I think I got a bit too hyped. Did I really think 5 gold coins would be enough? Well, yeah. I guess I did think so.
But, the luxury, expensive furniture is so expensive!
I lug a big, soft and furry couch behind my back. Honestly, It's more like a fluffy beanbag. But that’s even better!
This bad boy cost my entire life savings, and I regret nothing!
Nothing!
Making it into the alleyway, I open a door to my dungeon, before heaving the couch in, and stepping in myself.
Whew!
That sure took a lot of work to manage.
I've basically gotten used to the whole nausea thing, so it really is as if I stepped through a bedroom door.
Well, the dungeon is massive, so 'bedroom' wouldn't be accurate.
More like a laid-down apartment?
Like, all the apartment rooms are placed on the floor, and connected by passageways.
Yeah, something like that.
I walk around for a while, trying to find the best 'room' to put my couch in.
Eventually, I find a room with blocky enough walls, and only a bit of moss or whatever that green thing is.
I place down my couch and begin to get comfy.
Aah...this is the life!
If only my dungeon was a bit more liveable...
"...Huh?"
What on earth? Y-you mean this whole time; I could totally customise the dungeon but I just never knew?
Since when was this function even a thing??
...Well, I might as well take it for granted now that I have it.
So… Dungeon customisation on?
Along with that, A humongous screen pops up in front of me. It’s got stuff from temperature, to hue. Even... humidity and dungeon structure??
I quickly skim through the list, before I find something interesting.
I know right? What the heck?
So, I can farm monsters in my dungeon? Time certainly passes differently, so...
...I break into a wicked grin, thinking about the possibilities.
Alright, let's become an architecture!
I'd say the most important thing is 'dungeon layout'.
I scan through what I can do. After reading and understanding everything (Thank you, [Appraisal]!), I'd say I have a good plan of what to do next.
Everything is run by points and numbers, so to no surprise, this dungeon has something known as 'customisation points'. For everything I customise, it takes some of the points properly initiate.
And this huge dungeon drains all the customisation points!
I decrease my dungeon to three rooms, leaving me with a stack of customisation points to use.
The mob spawner costs a ton of points to use. So, for now, I decrease my dungeon to a mere two rooms.
One for me to warp back to if I'm on low health, as well as for leisure, and one for monster farming.
First things first, I'm going to have to separate these two rooms.
I would be really screwed if I were on low health and retreated to my dungeon only to find a swarm of monsters ready to kill me.
I manage to make three thick, sturdy doors in between the two rooms.
I didn't specify what they're made of, so the doors are just moulded from earth.
Alrighty... let's see what I can do with monster customisation. Because the dungeon was C-ranked, the default monster it spawns are level 1 slimes with 200 to all stats.
I can change the overall composition of the slime, but the best thing is that I can alter its stats!
And then thanks to [Absorption], I can reap those juicy stat points to myself.
If I pour every single drop of my customisation points in, I can push the slimes mana all the way to 400.
I know it doesn't sound impressive but think of it this way: EVERY single slime spawned has +200 to mana, and it spawns slimes INDEFINATELY, meaning the potential is IMMENSE!
Hmm...Actually, maybe I shouldn't dump everything into mana.
I make some quick adjustments, setting the slimes damage and speed to 250, and decreasing it mana down to 300.
Alright, that seems good enough.
Time to test this mob spawner out!
After creating a slime, I turn the monster spawner on.
Above an ominous looking box with a slime imprinted on it, I see a timer pop up.
...
24 hours. Really?
And since its 24 hours of dungeon time, me in the real world would need like, two weeks for it to render!
Damn it!
Ah.
Oops.
I switch the monster spawner from 'waves' to 'single'.
True to the thought, the timer switches again, this time showing a measly one minute.
Aah, now that is what I wanted...
A thought probes into my mind.
If it spawned one slime every minute, what would happen after 24 hours?
I shiver runs down my spine. Thank the gods I didn't leave the mob spawner as is!
Not long after, some blobby, purplish slime pops out from the little box.
It looks gelatinous enough to be, well...jelly...
This also means I can train [Vampirism] in my dungeon!
I slice the slime with my dagger. The slime gets split in half, before wobbling a bit and reforming, unaffected by my attack.
Huh. Interesting.
This time, I coat my dagger in a shadow, before lobbing it at the slime. The slime explodes into two pieces, and it attempts to conjoin again, but slowly evaporates into thin air.
