Man Made God 002

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Man Made God 002 Page 17

by Brandon Varnell


  Susan froze at his words, her eyes growing wide, but then she blushed and manage to give him a trembling smile. There were still tears in her eyes.

  “M-me too,” she said.

  Lilith did not speak, but she did nod in his direction. To anyone else looking, Adam was certain they would just assume she was a quiet beauty who refused to talk, but he knew better. She was indeed quiet. However, the reason she wasn’t talking to him was merely because she didn’t want to accidentally blow her cover.

  “Since you’ve introduced your companions to me, I guess I should do the same.” Adam gestured to Titania, who fluttered her wings and flew off his shoulder.

  “My name is Titania,” she introduced herself in an imperious fashion, hands on her hips, large chest thrust out. “It is a pleasure to meet you three.”

  “So you’re the famous Titania I’ve heard so much about,” Fayte murmured, her voice tinged with awe. “You’re extraordinarily beautiful. Adam neglected to mention that.”

  Adam coughed and looked away. On the other hand, the compliment caused Titania no end of pleasure, causing her to preen like a peacock who’d just had their feathers primped as a wide smile appeared on her face. It almost made him snort. No matter how elegant this woman tried to act, it was clear that she also had a childish side.

  “You were thinking something rude just now,” Titania accused.

  “Was not,” Adam said out of reflex.

  “And this is Kureha.” Adam grabbed the fox yokai from his head and held her in his arms. Kureha merely shifted at her new elevation, lifting her head to gaze at the three women with her intelligence amber eyes. “She’s a fox yokai I met when I was traveling through the Forest of Gloom. While Titania is a member of my party, Kureha is classified as my pet.”

  “She’s so cute,” Susan muttered.

  Fayte also seemed to find herself enamored with the adorable little fox. If this was a cartoon, Adam was certain hearts would have appeared in the eyes of these women.

  “May we pet her?” asked Fayte.

  “That would be up to Kureha,” Adam admitted.

  The two girls looked at Kureha, who yipped once and nodded, which they both took as an affirmative. Fayte and Susan began petting the tiny fox yokai. Kureha seemed to enjoy the attention she was getting. Titania did not. She huffed and crossed her arms, jealous to see Adam’s pet stealing her thunder. While two of the three women began petting the fox, Adam noticed one of them who was not.

  “Did you also want to pet Kureha, Lilith?” asked Adam.

  For once, Lilith’s cold demeanor broke as her eyes widened. She glanced from him to the fox, then back to him.

  “Oh, no. I… that wouldn’t be proper,” she said, the coldness in her voice thawing as she spoke to him.

  “What wouldn’t be proper? Go ahead. Kureha has given you her permission,” Adam said.

  Lilith hesitated for a moment longer before walking up to them and extending her hand. She drew her hand back several times as though afraid of something, but then Kureha licked her fingers once, and that seemed to break the woman’s reluctance. She began petting Kureha in earnest. Both Fayte and Susan smiled. Only Adam noticed how the tips of Lilith’s ears had turned red.

  Lilith eventually realized the others were staring at her and quickly retracted her hand. However, the cold and aloof persona she had possessed until now was irrevocably shattered. She sent Adam a look of helplessness, like she was begging him to give her a hand, but all he could do was shrug.

  Since they had finally met in the game, the group waited together in line. Adam stayed with them and spoke of what he’d discovered about Solum so far. Susan and Fayte listened attentively, but Lilith did not appear to be paying attention, though he knew otherwise. Titania also chimed in occasionally. This caused Fayte and Susan to look at her in awe several times. He assumed they were shocked that an NPC could have such a realistic personality.

  They were eventually let inside of Solum. Adam did not need to show his letter again, but he did need to pay a tax for entering. It seemed players were only allowed free entrance on their first visit.

  After entering Solum, Adam took them on a brief tour of the city, showing them the river with its watermills, the mayor’s house, the arena, and also having them register the Solum Cathedral as their revival point. It took him nearly three hours to show them around the city. When they were finished, it was probably somewhere around noon.

  “We’ll have to log off soon,” Fayte said. “It’s about time for lunch.”

  “I’ll make us lunch today,” Adam told her, which caused some weird looks from Susan. Fayte shook her head back and forth as though to say “don’t tell them anything.” Seeing that, Adam decided to change topics. “However, I think we should form a party before logging off. I also believe it would be a good idea if we knew about each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Fayte agreed with a nod. “I’m already fairly familiar with Susan’s and Lilith’s abilities, but I don’t know anything about yours, Kureha’s, or Titania’s. You also don’t know anything about ours.”

  “It won’t take long to form a party, but it will take a while to learn about everyone’s levels and abilities,” Titania added. “We should adjourn to the food court.”

  The food court was where Adam, Titania, and Kureha had been before traveling to the gate to meet Fayte, Susan, and Lilith. It was an expansive space, an outdoor courtyard filled with wooden benches and tables. There were several food vendors cooking all kinds of meals. Each one smelled delectable and caused the stomachs of everyone present to gurgle. While the players would still need to eat in real life, they decided there was no harm in getting something to eat in the game.

