Name: Alan Robbins

Race: Human(G) LVL 19 EXP 22655/369472

Affinities: Fire, Earth

Class:

Cultivation core: (dormant)

Ancient Bloodline: {Regalia of the Human King}

Titles: Novice Mage, Dungeon Explorer, Above Your Weight Class, Singularly Skilled, Surpassing Expectations, Peerless Mage, Prodigious Mage, Luck Of The Daemons, Unprecedented Entity, Twisted Trials 1, Aspiring Martial Artist, Entry Level Adventurer, Techniquely Savvy, Ancestral Archives

Patroness: Gaea {Primordial Mother's Blessing (Complete)}

***STATISTICS***

Hp: 3228/3228

Mp: 2790/2790

Stamina: 3240/3240

Hp Regeneration: 442.5 per minute

Mp Regeneration: 415.5 per minute (-200)

Stamina Regeneration: 475.5 per minute

Strength: 95 (106)+5%

Constitution: 94 (116)+5%

Vitality: 104 (114)+15%

Endurance: 94+15%

Perception: 94 +5%

Agility: 94 (108)+5%

Dexterity: 94 (99)+5%

Intelligence: 94 +5% (+5%StEf)

Wisdom: 94 (98)+5% (+5%StEf)

Resistance: 94 (98)+10% (+5%StEf)

Willpower: 94 +10% (+5%StEf)

Luck: 131 +5% (+10%StEf)

Unallocated Status Points: 6

*** SKILLS***

(B)[Examine] Lvl 8

(C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] Lvl 10 Prepared for Evolution Y/N

(C)[Falling with Character] Lvl 4

(B)[Walking] Lvl 5

(U)[Steady Hand of the Cartographer] Lvl 3

(B)[Dagger Utilization] Lvl 3

(C)[Throw Weapon] Lvl 3

(C)[How to Take a Punch] Lvl 3

(C)[Trap Detection] Lvl 2

(C)[Enhanced Cognition] Lvl 6

(U)[Tenacious Concentration] Lvl 7

(C)[Enhanced Pain Resistance] Lvl 2

(C)[Heat resistance] Lvl 1

(C)[Shock Resistance] Lvl 2

(U)[Mana Management] Lvl 1

(R)[Advanced Spell Alteration] Lvl 2

(C)[Dual-casting] Lvl 10 Prepared for Evolution Y/N

*Unique*[Daemonfire of the Impure Realm] Lvl 0

(C)[Blind Resistance] Lvl 1

(C)[Bleed Resistance] Lvl 1

(B)[Stealth] Lvl 2

(B)[Staff Utilization] Lvl 2

(B)[Unarmed Combat Utilization]Lvl 3

(C)[Stamina Conversion] Lvl 5

(C)[Mp Conversion] Lvl 3

(C)[Hp Conversion] Lvl 7

(C)[Bravery] Lvl 2

(C)[Meditation] Lvl 1

*** SPELLS ***

(U)[Healing Fog] Lvl 7

(B)[Water Jet] lvl 5

(B)[Lightning Strike] Lvl 6

(B)[Fireball] Lvl 1

(B)[Banish Darkness] Lvl 2

(C)[Gale Blade] Lvl 1

(B)[Stone Skin] Lvl 3

(U)[Vortex Shield] Lvl 1

(U)[Shocking Water Cannon] Lvl 3

(R)[Plasma Flare] Lvl 1

(C)[Blessing of the Wind] Lvl 5

(R)[Gaea's Tempest] Lvl 1

***TECHNIQUES***

(C){Mirage Step} Lvl 1

(C){Meteoric Rush} Lvl 1

***BLOODLINE SKILLS***

[Affliction Absorption] (9%) Current Bp: 0

[Mantle of Retribution] (Passive) Lvl 1

[Mantle of Retribution] (Active) Lvl 1

Try as he might, Alan could feel no trace of Daemonic fire within himself. A previously unnoticed weight was lifted from his shoulders when he saw that, at least according to his Statistics tab, the ever-increasing influence his Skill [Daemonfire of the Impure Realm] had over his Skills had been completely removed. All of his Skills and Spells that were previously contaminated had been restored to their earlier, non-contaminated forms. Though he was sad to see that during the process, the afflicted Skills And Spells had all been reduced to Level 1.

