Man Made God 001

by Brandon Varnell

  Current level: MAXED

  Ability: Reveals an enemy’s stats. Can only be used on one enemy at a time.

  MP Consumption: 100

  Cooldown time: 5 seconds

  Adam stared at her stats for a good minute. He felt like his eyes were bulging from their sockets. He simply could not believe this little fairy could have such amazing abilities. Each skill except for [Song of Refreshing Rain] was just a buff, but they were probably some of the most amazing buffs he had ever seen in a video game. They were only at level 1 right now, but each of them increased a specific group of stats by 200%.

  He could only imagine how powerful these would be with each level increase.

  “I can see why you would boast about your abilities,” he said at last as he closed the window and looked at the very smug fairy. “Those are some really amazing abilities.”

  “Indeed, they are. I am glad you can recognize just how incredible I am.” Titania’s chest seemed to swell with pride… or maybe her chest was just swelling. Those things were, after all, really big for a woman of her ridiculously diminutive stature. “And this is just the tip of the spear. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I am only at level 1. You may have already realized that because I’m not very tall right now. Many of my greater abilities are currently sealed. However, once I regain my former glory, I will become an even greater asset to you during your travels.”

  So this woman had more abilities that were sealed at some point in the distant past because her level had decreased? Yeah. Okay. He could accept that. It was a very in-game type of lore. This reminded him of how some antagonists that joined your protagonist in RPGs were always at a lower level than when you fought them.

  “Well, now that you and I are a party, why don’t we get out of here?” Adam suggested.

  “A grand idea,” Titania agreed. “I have been locked away in this dungeon for far too long. It would be nice to get outside and finally see the sun after three thousand years.”

  Adam ignored the “three thousand years” comment. He didn’t want to think about how this beautiful fairy who looked like an odd combination of young woman and little girl was actually thousands of years older than him. Well, this was just a game, so she technically wasn’t older than maybe a few days, but he wasn’t about to say something like that.

  Game or not, a woman’s wrath was not something he wanted to deal with.

  However, just as he and his new companion were about to travel toward the door on the far side, an announcement screen appeared before him.

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! You have completed the hidden quest: [Master of the Spear!] +5,000 experience points. +100 AP! +1,000 Reputation!]

  Ding!

  Congratulations! You have completed the hidden quest: [The Maiden Fairy!] +5,000 experience points! +100 AP! +500 Reputation!]

  Ding!

  [You now have a single member in your party. Party members can be both player and non-player characters. Some non-player characters may temporarily join your party when you go on specific quests. Titania is a permanent member of your party and cannot be removed except during special circumstances. Not even Titania can remove herself from your party.]

  Titania made a face as she saw the screen appearing in front of Adam and read the contents. It seemed she did not know what to make of this new phenomenon either. Crossing her arms, she gave the screen a scowl.

  “What in the name of the Sun Goddess is this thing?”

  “You’ve never seen an announcement screen before?” asked Adam.

  “Obviously not. Announcement screen? What is that? Why are there so many messages popping up? Is this an announcement from the goddess?”

  “Don’t know,” Adam said. He wanted to say something else, but before he could, a loud noise pierced the atmosphere, causing Titania to shriek in surprise.

  Ding!

  [We have an international announcement to make! As of 5:19 am Eastern Standard Time, the player Adam became the first person to complete a hidden quest. He completed the hidden quests [Master of the Spear] and [The Maiden Fairy] and has earned +10,000 Reputation. In honor of being the first person to complete a hidden quest and completing two hidden quests at the same time, we are gifting Adam an extra +1,000 Ability Points. We hope these rewards will motivate other players to try their hardest to earn fame, fortune, and glory in the mysterious Forgotten Realm.]

  Adam waited until the announcement ended, then scratched his head. He guessed this was technically a good thing. He did just earn +10,000 experience points, which meant he only needed about +14,120 more to reach level 10. That was definitely a good thing. He also earned even more Reputation, which was also good, since it meant his reputation was increasing. Since he was helping Fayte with her bet, that was very good indeed, but at the same time, he felt like a large target was being painted on his back.

  Well, he had been prepared for this to happen eventually. He just didn’t expect it to happen so soon!

  “What was with that speech?” asked Titania. “Was that a goddess speaking to the world? Since when did they do that? And why do I not recognize her voice?”

  “Have you never heard these announcements before?” asked Adam.

  “Would I ask about them if I heard them before?”

  “I guess not.”

  “Then there is your answer. Now, tell me more about these ‘announcements.’”

  As Adam and Titania finally began moving, taking the door on the other side of the room, which led to a large staircase, Adam tried to explain what these announcements were to Titania. But no matter how hard he tried to explain it to her, the several thousand year old fairy just couldn’t understand.

  His mask was back in place as he climbed ever higher. The staircase was a lot longer than even Adam suspected. It took nearly an hour to reach the top. That was enough to make him wonder how deep underground this dungeon went. He hadn’t noticed it when he was traveling down, but now that he had nothing to do but climb stairs, he realized this dungeon was probably the equivalent to a ten or fifteen-story building.

