Needing a distraction from his thoughts, Erik opened his notifications.
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Skill: Marksman
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Level: 39 (Apprentice)
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Long-range weapons are familiar in your hands. When aiming, you can zoom in x2.0.
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Skill: Hand-to-Hand
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Level: 26 (Apprentice)
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Attacks cost 20% less Stamina
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Upon advancing into the Apprentice level of Hand-to-Hand, you will be rewarded with one randomly selected item related to this skill.
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You have received the One Finger Beats Fist Technique Book
10,000 EXP
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Skill: Healer
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Level: 47 (Apprentice)
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You have become familiar with the body and the arts of repairing it. Healing spells now cost 5% less Mana.
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Upon advancing into the Journeyman level of Healer, you will be rewarded with one randomly selected item related to this skill.
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You have received Ranged Heal-Simple
100,000 EXP
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Quest Completed: Beast Mountains Trial
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Requirements: Defeat the beast horde (0/5 Waves remaining)
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Rewards:
Title: Dungeon Master
Control over Beast Mountains Dungeon
100,000 EXP
Teleportation scroll (location locked)
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Title: Dungeon Master
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You’ve become the master of a dungeon
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You have gained control of the Dungeon building interface.
Grade: Grand Mortal (Can be upgraded) (Must visit Dungeon to take control)
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Resources
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Food: 0 Units
Stone: 700 Units
Mana: 1200
Gold: 0
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Upkeep costs per day:
1 Mana
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You have gained control of:
Dungeon Core (Sleeping)
Alchemy workshop
Beast Stables
Smithy
Citizens: 1
Guards: 0
Vzztpssht: 41
Beasts: 214
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Erik looked over the information but he didn’t really know what it all meant. It was like the information he had got when he and Rugrat had become the acting lords of Alva Village.
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You have reached Level 15
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When you sleep next, you will be able to increase your attributes by: 0 points.
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Must be zero because I already used them last night to increase my stats.
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56,534/195,000 EXP till you reach Level 16
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Even with the killing of thousands of beasts, even if they were shared over the people in Alva Village, Erik had killed dozens by himself and it had only allowed him to level up two times.
“One really needs to advance in the realms if they want to increase their rank.” Erik felt as though he had dried out all of his avenues in the First Realm.
It was hard to nearly impossible for him to gain the Experience he wanted. Killing most creatures in the First Realm would give him just a few pitiful hundred Experience. The resources weren’t enough to support increasing his skills; even the technique books and manuals only covered the basics, allowing one to gain an understanding, but finding it hard to advance.
We must go to the Second Realm when we can to increase our level.
Erik’s thoughts turned toward Chonglu City. His expression hardened. There are still things that we need to look after first.
When he gripped his fist, an explosive energy filled his body. Now he might be able to defeat those rhinos with just his fists and feet instead of needing to enhance his body with Mana.
With this thought, Erik opened up his storage broach. Inside was the ranged heal spell scroll and the One Finger Beats Fist technique book.
He checked his different storage devices but wasn’t able to find the teleportation scroll. “Rugrat and I did the quest—he probably has it.” Erik pulled out the two new items he had gained.
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Technique Book: Ranged Heal-Simple
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Do you wish to activate this Technique book? Doing so will destroy this Technique book.
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YES/NO
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“Yes.” With Erik’s word, the scroll started to disintegrate and a white light shot between Erik’s brows.
He closed his eyes as information flooded his mind. In just a few seconds, he knew everything contained within the scroll and how to use the spell.
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You have learned the spell: Ranged Heal-Simple. Your spell book has been updated.
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“Ranged heal,” Erik said. A green Mana circle appeared around his hand. It looked more complicated than his other healing spells as a green ball of water formed and shot out. It hit the wall; like a water balloon, it exploded but other than a wet stain, nothing happened.
“It’ll take me some time to be able to insta cast,” Erik said. Learning the spell was one thing, but it took repeated uses and a deeper understanding before it could become his spell.
It was as though he had read the back of the book: he had an idea of what it was about, but it was only when he read the book that he would be able to make deeper connections and greater understandings, making the book his.
“With this, I can heal Rugrat even if we’re apart. I need to look into spells more. There are a lot of them but so far I’ve only been able to make Mana Bolt and Mana Bullet on my own. If I can understand them, I might be able to make new spells that suit my different way of healing.”
Erik put those thoughts to the back of his mind. The world of magic was a large one. He had a basic understanding of different practices, but for the large part, he used the spell technique books to gain spells.