All that work though… It's just… Gone. Though I guess it could be worse, Alan decided, looking at all of the positives. This damned Bloodline of mine could've just eaten everything and left me with no Fire abilities at all… No more slinging fireballs… “Yeah, that would definitely be a bummer…” He stated to no one in particular.

Though satisfied with the overall changes he couldn't help but wonder what a Bloodline was, or how he was supposed to use any Bloodline Points that he may or may not generate in the future.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

He quickly recognized that his body felt simultaneously lighter, and far more dense. It was an off-putting experience, and it took a minute to get used to. But by the time he finished reading his extensive, and downright ominous notifications, he had already found he liked the feeling.

Alan was distracted by a muted boom, followed by the sound of Gaea talking to someone on the other side of the room. He strained his ears, trying to listen in, but her words were muffled and distorted. By the time the echoes bounced off the walls and back to his ears, he could hardly decipher one word in five.

He threw up his arms in exasperation, eavesdropping having given him him nothing but further questions.

What Alan felt made him open his eyes and gasp in alarm.

His left arm now ended just below his elbow. Though he still lacked a hand, and a complete forearm, it was a vast improvement, and his glee would not be contained. “MY FUCKING ARM'S GROWING BACK BABY!!“ Alan roared, vigorously wiggling his new elbow nub as fast as it would move.

No more baby nub for me!! Alan thought, his excitement building into a rush of energy. I've got me a big-boy nub!! Actually… Now that I think about it, my arms are looking pretty beefy! He stared in awe at his newly improved physique. His Bloodline having improved the definition of his biceps and triceps to a whole new level of clarity.

As he flexed his freshly toned arms, legs, and chest, Alan suddenly felt like it would be possible for him to take on the world. Though he knew it was mostly just the adrenaline and the residual energy from whatever he'd just gone through talking, it was still nice while it lasted. Unfortunately, Gaea was quick to step in and and remind him of what was still at stake, bringing him back down to Earth.

“Congrats on the 'Big boy Nub',“ Gaea said with an embarrassed shake of her head, “But on to more serious matters. Although the Skill [Daemonfire of the Impure Realm] has been drained of the vast majority of its energy, an ArchDaemon's Curses aren't so easy to break. I'm afraid that as long as that Skill remains listed on your Statistics tab, you still remain under his putrescent gaze. I don't mean to cause you further worries, but you need to be wary. Keep a close eye on that Skill. I believe your Bloodline will feast on any further attempts to corrupt your mind or body, but while he's most assuredly hideous, that Zalbohg is a crafty little shit. I wouldn't put it past him to find a work-around for your Bloodline.“

“Which brings me to our next topic.“ Gaea took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, “I'm sure you've already realized, but you have just awakened a Bloodline. Normally congratulations would be in order, but this situation is anything but celebratory. You have somehow awakened one of the most feared and reviled Bloodlines to have ever been documented.“ Gaea stared into the distance as if seeing into the past. “There's not much else I am able to tell you… As with nearly everything else having to do with the Humans, there's not much I am allowed to say. At least until after you've successfully completed the Tutorial.“

She shrugged her shoulders and gave Alan an apologetic smile. “It is the will of the System's Administration that this information be relegated to the past, and forgotten. Even I am bound by restrictive Oaths.“ A pained gasp escaped her lips. Gaea clenched her jaw and snarled, “and I toe the line just by telling you this much. I would rather not Garner the Ire of the Administration yet again, so we must leave this matter to a later day.“

Alan wanted to know more about his Bloodline, and he knew he needed any information his Goddess was willing to offer. The tightness to her features said this was not a topic he should pursue, but he simply had to ask. “I understand that this is a sensitive subject,” Alan said with a frown, “but I couldn't help but wonder… What IS a Bloodline? And can you tell me how I got stuck with a Bloodline that is, as you called it, 'Feared and Reviled'?“

Alan's shoulders drooped, the weight of his own existence threatening to crush him to the floor.