  “The sun! Finally! Sun Goddess be blessed!” Titania fluttered through the air as they entered the forest via a door embedded into a rock wall. She stretched her arms above her head and smiled as the sunlight peeking through the canopy of leaves warmed her face. “You never know how much you take something for granted until it is gone. I have missed the feeling of the sun on my face far more than I ever realized was possible.”

  While Adam was still pretty shell-shocked over everything he had learned and everything that happened while in that dungeon, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the little fairy. Titania noticed this and coughed into her hand as she fluttered over to him. She sat down on his shoulder. Her weight was oddly comfortable, like his shoulder was just the place where she belonged.

  “What is the plan now?” she asked.

  “I need to reach level 10 before I can leave the Village of Beginnings,” Adam explained. “So now we are going deeper into the forest, where there are higher level monsters for me to kill.”

  “I see. So you need experience points,” Titania said with a nod. “Very well. I shall help you acquire the experience you need to level up. I also need to gain some experience points myself. It is utterly appalling that a woman of my stature is only at level 1.”

  “A woman of your stature, huh?” Adam muttered, glancing at the tiny female with an odd look.

  Titania narrowed her eyes. “You were thinking something rude just now, were you not?”

  He looked away. “Of course not.”

  “Do not think you can hide your thoughts from me! You were thinking about how short I am!” Titania crossed her arms and glared at him as Adam walked through the forest, her tiny feet bumping against his shoulder. “Do not let yourself be fooled by my current size. Before I was sealed away in that dungeon to become the Guardian of the Spear, I was even taller than you.”

  “Is that so…”

&nb
sp; “You do not believe me?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Do not lie to me! If you are not lying, then look me in the eyes when you say that! Do not look away from me!”

  “It’s kinda hard to look into your eyes when you’re sitting on my shoulder like that.”

  Adam and Titania continued to bicker as they traveled ever deeper into the forest. It was odd, but the strangely non-antagonistic banter felt very familiar to him, like he’d done this all before. No, maybe rather than familiar, it would be more accurate to say it felt right. He felt like this odd relationship he had with the little fairy on his shoulder was something he should have.

  While he was walking, an alert suddenly informed him that someone was calling. It was Fayte. She was the only person who could be calling him since she was the only person on his friend list.

  “Fayte?”

  “Adam!” Fayte suddenly shouted in surprise. “What is with all these announcements?! First person to defeat a 3-star enemy? First person to earn Reputation? First person to complete two hidden quests?! Just what exactly are you doing?!”

  While the loud voice made Adam wince, he still managed to chuckle a little as he heard the woman’s shocked exclamations. He kind of enjoyed surprising her.

  “It’s just like those announcements said. I accepted a quest to help someone find their missing son and ended up entering a dungeon, where I fought a 3-star [skeleton dragon] and completed two hidden quests. I’ll tell you more about it when I log off and we meet in the real world. Oh! You might be pleased to know that I am also at level 9.”

  “You are?! That’s great! Susan and I just reached level 6 not long ago.”

  “Is that the level most people are at?”

  “I think so. The more important members of the larger guilds are at level 7 now, and I hear the Spear God is at level 8, but level 6 is the average.”

  Adam spoke with Fayte for a little while longer, but he eventually hung up because Titania was giving him an odd look.

  “What was that about?” she asked.

  “Sorry. I was talking to a woman called Fayte. She is… a friend,” he decided at last. Yes, he could consider Fayte to be a friend after spending more than a week in her company. At the very least, he liked her enough to consider her one.

  “I had not realized you knew telepathy,” Titania muttered.

  “Telepathy? You mean the player chat feature?” asked Adam.

  “Player chat? What is that?”

  “… Never mind.”

  Adam decided that explaining the concept of the player chat function to a non-player character was futile, so he did not bother. Titania huffed as he remained silent.

  It took several minutes, but Adam finally came across an enemy. It looked like a wolf, but it was about three times larger than the standard wolf, had a horn on its head, and its bristling fur was a silvery blue instead of midnight black. Titania cast [scan] on it to reveal its stats.

  Name: Storm Wolf

  Description: A wolf that was struck by lightning but survived. Now it has the ability to manipulate lightning.

  Class: 1-star

  Lvl: 15

  Health: 15,000/15,000

  MP: 1,500/1,500

  Physical Attack: +300

  Constitution: +200

  Dexterity: +100

  Intelligence: +50

  Speed: +250

  Rend: A physical attack that deals incredible damage.

  Ability: Causes 200% damage to enemy if it hits.

  Has a 10% chance of causing bleed.

  MP consumption: 100

  Cooldown time: 0 seconds

  Storm Wolf Howl: The Storm Wolf unleashes a loud howl that stuns its opponent.

  Ability: Has a 25% chance of causing stun.

  MP Consumption: 150

  Cooldown time: 30 seconds

  Storm Blast: The Storm Wolf generates a large amount of lightning on the tip of its horn and launches it at its enemies.

  Ability: Causes 500-600 lightning damage to multiple opponents. Has a 50% chance of causing stun if it hits.