Okay. So physical attacks aren't very effective, but magic works.
I'm not leaving till [Vampirism] levels up at least once!
I kill the slimes as soon as they spawn, before eventually getting [Vampirism Lv2]. I feel kind of bad because I'm spawn camping the slimes, but I'll do what it takes to get strong!
I farm for a bit longer, managing to push my speed to 700, and my mana to 600.
[Black Magic] also finally hit level 10!
I'm not sure if it's the maximum skill level or whatever, but [Melee] has been hardstuck level 10 for a while now.
Only time can tell, I suppose.
[Vampirism] also reached level 4. Right now, say I use 100 mana to initiate an attack, I recover 4 mana back. I think the percentage is based on the level, because when [Vampirism] was level 3, it recovered 3% worth of the mana attack.
But here’s the catch: If I can chain my attack, I recover even more mana!
So, in theory, if my attack hit 50 times, I would recover double the mana that I spent.
I can't wait to see this at level 10!
Well, I don't have much to do anymore, except to grind.
After half an hour, I get bored and go back to my 'relax room'. It isn't even anything good since I wasted all my customisation points on the mob spawner, so really, it’s a square room with stone walls.
At least the walls aren't made of earth. Before, I could swear there were worms in my walls or something!
The real beauty of this room is my beanbag!
I cartoonishly jump onto it, snuggling on the warm fur. I close my eyes, going for a quick nap. I slowly doze off…
I wake up, trying to stifle a yawn. Stretching my body, I awake with a slow start.
For some reason, the beanbag feels damp...
...Oh.
It's my drool.
Wait - how long was I out for?
I don't think a half an hour nap can cramp my back this much!
I instinctively rush to the other room, seeing how many slimes spawned.
My fingers shake, as I slowly open a door, closing it behind me. I open the other door, followed by another.
I swallow a gulp of saliva.
If I was out for, say eight hours, then the number of slimes would be...
...Shit.
Too much.
I prepare a bullet of void, pouring all my mana into it. Including the mana deposited in my [Highwalker Boots], this attack is worth nearly 1,000 mana.
I open the door and see the room literally bursting with slimes.
I can barely see anything, but the translucency of the slimes allows me to slightly see past them, and I look at some notification above the box.
Squinting my eyes, I peer into the room.
The slimes notice me, and rush in, trying to kill me.
Wait! I-I'm your master! I created you!
Now, give me your stats!
I release the bullet, and it shreds past the slimes, leaving a gaping hole in the room.
My mana climbs back up to max, and I release another void bullet.
The damage is less, but still drastic.
I jump in, opting with an abyssal cloak on my daggers, ruthlessly cutting down the slimes.
Halfway through the slaughter, I get another notification.
All basic attributes increased. Level-up proficiency acquired. Proficiency has reached required level Skill [Vampirism Lv4] has become [Vampirism Lv5] Skill points acquired. Combat points acquired. 50% of max health recovered> I automatically pour my CP into speed, before continuing the mass slaughter. I shiver in excitement, expecting a massive boost in stats. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I quickly nick off the rest of the slimes, firing dark bullets everywhere and warping behind any slime I see. After a few minutes, I finish off the rest of the slimes, before exiting my dungeon. Whew. Light work. Although my stats are only double theirs, I'm far stronger. I mean, for example, 100 unarmed people stand no chance against a tank. Sure, theoretically, the stats lean in favour of the humans, but that doesn't mean they have the practical advantage. And after killing those pesky slimes, I've managed to push all my stats to a minimum of 800! Forget about slow-burn, I'm going to push past my limit! Really, if I just stay inside my dungeon and farm, I could get stupid strong. If I do a quick [Appraisal], this is what it shows: Name: Rena Shinohara Level: 24 Rank: F Class (primary): None Class (secondary): None Health: 813 Damage: 987 Mana: 875 Defence: 808 Speed: 1,031 Titles: [Underdog], [Monster Hunter], [Monster Slayer], [Dungeon Master], [Demon Lord] Skills: [Absorption], [Appraisal], [Melee Lv10], Reparation Lv8], [Dark Magic Lv10], [Run Lv6], [Vampirism Lv5], [Rationality Lv5], Concentration Lv5], [Pain resistance Lv6]> Whew. Sure, is a lot to take in, huh? Even though it's only just one stat, my speed meets Diamond-badge criteria! Also, after levelling up, I got more customisation points. Weird, right? How come it never said so when I levelled up? It clearly states that I get CP and SP from levelling up. In fact, that's how I found about those two types of points! Aah. Brings me back to the good old days when not even a single one of my stats