“It just seems kind of shitty doesn't it?“ He said quietly, glaring down at his boots, “For some reason that I'm not even allowed to know, Humans seem to have a terrible reputation in the Multiverse. It seems nearly everyone is dead-set on seeing Humanity perish. But it gets even better!“ His voice began to deepen, becoming an irritated growl.

“So, not only am I a member of a reviled race, the owner of a reviled Bloodline, but I'm also something called a Cultivator. And you basically told me to keep that a secret if I don't want to die…So I'm gonna go out on a limb and take a guess.“

Alan lifted his eyes to meet those of his Goddess and finished his rant, each word dripping with sarcasm.

“Cultivators are… Reviled too aren't they. With the direction this conversation has taken, I might as well change my name to Reviled Robbins, build an exhibit, and put myself on display as 'Reviled, the thrice-damned Human!' It's too much Gaea. I've already got a massive target painted on my back, and the Tutorial has only just begun…” Alan was stunned into silence when he saw a several tears fall down the child-like face of his goddess. Without any hesitation, Gaea threw her arms around Alan and began to blubber.

Alan rolled his eyes, and pat the top of his now-sniffling Goddess. Come on now! Alan thought, I should be the one crying, right? How am I the one providing comfort. an to a Primordial being no less?!

“I heard that…” Alan heard a disgruntled Gaea mumble just before she blew gobs of snot down the front of his armor. She looked up at Alan innocently with streamers of bright orange ooze dangling from her nose and snickered. Alan groaned, gently extricating himself from his Goddesses disgusting embrace.

Luckily his Spatial Storage Ring still seemed to work. Alan pulled the top off of his canteen and upturned it, flushing Gaea's drippings off of his armor. As soon as it hit the floor, all water and booger remnants were absorbed into the metallic floor.

“It just seems like I've got insurmountable odds stacked against me from the outset. I hate to whine to a goddess, but it just doesn't seem… Right, or fair… Why me? What did I ever do to deserve all of this? My childhood memories are still hazy and jumbled up at the best of times, but I don't think a nine year old could've done anything horrible enough to earn such a heavy Fate.“

Gaea's eyes widened in alarm, as if Alan's words struck her like a physical blow. “A heavy Fate indeed…” She said, her face taking on a contemplative look.

“Hearing you say that, it wouldn't be a surprise to me that at some point along the way, you've managed to catch the eye of Fortuna, the Goddess of Fortune. Your high Luck stat is all the proof I need. Luck should be taken as both a blessing and a burden Alan. It has been said that luck is blind. Or that the bad comes with the good, but my personal favorite can be summed up in five easy words.“

She fixed Alan with an intense stare.

“Luck is always to blame.“ Gaea said ominously. “Good luck, bad luck, it's all the same thing if you really think about it. The misfortune of one individual is likely to lead to the fortune of another. Your above average Luck just happens to place you closer to the center of the storm. But this is a talk better left for one not so biased as me. You can have a lengthy discussion with that petulant woman. If you ever have the misfortune of crossing her path.“

Alan failed to register the last few words. Her earlier statement had rocked him to the core. If Luck really was as fickle as Gaea had let on, then why in all the Nine Hells had he been carelessly throwing all of his extra stats into Luck?

What kind of bullshit is this?! Are you seriously telling me I not only wasted over 100 Stats, but that I'm now stuck with some kind of curse of fluctuating fortune?

With Gaea's words weighing heavily on his mind, he simply couldn't allow himself to remain silent any longer. “Gaea, wait…you can't be serious… You're telling me I'm going to have both exceptionally good, AND bad luck?!“ It just didn't sit right with him. It was a sick joke. Just how much of his recent string of misfortunes had he brought upon himself?