  MP Consumption: 1,000

  Cooldown time: 60 seconds

  Adam could not stop himself from grinning as he saw the stats appear on a screen in front of his eyes. This would be so useful when battling enemies. Now he no longer needed to worry about not knowing what kind of attacks his opponent’s could do or how much health they had. Knowing was half the battle, which meant he’d now half-won every battle he would ever find himself in.

  … This would have been so useful when he was battling that stupid dragon.

  “Shall I aid you in this battle?” asked Titania.

  “Not yet. Hold back a bit,” Adam said. “I would like to see how well I can wield this spear. It’s been a very long time since I held one.”

  “Very well. I will merely watch and see how you do.”

  As Titania flew back a little, Adam advanced on the [storm wolf], which noticed his presence and began snarling. Since it saw him, there was no need to hold back. Adam activated [Blood Sacrifice] and raced forward to attack. The [storm wolf] clawed at him with a basic [rend] attack, but Adam slipped around its massive paw, spun the spear in his hand, and used [thrust] to impale the monster through its stomach, then swung his spear and activated [slash].

  Bright damage marks appeared on its skin when his spear struck it.

  -960; -768!

  Adam frowned as he saw how little damage he was doing, but he now understood it was because his spear’s level wasn’t high enough. If he wanted this weapon to truly become formidable, he simply needed to raise its level.

  Falling back into the style he had learned so long ago, Adam moved across the ground on the balls of his feet as though he was hopping around. The [storm wolf] attacked with a claw swipe to his face. He flitted around the attack like a rabbit. His enemy howled in frustration and swiped again, but he once more dodged, then switched stances, slamming his left foot against the ground before rushing forward and thrusting out his spear like it was the horn of a rhinoceros.

  -960!

  He changed stances once again. His movements became erratic and skittering like a spider walking around on eight legs. His attacks became fierce and poisonous, but not in the literal sense. They were deceptive, meant to slip around an enemy’s guard and attack the weak points, though he couldn’t figure out where this wolf’s weak points were, so he just released a relentless barrage instead.

  -768; -768; MISS; MISS; MISS!

  Once more, Adam shifted stances, this time lunging forward like a serpent. His spear pierced the [storm wolf] through the nose, but the creature moved fast enough to avoid being completely stabbed through. His attack also missed. Adam was not bothered by that as he lunged again, his actions very much like those of a coiled snake springing forth.

  -960!

  The battle with the [storm wolf] continued, and Adam whittled away at its health while Titania watched from the sidelines, her arms crossed as she observed him with keen eyes. He had managed to reduce its HP to +1,000. However, just as he was getting prepared to finish it, something happened.

  “Oh. My. God! It’s an 1-star enemy!”

  “Sweet! We finally found an 1-star enemy!”

  “Hey! Who is that guy fighting it?”

  “Don’t know. I can’t read his stats. He must have them hidden.”

  “Who the hell cares about that guy?! Let’s kill this thing! Ha ha ha! All I care about is getting the experience and AP from defeating this monster!”

  Nearly a dozen people had arrived. All of them were dressed in basic clothes. A few had armor and some were wearing mage robes, but none of them had anything Adam would have called great equipment. Two of the people present were Mages, two were Archers, one was a Priest, and the rest appeared to be Warriors. While the Mages and Archers stayed back and prepared their arrows or magic, the Warriors charged in to attack the [storm wolf] with their swords.

  A chill entered his eyes as his
thoughts grew cold.

  These people were trying to steal his kill!

  Merciless

  Adam glared at the Warrior closest to him. It was a man with a head shaped like a walnut, thick eyebrows, and a ferocious grin on his face. He was wearing basic player clothes that all players wore when they first arrived, so he was probably low on the hierarchy of whatever guild he belonged to.

  Not that Adam cared. This man could have been the guild leader, and he still would have done what he did.

  -384!

  Adam only used the basic [slash] skill on the Warrior, but it was more than enough. This man was only at level 5, and according to Titania’s [scan] skill, he only had 150/150 health. He also didn’t have any defensive equipment.

  The [slash] carved a deep furrow in the man’s body, though there was no blood, no gore. It was a bit odd for Adam, who was used to seeing people’s internal organs spilling out when he carved them open with an attack like that. A scream erupted from the man’s mouth. It only lasted for an instant. Adam’s attack had taken away all of his HP. The Warrior died mere seconds after being hit, his body striking the ground with a heavy thud.

  This single action caused the other twelve members of whatever guild had shown up to stop what they were doing and stare at Adam and their now fallen comrade. They were so shocked that they couldn’t do anything when the [storm wolf] unleashed [storm blast] into the group. A massive bolt of lightning flew from the horn on its head, striking the ground and unleashing several lightning chains that struck two of the remaining six Warriors. Both Warriors screamed as their HP was reduced to zero and they died.

  Seeing an opportunity, Adam activated [Blood Sacrifice] again, then attacked the [storm wolf] with [slash] and [thrust]. His attacks whittled down the remainder of the monster’s health, reducing it to zero and killing the creature before any of the other players could even launch a single attack.