The System Apocalypse Books 4-6: The Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG Fantasy Series
Page 62
“John…” Lana says softly, her eyes doing murder arithmetic as she judges the trio.
“It’s fine,” I say to Lana, holding a finger up to the three while turning to the redhead and giving her a quick kiss. “Looks like I’m going on a trip.”
“You’re not leaving me.”
“Sorry, human, but this is a single-person Quest,” Ayuri says.
“I’m not happy about this,” Lana says, gripping my shirt tightly. Tears form at her eyes, her fists clenched white. “We can beat them.”
“No. No, we can’t,” I whisper, placing a hand over hers. I meet Lana’s violet eyes, which swim with unshed tears, my own vision growing slightly blurry. “And even if we could, we shouldn’t. I need to do this.”
“Why?” Lana says, her voice heartbroken.
“You know why.” As she shakes her head in denial, I continue. “I need more strength. More power. And all the other choices, they aren’t good enough. If it’s impossible, it’s definitely a powerful Class.”
“And you could die.”
“And that matters?” I shake my head, realizing those are the wrong words. “No. It matters. But I could die here too. I nearly did. This way, I have a chance. A chance…” I can’t say the rest. Can’t. Won’t. Not here, not with them beside me.
“I know,” Lana says, burying her face in my shirt as tears flow. “I can’t lose you. Not again.”
In her voice, I hear all the pain, all the losses she’s suffered. Her puppies, Richard, Anna. Friends who fell in Whitehorse and others on the way. It kills me to do this to her, but I have no choice.
“I’ll be back. I promise.”
She half laughs, half sobs at my answer. Before we can say anything else, Ayuri harrumphs. Bored by our goodbyes, the Champion grabs my shoulder, pulling me away from Lana and leaving the redhead clutching the shreds of my shirt.
“Mayaya!” Ayuri calls, hoisting me up in the air as Mayaya opens a Portal.
Lana steps forward and is blocked by a Soul Shield, one warped to block her movements. “John!”
With a single flick of her hand, Ayuri tosses me through the black oval of space. I spin around in the air, watching the intimidating blackness approach at speed, offering me no clue of what is to come.
“Glad you agreed. Don’t die. I bet on you this time!” Ayuri calls as I enter the Portal.
My atoms rip apart, the transition wreathing me in pain I’ve never experienced before. Even as I land, I hear the last words Ayuri says as the Portal shrinks.
“Right then. Take me to your leaders!”
And then the Portal snaps shut, stranding me in darkness. Alone.
World Unbound
An Apocalyptic LitRPG
Book 6 of the System Apocalypse
Chapter 1
A tear in space, black and empty, devoid of all light, snaps shut behind me as I exit the Portal. I stagger, my body shuddering as I deal with being transported thousands of light years in a second. Nerves fire constantly, muscles clench, and my ears ring. Coughing to clear my lungs, I grimace and straighten, wobbling as my body readjusts to the lower gravity on Earth. A deep breath fills my lungs, and I marvel at how even a minor increase in the oxygen content can feel so good. But no matter how much I enjoy being home, years of violence on another world means that I’m still on alert.
“Ali?” I call to the olive-skinned, orange-jump-suited Spirit hovering beside me.
He bobs up and down, his body reforming as he joins me in the clearing in the middle of the forest we picked as our entry point. Once again, I cough as the earlier pain subsides. I twist my head around to take in my surroundings, double-checking for potential problems.
“Working on it, boy-o,” Ali growls, fingers darting from side to side as he plays with the screens and notifications only he can see.
While the Spirit is busy, I glance up to check out the minimap created by my own Skill Greater Detection. It isn’t as powerful as the information Ali can provide, but he’s busy patching himself back into Earth’s subversion of the System and dealing with the numerous notifications we’ve accumulated over the years. The world we spent the last four years on was in the Forbidden Zone—an area so Mana saturated that the System actually broke down.
Rather than bother the harried Spirit, I check for potential threats on the minimap. Already, the System has populated a series of dots on my minimap, mostly greyed out to indicate these monsters are no threat to me. No real surprise, but better to be careful.
While I wait and watch, I marvel at the differences I can feel, the changes compared to the world I was in. Lower—significantly lower—Mana density on Earth. Lower gravity, higher oxygen content, no trace poison in the air. But more than that, the gentle caress of the wind brings familiar smells, of new pine and clean water, the muskiness of an animal having passed through a few hours ago, and the creak of old wood. It’s familiar and comforting, and a tension I barely noticed slowly fades. I’m home.
“Ready!” the Spirit says without preamble.
Then the flood of notifications begins.
You have completed your Class Quest
Achieved Master Class: Paladin of the Erethran Empire
Delayed experience gain now distributing.
Experience decay alert! Some of the experience you have gathered has decayed.
Multiple Level up alert! Some of the experience you have gained has been penalized due to multiple Level ups.