Noticing the panicked look on his face, Gaea wiped her nose on her sleeve and stood up on the tips of her toes. With a look of unending patience, she gently pat Alan on his shoulder. “Now, don't go losing hope just yet. As I said, this is a subject in which I am highly biased. Luck is similar to Karma, in that it is an intangible force, tied directly to ones fate. Your Base Luck Stat was ten. Did you know the vast majority of Humanity have a Base Luck Stat of one to three? The really lucky ones get a Base of five. You didn't do anything wrong by allocating points to Luck.“

She hesitated a moment, unsure how to word what she knew Alan needed to hear. “Think of good and bad luck as two sides of the same coin. They are intrinsically linked to one another. Fortuna…" She said the name like it left a sour taste in her mouth. “Ugh, gross. The Goddess of Fortune that is, she would say that there is no difference between the two. That there is no such thing as strictly good or bad luck.“

“Look at it this way, though it may have been bad luck that you fell into the Sandstone Palace Dungeon, that was inevitability what led to you finding those Spell Scrolls. Which is good right? That, in turn, led you to blow yourself up and simultaneously show your resilience by surviving, garnering the attention of an ArchDaemon in the process. Which is mostly bad. But…”

She said this last word with a finger pointed directly in Alan's face. “When you Garnered Zalbohg's attention, My sweet little ArchDeacon Larona rushed to bring me that news, which led to me providing you with [Gaea's Tempest]. And THAT'S how you ended up here, and awakened your bloodline. Seriously limiting any influence Zalbohg has over you in the process.“

Her arm slowly grew longer, allowing her to lightly poke Alan's forehead. “And I believe it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyways, just in case it hasn't soaked into that thick skull of yours. Your Bloodline awakening was a good thing. At least for you. Well, mostly. Mostly-good indeed! It's far too early to write yourself off Alan. In case you hadn't realized, you've just stolen an ArchDaemon's curse, and used it to fuel something thought long-since lost! It's unheard of!!“

Alan sat down on the silky grass and held his head in his hand. He was unsure what to feel. It was turning out that Luck was just way too confusing, and convoluted of a subject for him to wrap his mind around. But he had to admit, at least to himself, that him ending up here vastly outweighed the misfortune that preceded his arrival in Gaea's Realm.

“Don't just laze about boy,” Gaea said brightly, “your lovely little Naga isn't going to fix herself. And, it's just about time for you to return to the Tutorial. I've just about got her as stable as I am able to, without actually healing her wounds.“ Gaea said, tapping her foot on the floor with impatience.

“Hold on,” Alan said. Already irritated, he was unable to keep his eyes from narrowing with suspicion. “You can heal her wounds? Then let's do this!! Heal her Gaea! What's the holdup?“

“The 'holdup',” she said, making quotations with her fingers, “Is that if I heal her as is, she will be healed AS IS. Her body and soul have been torn in half Alan. And only one half of it is in my realm. I'm assuming the other piece was left behind in the Sandstone Palace Dungeon? Well either way, it isn't here is it? And though I may be a Primordial Entity, recreating, and then piecing together Beast-Folk souls is not my forte.“

She briskly told Alan that because of the time difference in her Realm, almost no time had passed by in the Tutorial. It had only been seconds in real-world time. Unfortunately, by the time Alan had cast [Gaea's Tempest], allowing Gaea to pinpoint his location, Su'ong's soul had already suffered extensive damage. “I'm afraid the spatial transfer probably didn't help. But it's a little late for that now…”

“Listen Alan, there are two ways we can go about this, I can heal her as she currently lies, but then you'd be left with not much more than a snakeskin backpack that talks. Not only would this reduction to her Spiritual Wellspring severely limit her future potential, but what do you honestly think would be the outcome? Would you even be able to get her free of the Dungeon?“

By now her voice had fallen to just above a whisper. “I don't mean to rub salt in your fresh wounds, but it was because of your own foolishness that she wound up in this sorry state in the first place wasn't it? I fear that you are far too brash, and unprepared, to deal with the Tutorial without someone around to help keep you focused…”

Alan tried to speak up, but Gaea was having none of his interruptions. She held up a single finger glared up at him until he got the hint and quieted down.

After raising her voice an octave, she started laying out Alan's only other option.