had exceeded 10... Wait - now that I think about it, how in the world did a weak, 10 stat beat a C-rank roach? For C-rank, the minimum is a stat count of 200. Even an idiot can see the odds weren't in my favour. Even that ‘Geoffailed failed’ guy can probably tell. I shouldn't have even been able to push past that roaches' defence! Was it divine intervention? Yeah, no... Speaking logically, the most reasonable explanation was that back then, my stat buff from the [Hero] title wasn't completely negated. Actually, that isn’t accurate. A better way to explain is that the stat buff wasn't instantly negated. Instead, the stat increase was sloowly drained, meaning that when I fought the roach, I still had a bit of stat bonuses left. I'm not much of a 'believer,' so that's the most logistical, technical explanation I can imagine. The good ol' days... Except, it wasn't good at all. I'd much rather choose my current life. Well... what should I spend customisation points on? I have 100, but that isn't enough to do anything major. This dungeon stated off with 100,000 customisation points, you know? The mob spawner took literally all of that just to function. I'm not going to complain though. Power first, liveability second. Sleep third, and food last! Thinking about it, I actually never slept. [Reparation] took care of my stamina - which is usually recovered through sleeping and eating But, after taking a nap... AARRGGGGHHHH it makes me want to sleep again! Sleeping feels SOOO good! Maye If I try eating, I'll also begin loving it? Alright, time to head out and find a restraint! ... I'll dump my customisation points into aesthetics, I guess? With 100 points, I add a small wooden desk. Haha! Now this feels like a real room! I take my leave, exiting my dungeon. As I step out of the dungeon, I see some homeless man looking at me on in awe. Er... How should I react? I glance around. No-one in sight. Uh oh. I'm getting some really immoral thoughts creeping through my head. I mean, If I kill him, it'll be fine, right? I give him a quick [Appraisal]. Overall stats of...300? Huh? This guy could totally get at least a bit of money if he joins the adventurer's Guild. So why is he homeless? Wait - first things first, I got to keep him quiet. I make devious 'shhh' sound, flashing my daggers at him. The hobo recoils in fear, before mechanically nodding. Er.... I feel kind of bad doing this, but I've got to do what I need to do, you know? Just in case, should I silence him? How would I know if he really keeps quiet? Demon authorities pay people for possible human-spy tip-offs, right? And this dungeoning totally gives 'IM A SPY' vibes. Shit. I really don't want to kill him, and my own conscience is also screaming for me not to, but in order to save my own hide, I have to incapacitate him somehow. Besides, he’ll give me XP, right? Urp. What is wrong with me? Who'll even trust some crazy hobo? No demon authorities would trust some crazy slum-dweller. But me being a 'human spy in disguise' would totally explain my 'sudden growth,' right? For all they know, I could have been holding back just to get trust and respect from the Guild! And Misaki would totally utilise that to her own advantage! …How should I deal with this??? ---------------------------------------- I roam the streets, searching for a restaurant with yummy looking food. That was so weird, the hobo's head just fell off... And so, being the innocent bystander I was, I fled the scene. After his head fell off, his whole body also got vapourised for some reason. Look, I had to erase the evidence, okay? [Dark Magic] leaves very distinguishable marks, so if I just left the body there, some people were bound to trace the body to me! To be honest, I'm only really in a light state of shock. It doesn't mean I'm insensitive to human life...more like... You know when you read the news or something and it goes like 'local man dead,' but you've only seen the man once or twice? It just doesn't feel real, you know? And since you have no bonds with that guy, it doesn't really bother you. I guess the way I feel is kind of like that? Yeah, I took Harwels 'death' pretty badly, but that’s because we actually created a bond! Or maybe after going through such harsh conditions in this life, I really have begun to see life as only a little significance. I can say for sure that I've changed from my old life. I don't even remember much. All I remember is that I lived a pretty trash, anti-social life in my mum’s basement. But recently, I've begun to remember an entirely different storyline. Except, I only see a few brief snapshots, and it’s very hazy. When I try to remember, I feel like I'm trying to swim through a swamp of brown sludge. And, although that timeline seems like a much better life than the first one, I get a stabbing pain near my ribs, and my stomach churls when I look back at it. However, in both those timelines, there's