  The food sold at the stall vendors were primarily grilled meat dishes, though there were also a few stalls that sold stew and baked bread. Adam had already eaten once during his time in the game, so he was not surprised by the bold and complex flavors of the food, but Fayte, Susan, and Lilith seemed startled when they realized their food not only had a flavorful scent but also tasted great. Food in the game not only had flavor, but Adam noticed it acted similarly to [health potions] and [mana potions]. What they healed depended on the type of food. Meat seemed to heal HP. Drinks restored MP.

  Forming a party was a simple affair. Fayte disbanded her current party, then Adam followed Titania’s instructions and invited Fayte, Susan, and Lilith to join his party. They accepted.

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! Changing_Fayte, Little_Su, and Lilith have now joined your party!]

  “We should be able to see each other’s levels now,” Adam said.

  “I can’t deny I’m a little excited,” Fayte said as she accessed his stat window. “I’ve wanted to see what your level looks like for a while now, especially after finding out you gained a hidden class.”

  “M-me too,” Susan added.

  “Hmph. Adam’s level is certainly impressive, but you can’t judge his strength based on levels and stats alone,” Titania announced. “This man is a freak of nature.”

  “I rather resent that,” Adam murmured. His response was fairly mild since he didn’t mind being called a freak, but Lilith sent Titania a fierce glare like she’d been personally insulted.

  While the expressions of Susan and Fayte slowly transformed from eager to gawking as they opened a status screen with his stats on display, Adam opened his status screen with a thought and accessed their stats one by one.

  Since he had known her the longest, he accessed Lilith’s level first.

  Name: Lilith

  Class: Assassin

  Lvl: 11

  SP: 0

  AP: 20

  Experience: 2,650/153,600

  Strength: +50

  Constitution: +10

  Dexterity: +125

  Intelligence: +5

  Speed: +100

  Physical Attack: +150

  Health: 200/200

  Hit-Rate: ???

>   MP: 65/65

  Movement: +200

  hysical Defense: +60

  Magical Defense: +10

  Dodge-Rate: 625%

  Magic Attack: +25

  Skills:

  Skill Name: Hide

  Description: A skill that allows Assassins to hide their presence

  Current lvl: 5 MAXED

  Ability: Makes Assassin invisible to everyone 10 levels above their own

  Ability lasts indefinitely or until the assassin moves

  MP Cost: 20

  Cooldown time: 10 seconds

  Skill Name: Throat Slit

  Description: Coming up behind an enemy, the Assassin slits their opponent’s throats

  Current lvl: 5 MAXED

  Ability: Causes 400% damage

  Has a 25% chance of causing instant death

  X4 critical damage dealt if enemy is unaware of your presence

  MP Cost: 30

  Cooldown time: 10 second

  Skill Name: Slash

  Description: A basic skill where the player swings his or her sword and attacks the enemy

  Current lvl: 5 MAXED

  Ability: Causes 150% damage to enemy if it hits

  MP Cost: 1

  Cooldown time: 0 seconds

  Equipment:

  Item Name: Plain Dagger

  Item Type: Dagger

  Grade: 1-star

  Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Assassins

  Description: A nondescript dagger

  Abilities: Strength+25

  Item Name: Assassin Cowl

  Item Type: Armor

  Grade: 2-star

  Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Assassins level 10 and above

  Description: A cowl worn by assassins who wish to remain anonymous

  Abilities: Defense+10; 5% chance of remaining unseen when moving slowly

  Item Name: Assassin Boots

  Item Type: Armor

  Grade: 2-star

  Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Assassins level 10 and above

  Description: Soft boots made from leather. They are designed to increase stealth

  Abilities: Defense+5; Speed+90; 10% chance of remaining unseen when moving slowly

  Item Name: Assassin Pants

  Item Type: Armor

  Grade: 2-star

  Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Assassins level 10 and above

  Description: Black pants worn by Assassins. They increase defense and stealth

  Abilities: Defense+5; 20% chance of remaining unseen when moving slowly

  Item Name: Assassin Shirt

  Item Type: Armor

  Grade: 2-star

  Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Assassins level 10 and above

  Description: An Assassins long-sleeved shirt. Increases Defense and stealth

  Abilities: Defense+30; 25% chance of remaining unseen when moving slowly

  Like Adam expected, all of Lilith’s stats and equipment were geared toward helping her increase her stealth and attack power. She had basically neglected Intelligence and Constitution. While this sounded illogical, the reason was because an Assassin’s primary ability lay in their high attack power and stealth. If an Assassin was spotted and attacked, it meant they had already failed as an Assassin.

  Next he checked Fayte’s stats.

  Name: Changing_Fayte

  Class: Mage

  Lvl: 11

  SP: 0

  AP: 200

  Experience: 1,050/153,600

  Strength: +5

  Constitution: +25

  Dexterity: +10

  Intelligence: +30

  Speed: +5

  Physical Attack: +5

  Health: 250/250

  Hit-Rate: 10%

  MP: 180/180

  Movement: +5

  Physical Defense: +46

  Magical Defense: +90

  Dodge-Rate: 10%

  Magic Attack: +100

  Skills:

  Skill Name: Energy Bolt

  Description: A mage aims their staff and calls the name [Energy Bolt] to release a bolt of magical energy at enemies.