Although it would be nice to make more spells himself, he didn’t know how much or how little work it would take.
Erik assessed the small headache he had from using the first technique book and opened the second.
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Technique Book: One Finger Beats Fist
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Do you wish to activate this Technique book? Doing so will destroy this Technique book.
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YES/NO
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“Yes,” Erik said.
The pages started to flip in the book; energy built up before shooting between Erik’s brows again. This stream lasted longer before the light dissipated and the book closed with a bang. Erik waved his hand and the book turned to dust.
He let out a cold breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing it between his fingers.
“That wasn’t as fun.” Images filled Erik’s mind. A woman stood on a field; she held up a fist, but after a second, she raised her index finger. She pushed her finger forward. It seemed simple but Erik could see the rapid movement in the air around her finger.
The scene changed. The woman was now older, more refined, as she still thrust out with
her finger. The seasons changed as the woman grew older, executing that same finger technique. With each scene, the air moved differently as she gained insight and greater understanding to her movements.
Finally, she stood opposite a man with a gloating smile. He wore purple robes that might have looked tranquil on another person but did nothing to soften his eyes.
The woman stood there, poised and uncaring, her gaze cold.
It was a match; the stands were blurry and the area around the two was hard to see.
The man launched himself forward, his feet leaving craters on the tiles.
Erik’s eyes widened at this explosive power; he could sense the power of the man. “Body Like Stone? Maybe even higher? Body Like Iron?” Erik’s words disappeared into a shocked whisper. He found it hard to follow the man’s movements as he crossed the arena in just a few seconds.
Flame appeared in the man’s eyes and lit up his fists. His muscles glowed with power as he unleashed a powerful strike, holding nothing back.
His face held a smirk as the woman repeated the same strike that Erik had seen hundreds—no, thousands—of times.
Power condensed and formed on the woman’s finger. There was no rushing air like before, but a small distortion in the air.
Fist met finger. The powerful and dominating-looking man’s flames were snuffed out mercilessly. His arm broke.
The rush of air made the woman’s clothes billow around them. Her finger stretched out to meet her opponent’s fist. He was blown to the side like a puppet that had been yanked back by the puppeteer.
Slowly, she lowered her finger.
He had used brute strength while she had focused and controlled that strength, striking at his weakness. The woman’s eyes seemed to find Erik’s.
A cold sweat fell down his back. He felt powerless beneath that gaze, as if a mortal looking to a god. All of his secrets seemed to be revealed.
“Interesting.” This one word was simple but it seemed to be able to command the Ten Realms.
Erik opened his eyes, back in his room. The information in his mind seemed to explode, imprinting into his very body and soul.
Before, it would have taken him months to learn the technique. Now, he could feel part of the woman’s own thoughts and ideas; with these, it would be much easier for him to learn.
It was some time before he was able to recover from it all.
“I thought that when using technique books, people would just immediately know the spell or technique. Some of them are more guides than they are the answers. It will take longer to understand and those who use them might not ever understand them in their lifetime. Though if someone uses this with their own knowledge, they could create a technique that is better suited for them and can display more power.”
It was a blessing and a curse: one would only get the most out of it if it was best suited for them. If it wasn’t, then it would be wasted.
“I haven’t even scratched the surface of the Ten Realms.” Erik let out a small snort and a smile. He still had a long way to go.
Chapter: Teleport Scroll
Rugrat woke up before midday. He felt the flow of power through his body as he had broken through into the sixteenth level.
He opened his hand. A scroll appeared in it, the teleportation scroll.
There was a metal clasp on it. Gold lines and deep-blue jade shimmered in the light.
Opening the scroll fully revealed a highly complex magical circle.
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Teleportation Scroll (location locked)
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Using this scroll, one will be teleported to the locked location. The teleportation circle will have a radius of one hundred meters.
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Location: Beast Mountains Dungeon
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Do you wish to activate?
YES/NO
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Rugrat closed the scroll once again. A thoughtful look appeared on his face. He checked his sound transmission device, seeing that there was a message waiting for him.
“Hey Rugrat, you get that teleport scroll thing and did you get a new title called Dungeon Master? It seems that it might be linked to this quest we completed. Is the beast trial actually a dungeon? Send me a message when you wake up.”
Rugrat called Erik.
“What’s up? I’m near the south gate checking out the wall. Haven’t seen anything since yesterday. Everyone is down to twenty-five percent—everyone needs some sleep. It looks like there are going to be a lot of level increases,” Erik said.
“Did you see the thing about dungeon master?” Rugrat asked.