this dude. His face is blurred out, and all I remember is that his name starts with a 'R’. In my first set of memories, he started talking to me, but I froze up and he left. In my second set of memories, he pushed me into a car or something. Logistically, the first set of memories seems far more reliable. Everything clicks into place perfectly. For my second set, there are a bunch of contradictions, and my memory seems fuzzy. However, for some reason, my heart skips a beat whenever I reminisce on that set of memories. It's probably because I lived a better life then, so my soul wishes that was the actual life I lived or something. Am I really having an identity crisis in the middle of my literal first meal? No one here even know about old me anyways. I shove that thought away, gazing at the tasty looking food in front of me. It’s called Keepor meat or something. It's set up in a fancy manner, with random dashes of sauce and stuff. Without another moment of hesitation, I chomp down, enjoying my meal... Before I spit it out again. Euughh! What is this? This meat tastes s-so... ...Bad. And I thought it was the chef's specialty! I glance around, and I see a bunch of people eating the Keepor meat with happy smiles. [Appraisal] even picks up on them complementing the meats texture, and how it brings out the richness of the sauces or something. How do they even eat such...Such crap? The meat is rough. It can't even count as 'tender,' even if I were being generous! Hmm... Yeah. Sleep is a yes please, but food is a no-no. I think… I know why my perception of food is so different to everyone else’s? So, either the poshos get all the good food, and these working-class guys get diabolical, human... or in this case, demon-rights provoking... chum, or the food here is just generally bad. Think about it like this, okay? Back on Earth, humans spent thousands of years domesticating animals with delicious meat, selectively breeding them to cultivate the best, highest quality beef, pork or whatever. But here? You eat what you hunt. Something like that? Or maybe the spices they’re limited to are really bad. Back on Earth, there were artificial flavourings, spices blended for the perfect taste and aroma, and other fancy jazz. For all I know, these guys are using caveman ocean salt. Basically, the lack of technology means the food is, well...lacking. I stifle my suffering, taking another chomp and smiling at the waitress, before running out of that hellhole. I. Am. Never. Eating. Again. And I can save money on food! Win-win, no doubt. I feel kind of bad for the homeless guy, but I'll do what it takes to save my own skin. Harwel should be ready for action and some intense level-grinding, so I call her up. She lives in a small apartment block near The Quacking Duck, some famous bar. Walking to her apartment, I take a look at this unexplored side of Windport. I wouldn't exactly say Windport is a big town. It’s just that I live safe inside my own square, you know? Actually, by Travias standards, Windport is really big. It just pales in comparison when you put it next to the bustling metropolis known as Tokyo. I don't stroll around exploring a lot. Eventually, I reach the three storey apartment block, and climb up the stairs, finding room C-3. Knocking on the door, I wait for Harwel to come out. It only makes mere seconds before she barges out of her room, looking nothing short of thrilled. "Omigod, I can't believe I'm really training with you, Rena!" Harwel gives a creepy squeal. "Knock it off." Harwel goes mute, giving an exaggerated salute. However, she doesn't stay quiet for long. "So, where do train?" I stare back at her, glazed. I should have thought of this before! The 'Rena' Harwel knows is a prodigy with 350 ish stats! Not some absolute monster with stats of nearly 1,000! Er. I guess I can help Harwel power level? But how should I explain my sudden, rapid development to her?? Should I confess that I'm actually a [Demon Lord]? ... I literally killed someone to hide that information, but Harwel is Harwel. ... Should I? ... I'll deal with that later, I suppose. I do a quick map search with [Appraisal], and I find a place with C and B ranked monsters. "How about we go to Ophia caves?" Harwel goes silent once again. She blinks at me blankly. "What did you say?" "I said if you want to go to Ophia caves." For some reason, Harwel stares at me again, as if she misheard me or something. Finally, Harwel talks. "I'll go with you anywhere, Rena! But Ophia caves is a bit out of our league, don’t you think?" Alright...How should I explain my sudden growth to Harwel? Since it's Harwel, I feel like I could get away with some stuff! "Have faith, Harwel" "Yes!" replies Harwel in some stupid voice. Talk about blind faith. But it worked out, did it not? On foot, I'd say Ophia caves is an hour away. The cave systems are located somewhere near the forest I went to before under Yache's