Decayed and penalized experience has been banked. Future experience will accrue at a greater rate until bank depleted.
You have Leveled up to Erethran Paladin Level 14
Attributes automatically assigned. You have 98 free attributes to assign. You have 7 Class Skills to assign.
My body twitches, pain and ecstasy coursing through it as the sudden increase in attributes hits me like a steamboat going over the Niagara Falls. Normally, my attributes are so high that Level increases are minor changes, so little that I can’t even feel them. But I’m getting fourteen Levels at once—fourteen Master Class Levels. My body shudders as it’s hammered by the changes, my perceptions visibly expanding even. Muscles twist and twitch, tendons and fibers multiplying and hardening even as they grow more flexible. My nervous system gets ripped apart and put together again and again. It all happens within seconds, an eternity of pain before it’s over and I’m myself again.
Thank the gods increases in attributes are on a logarithmic method, one that takes into account a vast variety of areas outside of the simplistic terminology used. Strength, for example, not only alters my own physical strength, but also how I affect the world around me, the System allowing me to manipulate and even “weaken” the bonds between an object as I hit it. It’s why I can still be cut by a knife and yet can take a bullet to the chest without a problem. If this was a pure physical strength increase, I probably would have exploded from the Level ups themselves.
The moment I recover, more notifications appear before me.
Congratulations! You have gained a new title - Explorer
For traveling to, surviving, and returning from a forbidden planet, you have achieved the title Explorer. Your bravery and foolhardiness will henceforth be known all over the world.
Rewards: All mapping and sensory Skills have gained a 10% increase
Congratulations! You are the 18th member of the human race to leave the Solar System and return.
Rewards: +20,000 XP, +5 in Perception, +1 skill Level (Mapping), access to Fame and Reputation menu
Congratulations! You have gained a new title Slayer of (&%@@##** - error!)
For killing over (error! error! error!) (error! error! error!) you have gained a new title! All (error! error! error!) will fear you and your presence will subtly disturb them.
Rewards: (error! error! error!) (Please see Administrative functionary. Error has been logged and sent to support. Thank you for your patience!)
“Ali?” I say softly, then twist my head as I note the little orange-cla
d Spirit twitching, his body glowing with color.
My eyes narrow as he continues to glow, brighter and brighter till I can’t look at him directly. With a resounding pop, he reappears.
“Leveled up?”
“Just about,” Ali says, patting himself down. He’s no longer floating, instead standing on the ground. Which is good, because he’s now 5’ 8”, portly, and still clad in an orange jumpsuit. “Har! Still smaller than I should be, but this is so much better.”
“You look a lot more solid now…” I say with a frown.
“Yup, I’m here. For real. Body and all,” Ali says with a smirk.
“Shit.” I frown. I’ve grown used to Ali being a scout.
As if he knows what I’m thinking, Ali rolls his eyes and shrinks again, all the way down to a foot, his entire body becoming slightly transparent again. “This what you want? A floating fairy?”
“Maybe not the fairy part. I take it you’ve got control?”
“Not much of Level up if I didn’t, would it?”
“Fine,” I say with a shrug.
Now that he’s made his point, Ali pops back to full size again. His hands twitch again almost immediately as he taps into the System, filling in details on my minimap and expanding its range without a word. While he’s doing his thing, I peruse my new Class for the first time.
Four years and change, and for the first time, I get the chance to actually see the details of the damn Class I’ve fought, bled, and nearly died for.
Class: Paladin of the Erethran Empire
Unlike champions or Generals, the Paladins of the Erethran Empire have a special social standing in the Empire. Like their namesake, Paladins are not part of the chain of command, answerable to no one but the Empress herself. And not even then at times. Their actions are dictated by their honor, their judgment guided only by their wisdom, and their only support their strong right arm.
+1 in Luck per Level. +4 in Strength, Agility, Perception, Intelligence, and Charisma per Level. +5 in Constitution per Level. +6 in Willpower per Level, +7 Free Attributes per Level.
Mental Resistance Increased to 95%. All other Resistances increased by 10% (stackable).
Damage received reduced by 10%
+1 Class Skill per every two Levels
I stare at the description and whispered conversations and the clash of steel come back to me. Memories of my tutor, my mentor, she who finally entrusted me with this Class, rush back, bringing the taste of blood and an ache in my bones. For a moment, I find myself quailing at the knowledge of what is to come before I straighten. What will be, will be. For now, what is, is.
The increased resistances are a given, the stat bonuses the same. I’m a little surprised by the damage reduction and briefly wonder at what point the damage is reduced—before or after all the other Spell and Skill reductions are used—then dismiss the thought. Not as if this is a game where I can sit and calculate damage taken before I go into a fight, knowing exactly how much healing I’ll need after each attack, what kind of armor or skills to use for each and every attack. This world, for all its game-like characteristics, is all too real.