“Seems like you did, too. I think that this trial was to become dungeon masters or whatever the hell that means. The teleport scroll, where is it locked to?”
“Beast Mountains Dungeon,” Rugrat said, confirming everything that Erik had just said.
“Looks like our time here has come to an end.” Erik’s voice sounded carefree but Rugrat could see through it. After all, coming to Alva Village, they had found somewhere they felt comfortable. It wasn’t Earth or back home, but it was somewhere they could be themselves and not have to worry.
“Well, the teleport scroll has a radius of one hundred meters,” Rugrat said. “Right now, the people of Alva Village don’t have a connection to anyone else. They were abandoned by Lord Salyn. What if we were to offer to bring them back to the Beast Mountains? From there, they could go where they wanted with resources if they needed.”
“All right, but I also want to learn more about this whole dungeon master thing. Does it mean we control the dungeon, own it?”
“Well, I talked to Elise and some of the people in the village who might have known, but none of them seemed to. Maybe we’ll find out something when we get there?”
“More teleporting. All right, we’ll ask them if they want to come.”
***
Roska wiped the sweat off her brow as she looked at the next pile of goods that her helpers were picking through and storing in different storage rings. The most valuable items were shifted into storage rings. Anything that was less valuable would be removed and placed into the storage huts.
The heavy infantry sections watched the walls while the rest of the village dealt with the aftermath.
Last night they had ceremonies for those who had fallen; in the dying sunlight, they’d collected their tombstones and laid them to rest in the ground. After a few weeks, there wouldn’t even be bones left behind.
Roska hadn’t felt much about being someone from Alva Village before. She just thought of it as the place that her family had abandoned her. Now, with the way people treated her, the warmth she found with everyone, she felt defensive of them, as if she wanted to protect them too.
All of them had gone through great changes. Roska was no different. She was now level thirteen, reaching for level fourteen. Being only in her mid-twenties, she was seen as a genius in the First Realm.
She looked over at the commotion at the gate. People were crowding around as Rugrat and a number of the archers entered the village.
Everyone was interested in the situation going on in the surrounding forest, but immediately Roska saw that Rugrat and the other archers had a bunch of small beasts tied up with rope that they were pulling along.
These little cubs mewled and snarled at the humans, but their actions were lacking the ferociousness of their parents that had attacked the city. They looked adorable and even Roska had a hard time associating them with their parents. Each of them had jet-black fur and yellow eyes.
Rugrat and the others continued into the city.
“Why did they bring back so many panther cubs?” one of the helpers asked Roska.
Roska shook her head. She didn’t know herself.
“I heard that there are people who can rear animals and tame them to do their bidding, even contracts that beasts can make with humans, allowing them to w
ork together,” the other helper said.
Roska and the other man looked at him.
He scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. “When I was a boy, I raised some farm animals. My parents told me such things. They came from one of the big cities with Captain Blaze,” he said.
Roska and the other man nodded. City people were exposed to more information.
“Do you think that Mister Erik and Rugrat will leave Alva Village?” the man who had talked on beast taming asked Roska.
The other looked over in interest.
“I do not know.” Roska wouldn’t admit it, but her heart tightened hearing these words. Erik had given her back her life and he’d helped to teach her; Rugrat had spent time to teach her how to better direct her spells and think of new ways to utilize them.
Everything she had now, she owed to them.
Her debt to them was too great. She wanted to follow them. Alva Village had protected her from the beasts beyond the walls when she had been hurt; now that she was recovered, she wanted to see beyond the walls and into the world.
Her eyes shone as the corner of her mouth twitched slightly, her heart captured by that wanderlust.
“Maybe we’ll find out tonight at the meeting. They want everyone to attend,” the other man said as they returned to work.
***
Glosil looked at Jasper and Elise nearby, sharing a look of common knowledge. They were nervous for Rugrat and Erik, as well as what they might say.
Erik had reached level fifteen. Rugrat had reached level sixteen but was close to level seventeen. Without any conscious thought, their auras seemed to disappear, no longer war gods, but two ordinary guys. None of the Alva Village people would look at them the same—the power that they had displayed, putting their lives on the line. If they said that they were the second strongest, no one would say they were the first.
Blaze cleared his voice. He was on top of the stage and Erik and Rugrat were behind him. Their faces didn’t show any emotion. To Glosil, it was as if they were two men standing up for their execution, ready for it to go wrong at a moment’s notice.
Everyone settled down and looked to him.
The Two Week Curse Page 45