  Current lvl: 5 MAXED

  Ability: Deals 200% non-elemental damage to enemies.

  MP Cost: 20

  Cooldown time: 2 seconds

  Skill Name: Energy Blast

  Description: An area of effect attack that targets multiple enemies and fires a beam that sweeps across the battlefield.

  Current lvl: 5 MAXED

  Ability: Causes 150% non-elemental damage to multiple targets

  MP Cost: 25

  Cooldown time: 5 second

  Equipment:

  Item Name: Magic Staff

  Item Type: Weapon

  Grade: 1-star

  Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Mages

  Description: A basic staff given to a beginner Mage

  Abilities: Magic Attack+10

  Item Name: Mage Robes

  Item Type: Clothes

  Grade: 1-star

  Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Mages level 5 and above

  Description: A robe worn by the Mage class

  Abilities: Defense+10; Magical Defense+10

  Item Name: Hermes Boots

  Item Type: Clothes

  Grade: 2-star

  Use requirements: Can be equipped by any class level 10 and above

  Description: Boots made from the wool of a flying unicorn. They are kind of old

  Abilities: Defense+10; Magical Defense+10 Speed+30

  Skills: 60 seconds of flight.

  Item Name: Peasant Pants

  Item Type: Clothes

  Grade: 1-star

  Use requirements: Starter equipment. Can be equipped by anyone

  Description: Pants worn by a peasant

  Abilities: Defense+1

  Item Name: Mage Shirt

  Item Type: Clothes

  Grade: 1-star

  Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Mages level 5 and above

  Description: A shirt worn by Mages. Provides basic defense against magic attacks

  Abilities: Magical Defense+20

  Like how Lilith chose to specialize in stealth and attack power, Fayte had chosen a specialization in magic, so all of her stats were geared primarily toward increasing her magic power. She did put a few status points into her Constitution to increase her health and defense, and there were some put into her Dexterity to increase her Hit-Rate and Dodge-Rate. But even those had been selected merely to help her survive. He wondered if Lilith had been giving her advice on how to allocate status points.

  Finally, he looked at Susan’s stats.

  Name: Little_Su

  Class: Archer

  Lvl: 11

  SP: 0

  AP: 150

  Experience: 560/153,600

  Strength: +25

  Constitution: +20

  Dexterity: +20

  Intelligence: +5

  Speed: +5

  Physical Attack: +70

  Health: 280/280

  Hit-Rate: 100%

  MP: 55/55

  Movement: +55

  Luck: +1

  fense: +90

  Magical Defense: +20

  Dodge-Rate: 80%

  Magic Attack: +5

  Skills:

  Skill Name: Deadeye

  Description: Archers can increase their hit-rate and critical hit-rate by increasing their perceptions through the Deadeye skill.

  Current lvl: 5 MAXED

  Increases Hit-rate to 110%

  Deals x2 critical damage

  MP Cost: 5

  Cooldown time: 5 seconds

  Skill Name: Rain of Arrows

  Description: Archers who learn this skill can fire a hailstorm of arrows that deals damage to multiple enemies.

  Current lvl: 5 MAXED

  Ability: Causes 150% damage to all enemies within 15 yards of targeted enemy

  MP Cost: 5

  Cooldown
time: 10 second

  Equipment:

  Item Name: Beginner’s Bow

  Item Type: Bow

  Grade: 1-star

  Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Archers

  Description: A bow given to beginner Archers

  Abilities: Physical Attack+20

  Item Name: Leather Jerkin

  Item Type: Armor

  Grade: 1-star

  Use requirements: Can be equipped by any class above level 5

  Description: A leather jerkin that offers minimal protection

  Abilities: Physical Defense+20

  Item Name: Ranger Boots

  Item Type: Footwear

  Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Archers level 10 and above

  Description: These boots are worn by Rangers, people who wander the wilderness and protect others from monsters

  Abilities: Physical Defense+20; Speed+25

  Creating a Plan

  Adam stared at the stats on his screen for a long, long, long time. He felt like his brain was unable to compute what he was seeing. That probably explained why the first thing out of his mouth was…

  “These stats suck.”

  “Well, excuse me. Not everyone has your insane luck.” Fayte rolled her eyes while Lilith trembled in place and Susan teared up a bit. “I’m not sure what you did to get such ridiculously high stats, but I can promise you that our stats are fairly normal. Most players of the same level only have slight variations depending on where they allocated their status points.”

  “I know.” Adam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was sorely tempted to take this mask off since it was getting in the way. “I still think your stats are awful.”

  “I-I’m sorry,” Susan apologized.

  She looked down at the table in dejection, which made Adam wince as he realized he had done a pretty terrible job of explaining himself. He didn’t think he was normally this bad at socializing. Then again, this was his first time he had spoken to people other than Aris, Fayte, and his small group of elite assassins.

 

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