, this was where he would get rich. As he drifted off, the soft bed and pillow tempting him, a single thought crossed his mind. Something that one of the soldiers had said earlier.
“Who on earth is strong enough to steal a ship from these monsters?”
Chapter 3
The Omnithaneum went by many names before we discovered it. The Infinite Library, the Archive of All, among others. It wasn’t until we found it that someone thought to simply ask its name. The Omnithaneum isn’t unstaffed, there are countless librarians roaming its endless halls. Some are polite and vibrant, others are mindless automatons, and the simple description of others can break a man’s mind. These librarians serve two purposes: to help those seeking knowledge and to punish those who would do the Omnithaneum harm. – on The Omnithaneum, from The Chronicles of The Founder
Joshua never managed to fall asleep, instead choosing to tinker with the menus for a while longer. He had money that was burning a hole in his pocket, and the auction house seemed like the perfect place to spend it. While he browsed, excess Pestilence went towards the creation of another new class set.
It was as he browsed the auction house that Joshua realized he didn’t actually need anything from it. His armor and weapon, stuff that he would normally replace once he could afford it, were already better than almost everything being sold and growing constantly. He could buy potions, but Pestilence Sacrifice was starting to heal enough that he didn’t need them. Stat-boosting consumables were available, but he was never a fan of buying things that would be lost after just one use.
Eventually, he reached the section of spatial storages. As predicted, the price of the spatial pouch that he purchased back at Grace had fallen significantly. What had once cost 100 credits now barely sold for 10 as more and more people joined and started crafting. As the size of the storage items grew, however, so did their price. Backpacks with 3x3x3 meters of storage were going for over 1000 credits each, and the price only went up from there.
Joshua briefly considered buying a ring with 2x2x2 meters of storage for 2000 credits but decided against it. It was less conspicuous than other storage items, and that raised its price significantly. Besides, he was still convinced there would be a way to make an inventory without items, and he was determined to find it.
These thoughts brought Joshua to the skill book section of the auction house. Low-level skills books, like the one that had taught him Pestilence Sacrifice, were going for a solid 500 credits each. That wouldn’t be good enough for what he had planned, so he filtered them out and focused on the more powerful versions.
Lesser Skill Book
-An uncommon reward from treasure chests in low-level areas and a common reward in mid-level areas. Automatically teaches the user an upgraded version of a skill of their choosing, or a skill closest matching what is desired. Skills learned this way can be improved by practice and evolutions/class-ups. Better skill books allow users to skip the training process but are not necessary to grow or advance skills.
-Restricted to tier 3+
Price: 3000 credits
Intermediate Skill Book
-An uncommon reward from treasure chests in mid-level areas and a common reward in high-level areas. Automatically teaches the user a heavily upgraded version of a skill of their choosing, or a skill closest matching what is desired. Skills learned this way can be improved by practice and evolutions/class-ups. Better skill books allow users to skip the training process but are not necessary to grow or a
dvance skills.
-Restricted to tier 4+
Price: 10,000 credits
Both seemed like great options and having the auction house on demand meant Joshua could buy more of these whenever he wanted. Unlike most items, prices for permanent upgrades like these probably wouldn’t drop too much for the next several weeks, if not months. While the number of high-level people continued to increase, the number of new people logging into Macrocosm for the first time every day rose faster, and this meant that items like these would have a steady market for a long time. Only having a limited budget, Joshua bought a single Intermediate Skill Book.
Would you like to activate the skill book immediately? Please have the desired skill in mind before activating.
Joshua thought yes, and watched as the book, along with his 10,000 credits, vanished.
Skill Learned: Plague Dimension
-A unique spatial storage skill. The user now possesses a unique pocket dimension, accessible at will through a portal made of Pestilence energy. This storage is currently capable of holding 2x2x2 meters worth of items. Creating the portal costs a base of 100 Pestilence, increasing with the size of the portal. The cost to add or remove items from the storage is determined by the objects size, level, and rarity. Items stored in the Plague Dimension will not drop on death.
Due to the Plague Dimension’s unique properties, items inside may be affected by Pestilence. Food will rot quickly, water will be contaminated, equipment may gain unique effects, and consumable items such as potions will become more powerful but harmful to non-Pestilence entities.
So, Joshua figured, he had spent 10,000 credits on a storage skill equivalent to a ring, that was also completely useless for storing food and water and may taint anything else he puts in it. Great. At least it didn’t involve an object that could be stolen, and he could store any loot in it. Who knows, maybe it would come out stronger than it went in. The bonus to potions was useful, though he would need to be careful not to share them lest he might be accused of poisoning someone. The cost to activate it was minimal, so that was a plus, but the increased cost to put powerful items inside made him worry about not being able to properly store future loot.
While Joshua was pondering the implications of his new skill, the ship jerked, throwing him off the bed. He heard loud clanging noises in the hallway and opened the door to see what was going on. The soldiers of the Demons Who Corrupt were all filing out of their room towards the exit. One of them, the one that had recruited him, stopped when he saw Joshua.
“We’ve reached our next scouting destination, recruit. You’re welcome to come around and look, but we won’t wait aren’t back when we leave.”
Joshua just nodded his head. The constant reminder that they didn’t care about him was getting old, but at this point, it was clear the soldier was having too much fun messing with him to care. With nothing else to do and tired of sitting around, Joshua headed out to look around outside the ship.
