ALL NOVEL 30: Quest
[You have successfully slain a Level 5 Phantasmal Being: Neither Devil. As per your preference requirements, all experience is being directed towards Soul Card, [The Fool]. Your Soul Card has received 27,950 Soul Experience.]
[For killing a Phantasmal Being three levels above you, you have unlocked Feat: Nether Slayer I. +1 Point to each attribute.
[Congratulations, your Soul Card [The Fool] has reached level 3 (8,084/50,000). You have received 10 attribute points. You have recieved one Skill upgrade point. Your soul power has been increased by 5. ]
[Name: Thomas Lowe.
Age: 18
Soul Card: The Fool [Level 3] (8,084/50,000)
Feats: Nether Slayer I
Statistics:
Physical: 9 (+1)
Mental: 11 (+1)
Proprioception: 10 (+1)
Soul Power: 7/40 [45]
Deck Cards:
1. The Flame [Common]: Level 4
Ability:
Ember Level 4 [745/3000]: Release a small, concentrated burst of hot flames that drain 1 SP for every fourty five seconds of continuous use. [Level 4 reward- Range has been increased by 1 meter. Ember lasts for five additional seconds for every 1 SP spent].
2. Water Propulsion [Common]: Level 3
Ability:
Torrent Level 3 [45/1500]: Release a linear, compressed torrent of water that drains 1 SP for every fired shot. Level 3 reward- Range increased by 4 meters.]
3. Earth’s Vitality [Common]: Level 4
Ability:
Heal Level 4 [655/3000]: Absorb the Earth’s vitality to cast a protective halo around you that continuously heals minor wounds and staunches bleeding. Drains 1SP/minute. Requires continuous contact with an earthen surface. [Level 4 reward- Increases rate of blood clotting and muscle regeneration by +30%]
4. The Shadow [Common]: Level 3
Ability:
Shadow Cloak Level 3 [45/1500]: Coalesces shadows around the wielder that muffles footsteps and reduces visibility, especially effective in low-light environments. Once inside the Shadow Cloak, allows the wielder to see perfectly in the darkness. Each Shadow Cloak costs 1SP to form and lasts for 1 hour and 10 minutes. [Level 3 reward- Duration increased by +10 minutes.]
5. The Lunar [Common]: Level 3
Ability:
Moon Aura: Borrow the moon’s radiance to cast a movement halo around you that boosts your speed by 20%. Drains 1 SP/minute. Requires the presence of the auspicious moon, Alelai. ]
[Would you like to loot the Level 5 Nether Devil?]
Tom found himself towering over the [Nether Devil’s] corpse, his eyes blinking past the slew of notifications as he absorbed the relevant information. There was a lull that had befallen upon his sector of the Zelez Dungeon as no Devil dared to approach him, much less attack him. They didn’t retreat either, merely stopping in their tracks as they analysed him.
Though he had no way of sensing their emotions or deciphering their inscrutable expressions, he was almost certain that they were shocked. That momentary respite was something that Tom intended to exploit.
Five points into physical, five into mental.
A veritable flood of memories welcomed him as the latent potential of his psyche was both unlocked and deepened. His mind had never felt so free, so unencumbered from distractions, so capable of focus— a sensation he could toggle at will. To immerse himself entirely at the task upon hand, or to take in, memorize and then analyse the world around himself. His musculature had increased in density before folding upon itself, the process as mildly disturbing as always. This time the process lasted for more than a few seconds and Tom could sense himself getting physically stronger, limber and more athletic with every passing moment.
There was, naturally, a deeper reason concealed behind his stat allocation. The Mental stat had become irrevocably fundamental to his build after he had realized the importance of Active Shroud, Maya. But, that wasn’t his immediate priority, no— instead of looting the [Nether Devil] the usual way, Tom wrested the [Nether Blade] out of it’s hands, not quite sure what would happen if he tried to dual wield them— the extra investment in the Mental stat doubling as insurance.