guidance. Technically, I suppose it could be considered a dungeon, but in reality, it isn't a dungeon. The most defining characteristic of a dungeon is that the monsters automatically respawn after some time, and its connected to a sub-space; just like my good ol' home! However, the Ophia cave system is entirely natural. There are entrances, and the monsters there have to breed to repopulate. Unlike dungeons that only spawn one or two different types of dungeon-exclusive monsters, this network of caves are full of a variety of monsters, and there are entire food webs. Harwel cluelessly follows me, and we depart for Ophia caves. Since Harwel is still in my party, if I hard carry and do all the killing, 30% of that XP will still be shared with Harwel. Besides, I don't farm for XP. I farm for stats. If I could, I would probably set the XP transfer to 100%, but the system won't let me. This should be pretty easy. My attack stat does roughly 2,700 damage to B-ranks! Stat-wise, I even outclass the strongest level 1, B-rank! Well, at least I think I do. I'm sure most of the B-ranks will be high level since they prey on weaker species, and unlike dungeons, this cave system allows infighting, so their stats might be higher than mine. However, that’s only the theoretical strength. Stuff like [Underdog], [Vampirism] and [Dark Magic] easily flip the tides, turning the tables in my favour! I just need to think of an excuse to give to Harwel... Oh well, I can bother with that later. First things first, time for a nice, leisurely walk! "I. AM. SO. BORED." "Aren't we all bored, Harwel?" "We should have hired a carriage! I can't even feel my legs any longer!" "Oh, it'll be fine. We're nearly there" Harwels eyes light up in excitement. Seriously? Who's the kid here? Sure, I think like a kid, but I've got a public reputation to live up to! Really though, it isn't about 'public reputation' or whatever. When I talk, it just comes out differently, you know? Maybe that’s why Harwel looks up to me - she sees me as a mature, older sister. But in reality, my mental age is just the same as hers. I'd probably be complaining in my head, but due to my higher stats, my feet aren't even sore from walking! Bwahahaha! Is this what power feels like?? We walk for a couple more minutes, with Harwel constantly nagging. Finally, we arrive at Ophia caves. In front of us, is the main entrance. There are a bunch of tents set up near the entrance, like some sort of camp. I guess some other people came here as well? As I walk to the entrance, some stoic dude asks for two silver coins - one each - as an administration fee. He's wearing a bunch of official looking clothes, so it probably isn't a scam. But, I have a loophole to evade these pesky tuxes now! I flash my high-Silver badge, giving a smug smile." "And the lady behind you?" Oops. Just a Silver-badge won't be enough to evade taxes. Alright, mind, think fast! "She's on an escort mission with me," I respond in a flat tone. The guard raises an eyebrow. "You're escorting her into a dangerous cave?" "I just said so, yes." This guy is so annoying! Ignore your job and just let us paaass! Why can't you take your job less seriously, like a certain lazy receptionist? Alright, [Appraisal], this is your time to shine! I do some quick searches, before forging the perfect excuse. "Yeah. We're taking a shortcut through exit E to reach the Kejif region" The guard thinks for a moment, before nodding and letting Harwel pass through. After we walk out of earshot, Harwel praises me. "Rena, that was so awesome!" I just cooly wave it off. But on the inside? Haha! It's time for a feast! Is there any end to my greatness? Alright, this probably isn't the time for gloating. And I refuse to feast on anything here. I lead Harwel down a path, which [Appraisal] labels: HIGH RISK AREA. Nah, I'm just kidding. When I saw the fork in the road, I passed though the left passage; the one opposite to the HIGH RISK AREA. It's 'moderate' risk, with C-ranks and B-ranks. Personally, I would barge into the HIGH RISK AREA, but Harwel is tagging along. I won't let her die a stupid death due to my recklessness! Sometime through our trip, a bat looking monster attacks us. Giving it a quick [Appraisal], I can tell Harwel can manage it on her own. Stat-wise, it’s on the same level as Harwel, but it only has basic skills like bite, while Harwel can expertly handle ice. She quickly freezes the bats wings, before using that ice to dig deeper into the bats flesh, corroding it from the outside. Harwels fighting method is... ...Brutal. At least with [Dark Magic], it vaporises nearly everything, so it doesn't look as gory. Why does [Dark Magic] not disintegrate mob drops such as teeth or claws? If it kept anything of value, I'm sure the Zi’s fur coats would have stayed as well. Maybe I'm subconsciously keeping the claws and stuff? There's no point wondering about it, but in this dark cavern