James wins.

Sorry, a little humour.

Yes, he goes through so more challenging times. One of the most significant changes is when a Champion hears of his presence around Milgarden and comes to pay a visit. Instead of finding James, he finds the Watch Commander and her three daughters. In the ensuing battle, Connie is killed, Doris is captured, and Barbara flees into the woods. The Watch Commander survives by running as well. She blames James for the death of her daughter. James has dealt with terrorists before and places the blame squarely on who it belongs, the Champion who attacked the village.

James joins up with Roland and Barbara in order to track down and rescue Doris. They find Doris and kill the Champion. During this chase, James concludes that he needs to be more active in his actions against the other Champions. Doris and Barbara gain four levels, James gains two, and Roland gains one. Rocko explains that the non-Champions would typically have gained half of what they did, but for the gods.

James joins up with Roland and his friends, delving into the T3 Dungeon. It is a harrowing experience as it takes place underwater. James, in his element (LOL) and with the aid of the others, defeats the Dungeon. He also explains that the Dungeon won't be ready for another run for at least a month. The new group of adventures encourages James to go delving again if they can find a new Dungeon; in the meantime, they agree to help James go after Champions (Roland spilled the beans).

After several encounters with murderous Champions, James finally encounters a Champion more than his match. A couple of his teammates are killed, and it is only through luck that James can grab the remaining ones and flee into the Void. Of course, there is the obligatory scene of one man holding off the Champion while the others make their escape. This hero is Roland, of course.

Roland is not dead but is held prisoner and used as bait to draw James into a confrontation with the other Champion that he knows he can't win. Only through trickery and the help of Baron Von Lux can he win the day.

Baron Von Lux needs the blood because his wife is addicted to Vampire Blood. This is a taboo in Vampire society, and for a Lord and Lady, it is even worse. The Baron was using his own blood to feed her, but her addiction became too great, and he could not meet her demand. Sadly, he had to resort to less than savoury means of acquiring the blood. Now that James can provide him with the blood he needs, he is stockpiling as much as possible, but the cost is prohibitive. Fortunately, the Elf Blood is of high value within the Vampire society, and he can sell that blood to pay for the demand made by James.

As much as James wants to help, he is just the middle man, but he does sacrifice some of his profits to help the Baron. In return, the Baron provides him with an Alchemist who can produce the Potions of Bonus Experience at a fraction of the cost. In exchange for his support, the Baron helps James with the Champions, but from a distance, to avoid being erased by the greater gods. They help each other, and it is a win-win. There are a couple of tense scenes revolving around the Vampire Court finding out that the Baron has been dealing with Vampire blood, but the two types of blood belong to the Baron and his wife. As such, the Vampire Court can't charge him with having his own blood. And there is no evidence that he is selling his blood, which is also against their laws.

The greater gods finally release the 15% owed him from the fine. This equates to almost fifty thousand gold, a couple of Skill Books, Elixirs of Stat Gain and a Divine Token, which would allow him to sell one of his Advantages back for cost. He uses it to get rid of Astral Portal and repurchases it as a PSI-power instead of a Mana-based Power.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

James makes it to level 23 at the six-month mark. At this time, he becomes aware of where the closest Amulet is located. He can find where most of them are by moving around the world. None are sitting out in the open. Three are in possession of Champions, and the other seven are still in Dungeons. He decides not to acquire an Amulet but use them as bait. At this time, he runs into the Shard Champion by the name of Ashlen. He turns out to not be a complete ass and joins James to hunt down and kill other Champions.

James starts to utilize the Shadow Network that Rocko has helped build. With time and effort, James amasses a large crew of adventures, champions and even Soloman to help them hunt down the worst of the Champions. But they have not been sitting idle either. There are several groups of Champions working together. These groups are the biggest threat as they move from Dungeon to Dungeon, collecting the Amulets.

They sneak into a Dungeon ahead of one group and capture the Amulet before the group arrives. They then use a non Champion to carry the Amulet. Other Champions can locate the Amulet, but they lose it very quickly when James takes that person into the Void and leaves them there (they were aware of the plan). James recruits the aid of Soloman to help protect the person in the Void, and since none of the other Champions can locate that Amulet, they zero in on another Amulet that is further away.

James uses this idea to remove as many Amulets as possible from the board. He does not plan on killing himself, but he figures that one of the rules must revolve around the fact of what happens if none of the Amulets are in possession of a Champion. This only works if all ten Amulets are taken out of play, and James has a hard time locating two of the Amulets. One of them seems to be hidden or off-world, and the second one is in possession of a master illusionist who is constantly changing the reality around him.

The gods have not been idle and have also started targeting James. Although the rules prevented the gods from directly interacting with James, that doesn't stop them from going after the people around him. Or using the people around him. Soon, sects, cults and the entire militant arm of the religion is after James. Fortunately, he can change his appearance and does not have an Amulet. Two of the gods Ignatius was worried about come knocking, but their interest is minor compared to the other greater gods.

In the end, James breaks the game. He can remove all of the Amulets and convinces the more significant gods who confront him that the game is past its shelf life. The news doesn't go over well, but since one of the conditions was met to stop the game, the game has to stop. The greater gods leave, already planning on another game to replace this one.

Ignatius survives and hooks back up with his old flame, Inferna. Rocko gets his wing healed properly and can fly. Roland gets rescued and stays by James' side, even though James outpaces him. The Baron continues to look after his wife and tries to taper her off of the drug slowly. It is not a perfect plan, but it gives them hope. The Watch Commander tries to kill James but is foiled by her daughters, who protect James. This doesn't go over well.

Onyx finally reaches level 20 and is given a chance to evolve into a creature with a permanent level, which she declines and continues to climb, coming close to death a few times, but pulling through in the end.

Glezda learns some social behaviours and enjoys being able to laugh and smile without people cringing. She doesn't open a hotel but hosts James and his entourage for several months. During this time, she grows powerful, considering all the Enchanted items she is being fed. She grows faster than any other Dungeon. She tries to circumvent the restrictions placed on her in order to help James, but that ends badly.

The Del Torro family continues assassinating people and using their skills to support James' Shadow Network. They go all in, figuring they will inherit the network after the challenge.

That is my story. Sorry I did not get a chance to finish it. Perhaps one day I will, but I didn't think it was fair to stop half way through and not give people a glimpse into the end. You all have invested your time and energy into this story and I feel bad for not completing it. Perhaps, if life permits it.

OH! and what did James get out of all this?

He gets to stay in the world as a Demigod with the love of his life.

Thanks.