[Warning: Dual Wielding two Nether Swords has a multiplicative effect upon the psyche. Estimated Recommended Mental Stat: 35]
‘Fuck off!’ he let out a mental protest against the archaic, unintelligible whispers that had begun to influence his mind…. maybe this had been a mistake.
[The Fool has detected a foriegn mental influence upon your soul.]
[The Fool has successfully eliminated foriegn mental influence.]
Tom’s expression immediately eased upon sensing the familiar yet almost indescribable aura coursing through his body and mind, driving back the evil that sought to corrupt his thoughts.
In place of one plasma sword, now there were two clenched within the firm grasp of his young hands.
“What?” Tom bellowed, an almost demonic smile stretching across his visage. “I haven’t gone crazy yet,” he mocked, referring to the [Nether Blade’s] corruption.
That seemed to catch the remaining Nether Devil’s attention.
With violent screeches that promised the deliverance of violence, the Nether Devil’s charged.
Tom met the charge with a smile.
A person as low levelled as him shouldn’t have been allowed to wield such power…
But now that he was…well…
Two luminous lines danced in the dimly lit ambience of the Zelez Dungeon, Thomas’ footwork oscillating in a wild shuffle as anything that approached him, anything that so much as moved was either lacerated or bisected, drenching him in Nether Devil lifeblood. His movement style had attuned to his untamed fighting style, so much so that he found himself reflexively swinging his blade even when… nothing around him was capable of moving, let alone standing.
Heavily panting, his twin blades grounded to a halt, forcing him to witness the havok he had caused.
The pang of guilt he’d been expecting… perhaps because he was masquerading as another, was surprisingly absent.
[Soul Card: The Fool [Level 3] (29,671/50,000)]
In a little under five minutes, he had amassed another twenty thousand soul experience, which… frankly, left him too surprised for words.
It still wasn’t enough for a level up, but given that there was no other level 5 [Nether Devil] after the first one he had killed, he wasn’t too surprised.
All the other [Nether Devils], including the ones he had disabled earlier, were dead at his blade’s edge. Without hesitation, Tom began to loot the carcasses one after the other, observing as his collection of [Corrupted Gems] among weaker alternatives to the [Nether Blade] grew rapidly.
Money was nice. It would be useful for what was to come.
“Lord Zenakris,” The guard blocking the pathway that connected the Zelez Dungeon to the Academic City, Renovia, greeted. Dressed in heavy, dull-grey armor and wielding a massive two-handed halberd with solely his right hand, it only took one glance at him to know that he meant business. Mean business. “Is everything alright?”
“Raulh,” The man who bore an identical visage, body shape, weight and cadence to Zenakris’ acknowledged, his tone tinged with what was most definitely frustration. He had walked forth with an aggressive gait, but the intricacies of his body language, most notably the relaxed manner in which his [Card Gauntlet] was lowered to the ground, conveyed that he was not really in a rush. “Lady Nezarie and my other compatriots will be returning later. Quite obviously, all this blood isn’t mine,” he gestured to his blood soaked clothing. “I was merely….ahem, venting my frustrations. I would appreciate it if we do not dither on this topic for much longer,” he replied, his voice carried forward with a commanding presence.
“As long as you can assure me of Lady Nezarie’s safety"
“I can,” he replied firmly.
“Very well. Give my regards to your father, Lord Zenakris,” Raulh, a skilled knight who bore allegiance to the Noble Family, Versaria, acknowledged.
“Thank you for understanding, Raulh,” the Zenakris lookalike acknowledged, as he calmly walked past the guard, taking slow steps towards the light that cascaded into the tunnel entrance.
Inwardly, Tom was sweating with every step, terrified by the latent aura that guard was exuding— so much so that he didn’t dare glance back at him, much less inspect him.
That man… could kill him with a single swing of his halberd.
The more he wanted to run forward, screaming, the slower he forced himself to walk, climbing step after step as if he owned the damn city. Which he, or well, Zenakris did, in a sense— part of it, anyway.
A minute later, he was almost reduced to tears as the distant bustle of a crowd, a human crowd, made its way to his ears.
[Congratulations, you have found your way to civilization, thereby completing your first quest: Survive!]