Following the soldiers outside of the ship, Joshua saw why they had stopped. After seeing what they were doing at the zombie mall dungeon, he had a good idea of what the Demons Who Corrupt were planning to do here, and what he saw confirmed his thoughts. Centus was already setting up ritual circles at the entrance to another dungeon, planning to raise its tier. This time it was a small hotel, maybe four stories tall, in the middle of a small town.
The soldiers had formed a perimeter, gunning down nearby zombies effortlessly, and a few other players were gathering nearby. Sanctum was becoming something of a hotspot, and the presence of an ongoing paradigm shift meant that even more players were coming to check it out. Nearly twenty players had gathered near the soldiers, and Joshua already knew what was about to happen.
Or at least, he thought he did. Instead of calling for another battle-royale to decide who would get the last two rooms on the ship, the soldiers gathered the new players into a large group. Joshua almost smacked himself when he realized his mistake: they were only taking players tier 4 or higher with them. Everyone else was getting tossed into the new dungeon, just like before.
“It's here! We actually found it first!” Centus exclaimed, shouting with joy as the runes he had drawn around the entrance began to glow green.
“Are you serious?” One of the soldiers spoke, “we’ve never found an entrance before the Saints. This changes everything!”
“Yes, it does,” Centus continued, “contact the Nineveh immediately. We can’t let the Saints find out about this.”
The soldier sprinted back to the ship, cracking the pavement with his speed. Joshua and the other players watched in confusion at the Demons sudden change of demeanor. The remaining soldiers and Centus took up positions around the door, weapons aiming out. No one was getting in without their say-so. A small handful of them ran inside with urgency. Thankfully, they didn’t mind too much as Joshua approached. One of the soldiers farther away from the door, once again the same one that recruited him, was willing to answer some questions.
“What’s going on? What did you guys find?”
“Hmm…I guess there isn’t harm in telling you since you’re joining us. You were going to find out about it one way or another eventually. Those green glowing runes that Centus drew means that this dungeon holds the entrance to the Omnithaneum.”
Omnithaneum? That was certainly a strange word.
“The Omnithaneum is a hub of knowledge, and every world has a single entrance to it. Even our headquarters, the planet-sized ship Nineveh, has an entrance. Anyone who tries to fight inside the Omnithaneum is immediately destroyed by its guardians, so whoever controls the outside door can effortlessly transport as many supplies and soldiers as they need.”
“I see…I think. Are you getting reinforcements then, since it’s so important?”
“Yes, we are. Right now, every ship this side of the planet’s equator will be heading here to help defend, while the scouting group makes their way inside to try and contact another force from the Nineveh’s door. This dungeon is going to become the site of our stronghold on Sanctum, and it might be our one chance to push the Saints back.”
Judging by the soldier’s tone, they didn’t have high hopes to win if the Saints came knocking. It made sense, when Joshua thought about it, that an army made up of the remnants of already-defeated factions wouldn’t be able to stand against the Saints but to hear it so clearly was disconcerting. This was the faction he was planning to join, after all.
This Omnithaneum, on the other hand, sounded special. Going by the soldier’s words, it sounded like a fast-travel hub that was also usable by non-players. Fast-travel hubs were a common thing in larger games, serving as a place that players could go to reach all parts of the game world. These often became major points of contention in wars between players, but this was the first time Joshua had seen non-player characters actively using and fighting over one.
Ships quickly began to arrive from every direction. Larger ships, much larger than the dropship Joshua had flown in, began landing nearby while smaller vessels stayed in the air. Out of the large ships flowed thousands of soldiers, all of them equally powerful as the ones he had been recruited by. Among them were dozens of rectors that were Centus’ equal, if not his greater. It was just now that Joshua started to realize the scale of the war that he was becoming a part of.
In retrospect, Joshua thought, flying in hundreds of ships and thousands of soldiers wasn’t the best way to keep an area secret. There was no way that the Saints Who Cleanse wouldn’t notice this kind of movement, especially given the war that was happening all around the world. Hell, some of the ships warping in were arriving in pieces, shot down as they tried to flee the fighting.
Joshua entered the dropship, watching from the door as he was afraid of being caught underneath one of the massive soldier’s heel. They were rushing the dungeon like a swarm of ants. Most of the other players saw what he was doing and joined him, but a few were either crushed or lost in the swarm of armor and guns.
/> Minutes later, the scouting party returned from the dungeon, and they were not alone. Following them were more soldiers, along with automated robots carrying large slabs of red and black stone. One of them went up to Centus, and Joshua was just barely able to make out their conversation.
“Contact has been made, Rector. The Primacy was ecstatic to hear the news and are sending over the Polyphemus here to secure the area. They should arrive within the hour.”
“Good, good. Until then, we have some new recruits to transport. We were going to keep them with us until it came time to return to the Nineveh, but since we have control of the Omnithaneum entrance, I see no reason to wait. Send them through with a scout to lead the way.”
The scout ran over to the recruits by the dropship, forcing his way through the ocean of metal-clad Demon soldiers. There was barely room left to stand on the ground, but the soldiers began to make a path when the realized what was going on.
“Alright, here’s what is going to happen,” the scout said when he arrived. “You guys are going to follow me through this weird library place, and it's going to take us to our base where you can get some real training. I would offer you a chance to leave, but we can’t risk word of what’s going on here leaking just yet, so I’m not giving you a choice.”
The Omnithaneum Page 3