For now, a slight thought is all it takes for the Class Skill page to pop up. I eye the Class Skills hungrily, even while knowing how foolish it is. These Skills are a sham, an uneven patchwork of powerful abilities created by the System to hide a deeper truth. My time away gave me a deeper glimpse, one that I’ve been struggling toward, but it’s only that, a glimpse. Even so, I can’t help but consider how much easier my life would have been with these Skills in the last few years.
Like most Classes, the Paladin’s Skill tree is broken up into three different areas that reflect the Paladin’s areas of focus. Unlike the Advanced Skill tree, I’ve only got three tiers this time around. That’s a good thing actually. The lower number of tiers means that I have to diffuse my precious Class Skill points less to get to the more powerful Skills. It’s an advantage certain Classes have. Or, mostly an advantage. A few Classes out there, at the Basic level, have only two tiers, but they have mostly useless Skills. Those Classes are often considered “waste” Classes, though they can be powerful secondary Classes if combined properly.
I shake my head, pushing my wandering thoughts back to the matter at hand. The first column showcases personal combat Skills; the second, the Paladin’s effect on the greater battlefield as champions; and lastly, the third column exemplifies their role as judge, jury, and executioner. Within the tree itself are additional Skills, combined abilities that provide even greater strength.
For all that, I scan through each of them quickly, mentally planning out my options and what I will need before allocating a single point to each of the first unlocked tiers. The other tiers will have to wait till I unlock them when I reach their required Levels. Still, past experience has me saving my extra four Skill points. After all, now that I’m back where I can actually Level and get Quests, I’ll hit Level 20 soon and gain access to my second tier and their more powerful Skills. Until then, the basics will do. It’s not as if I’m not OP enough, as Jason might say.
Class Skill: Penetration (Level 1)
Few can face the judgment of a Paladin in direct combat, their ability to bypass even the toughest of defenses a frightening prospect. Reduces Mana Regeneration by 5 permanently.
Effect: Ignore all armor and defensive spells by 50%. Increases damage done to shields by 100%.
Class Skill: Aura of Chivalry (Level 1)
A Paladin’s very presence can quail weak-hearted enemies and bolster the confidence of allies, whether on the battlefield or in court. The Aura of Chivalry is a double-edged sword however, focusing attention on the Paladin—potentially to their detriment. Increases success rate of Perception checks against Paladin by 10% and reduces stealth and related skills by 10% while active. Reduces Mana Regeneration by 5 Permanently.
Effect: All enemies must make a Willpower check against intimidation against user’s Charisma. Failure to pass the check will cow enemies. All allies gain a 50% boost in morale for all Willpower checks and a 10% boost in confidence and probability of succeeding in relevant actions.
Note: Aura may be activated or left off at will.
Class Skill: Eyes of Insight (Level 1)
Under the eyes of a Paladin, all untruth and deceptions fall away. Only when the Paladin can see with clarity may he be able to judge effectively. Reduces Mana Regeneration by 5.
Effect: All Skills, Spells, and abilities of a lower grade that obfuscate, hinder, or deceive the Paladin are reduced in effectiveness. Level of reduction proportionate to degree of difference in grade and Skill Level.
Well, that was interesting. Master Skills are frightening, but of course, they have to be, considering how difficult it is to get them. It does help that I’ve got an extremely rare, almost unique Class, which results in better than normal Skills too.
Still, the Penetration Skill effectively doubles my combat ability. Doubling my attack against Shields is impressive—probably the most common method of defense these days—but reducing other, more passive defenses by fifty percent is even scarier. Certainly monsters that rely on their natural defenses will be in for a hell of a shock if I ever hit them.
With the slightest twitch of my mind, I call up my new Status Screen.
Status Screen
Name
John Lee
Class
Erethran Paladin
Race
Human (Male)
Level
14
Titles
Monster’s Bane, Redeemer of the Dead, Duelist, Explorer
Health
3020
Stamina
3020
Mana
2340
Mana Regeneration
213 (+5) / minute
Attributes
Strength
176
Agility
271
Constitution
302
Perception
Intelligence
234
Willpower
263
Charisma
74
Luck
47
Class Skills
Mana Imbue
3*
Blade Strike*
3
Thousand Steps
1
Altered Space
2
Two are One
1
The Body’s Resolve
3
Greater Detection
1
A Thousand Blades*
3
Soul Shield
2
Blink Step
2
Portal*
5
Army of One
2
Sanctum
2
Instantaneous Inventory*
1
Cleave*
2
Frenzy*
1
Elemental Strike*
1 (Ice)
Shrunken Footsteps*
1
Tech Link*
2
Penetration
1
Aura of Chivalry
1
Eyes of Insight
1
Combat Spells
Improved Minor Healing (IV)
Greater Regeneration (II)
Greater Healing (II)
Mana Drip (II)
Improved Mana Missile (IV)
Enhanced Lightning Strike (III)
Firestorm
Polar Zone
Freezing Blade