barely illuminated by lanterns, it’s pretty easy to get lost in thought. The monster infested area should be... ...right after this turn. I direct my hand to the intersection, mentioning to Harwel about a possible monster swarm. She nods and lies down low. Slowly, I creek my head through, squinting my eyes to see in the dark. And then, some wolfish face pops up right in front of me, growling. I give a quick [Appraisal] to make sure it’s not a threat. Level 7, rank C. Easy enough. In fact, this guy is even weaker than one of my slimes! I don't even bother killing it, and instead, lead it to Harwel. The more damage she does, the more XP she can get! Harwel looks frightened. I guess it kind of looks like I'm running away from it? I should've clarified things beforehand. "This guy's small fry" Reluctantly, Harwel pulls herself together, and freezes the wolfs eyeballs. I flinch away, recoiling from Suprise. Ew. That is one savage and totally unfair strategy! The wolf yelps in pain, and blindly slashes around. Even worse, blood begins to trickle from its sockets. It Harwel really digging the ice through its eyes into its body? Like the brain and stuff? Harwel casts another ice attack, freezing the wolf's throat. I stand there, watching the wolf slowly suffer, rotting away in pain. "That's some nasty stuff, Harwel" Sure, it works really well, but these underhand, ruthless, TORTUROUS methods are... Forget about it. Harwel seems to take my comment as a compliment, and she beams with pride. "Thanks, Rena! I've spent a while learning how to control precise manipulations!" "...All good?" However, it seems our commotion attracted some unwanted attention. I hear another howl, accompanied by thundering footsteps. A lean wolf stands before us, slinking past the intersection, its ferocity directed straight at us. Name: Seda Level: 32 Rank: B Class (primary): Leader Class (secondary): None Health: 947 Damage: 1,025 Mana: 874 Defence: 769 Speed: 942 Titles: [Monster Hunter], [Monster Slayer], [Dominator] Skills: [Cooperation Lv7], [Bite Lv10], [Empowerment Lv7], [Pacify Lv8], [Run Lv9]> A smile appears on my face. "Finally, some big fish..." Harwel looks pretty pale. Yeah, she stands no chance against this monster. I yell at her to back me up, before diverting the Lycans attention to me. I cloak my daggers in abyss, before warping behind the wolf. I slash at its nape, but it quickly spins backwards, blocking my strike with its hind claws. Thanks to [Underdog], I manage to get some slight cracks on the wolfs claws. I warp again, this time to its underside. In this cramped space, the wolf shouldn't be able to dodge this! I slice with my daggers once again, but the wolf manages to escape in the nick of time. Keeping [Appraisal] tabs on it, I notice the wolfs stamina drastically decrease, while its attack and speed fly all the way to 1,500 each. Is this what [Empowerment] does? This isn't good. With the wolfs heightened speed, it charges at me. I barely manage to escape, ducking to avoid a pillar of death. The wolfs claws dig into the wall beside me, slicing through it like ribbons. The monster turns to face me again, but I warp away. The wolf, as if expecting me, swivels backwards, slashing into... nothing. I jump out of a shadow on the wall, unleashing an abyssal bullet followed by furious dagger slices. The wolf takes my bullet head on but manages to block my daggers. Thanks to the connection, I manage to recover enough mana to coat my legs in abyss as well. Taking the beasts confused state to her advantage, Harwel yells at me, before freezing the wolfs eyes. It bellows in pain, rearing up on its hind legs. I use this opportunity to get a direct hit on its underside, leaving a ribbon of skin trailing behind. I follow up with a ruthless barrage of kicks, managing to push my mana back to 300. I then use that mana to shoot though the exposed flash, knocking the wolf down to 200 hp. And the rest of that health is being sapped away by Harwel and her [Ice Manipulation]. The wolf gives one final howl, before I thrust my dagger between its jaws, clamping them shut. Looking at the party bar, I see Harwel levelled up three times from that. And yet... I get not even one level? Man, do I hate cumulative scaling! Harwel seems to allocate her CP, before turning to me, asking me the dreaded question. "So," she starts in a suspicious voice, "How did you get so powerful?" Something, please happen! Aliens, right now would be the ideal time for an invasion! Earthquakes, you ready? Volcanoes? Tsunamis? Hello? You there? To my surprise, something really comes to save me. Well, save isn't the correct word. You see, the stupid wolfs last-ditch howl attracted its whole pack or something. These wolves only have stats averaging at 700, but there’s roughly a dozen of them. And they all glare at me, baring their gnarly set of white teeth stained red. I look at Harwel. "Talk later?" "Yeah"