You have defeated a Champion! Exp: 150! Side Quest: Defeat at least three parties participating in the Judgment Path [3/3] – Completed! Exp: 200! Congratulations! You have leveled up! Side Quest: Reach level 10 and attain unity – Completed! Exp: 200!
Scott checked the system messages, a smile playing on his lips. A crisp crack reverberated in his mind, as if an ethereal shackle had just shattered. His vision blurred momentarily, and then a surge of mana coursed through his body like never before.
I don’t know what’s happening, but this feels good, Scott thought to himself. Soft moans suddenly filled his ears, and he turned toward Zara. She had fallen to her knees, emitting creaks and groans as if her very bones were undergoing a transformation. Slim stood before them, flanked by Necrobone and Ossie on either side, while Ivory and Rattlebones stood behind the duo, seemingly caught in a shared experience.
Behind his mask, Scott frowned. What’s happening to Zara? Besides the increase in my mana, I don’t feel that different. Is something wrong with me? He glanced back at the cat girl, only to find her gone. Slim and his summons had vanished too. The eldritch knight turned toward the spot where the lizards had gathered, but they, along with the massive corpse of the cyclops, had all disappeared.
Surveying the now desolate and eerily quiet surroundings, Scott couldn’t dismiss the notion that the disappearance of the cyclops's corpse, the opportunistic lizards, and his companions was anything but a coincidence.
Scott muttered, “What the fuck is going on?” under his breath, turning his head from side to side. The eldritch knight's brow furrowed suddenly, and he reached for his face. Surprisingly, his fingers encountered no barrier, sliding smoothly across his smooth skin.
Where did the mask go? Scott wondered to himself.
“System, show me my status screen,” Scott mentally requested.
To his dismay, silence met his plea.
Undeterred, he repeated, “System, show me my status screen,” his brows now arching with impatience.
Seconds turned into minutes, but the familiar blue screen remained elusive. Scott's features twisted in frustration as his mind raced. What is happening? Did I stumble into some kind of trap, or is this a shared experience when reaching level 10?
The half-human raised his head, surveying his surroundings with deliberate slowness. Slim hadn't mentioned any trial associated with leveling up, so this seemed far from normal. Scott's mind halted mid-thought, his gaze narrowing as he spotted a figure draped in yellow about two hundred meters away.
Who the heck is that? Scott pondered, eyeing the mysterious being. The yellow cloak concealed their identity. "Who are you?" Scott asked, instinctively taking a step back. In response, the figure in yellow advanced, materializing in front of the eldritch knight in a swift motion. The rocks in the vicinity twisted and warped, consumed by an engulfing darkness.
In this abyss, Scott and the enigmatic figure stood face-to-face, both suspended in nothingness. The swirling darkness enveloped them, creating an eerie and weightless atmosphere.
Scott locked eyes with the entity, yet all that met his gaze was an abyssal void, voraciously yearning to consume his very essence. Together, they drifted purposelessly through the inky darkness, a timeless span stretching into what felt like epochs, until a resonant voice echoed through the mind of the eldritch being.
“I'll be waiting for you.”
A shiver raced down Scott's spine; his form frozen as if gripped by an unseen force. That voice—why did it resonate so eerily with his own?
The obscurity veiling the visage of the figure in yellow dissipated, revealing a three-sided petal of the same hue. From its core, a profound, spiraling darkness emanated, engulfing the vibrant colors in its origin.
Taking a hesitant step back, Scott witnessed the enigmatic figure vanish. Another step followed, compelled against his volition, transporting him amidst colossal structures that pierced the heavens against an ebony sky. A further step unfolded a city suspended amid roiling clouds. With one last involuntary stride, his vision blurred into indistinct shapes.
A connection to the Abyssal void established! Skill: Call of the Abyss – Unlocked! You have received a new Ability! Ability: Hastur’s Whisper! Description: Strengthened with your connection to the abyssal void, you can summon low level entities of eldritch origins.
Carcosa has noticed your existence! Carcosa is delighted with your existence! Mana Points is being devoured by the Abyssal Void! Mana Points have successfully been devoured! Your race has been updated!
Carcosa offers a sacrifice to you! Do you wish to accept the sacrifice? Yes! No!
You have rejected Carcosa’s sacrifice! Carcosa awaits your return!
Skill: Mana Casting, Hammer Mastery, Madness, Combat, Mental Manipulation, and Hastur’s Gaze have leveled up!
Tier 2 of Eldritch Knight – Unlocked! Eldritch Charge: You can imbue yourself with eldritch energy, allowing you to charge at an enemy and deal extra damage. Eldritch Fury: Your attacks become more powerful, dealing extra damage to your enemies. Shield Mastery: You can create a barrier fueled with eldritch energy to deflect incoming attacks, reducing their damage.
??? Vessel – Unlocked! There’s a 10% chance your body will be possessed by ??? ??? Vessel will increase as you unlock more tiers of Class – Eldritch Knight.
The ringing won’t stop. How many system messages did I get this time? Scott thought to himself as he struggled to open his eyes. His body jolted from side to side and in every direction, yet a continuous ringing resonated in his ears.
What’s that sound, and why does it feel like I’m being carried? Scott frowned, thinking back to the last thing he remembered. The cyclops succumbed to the poison, then we got the level up window. But why can’t I remember what happened after? This is the second time I’m having gaps in my memories. What the hell did I see that I would rather forget than remember?
The eldritch knight struggled to open his eyes, but they felt as if they had been sealed shut by a living mucus. The echoing ring drowned out the incessant system messages, but they grew louder and more distinct.
“Are those explosions?” Scott muttered to himself, finally managing to force his eyes open. Confusion clouded his gaze as he found himself lying on Ossie’s shoulder, who ran alongside Slim, Zara, and the rest of the summoned beings. Scott raised his head, his mouth agape behind his mask. Over twenty groups, comprising both humans and non-humans, fled in tandem with their group. Further back, through the bellowing mist, more than thirty cyclops, each brimming with unadulterated rage, chased after the fleeing parties while hurling massive rocks and boulders.
What the hell happened? Scott pondered.
The half-human tapped the shoulder of the summoned being while his voice echoed in the minds of his companions. “What happened, guys?”
“Finally, you're awake!” Zara exclaimed, turning toward Ossie. “We can't talk now. Our priority is getting out of here first!”
“I'm relieved you're awake, buddy. You've been muttering gibberish for over three days now. I was starting to think you were losing your mind,” Slim remarked. The necromancer kept pace with the feline brawler, a deep purple luminescence covering the bones of the naked minion.
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“Gibberish? What did I say?” Scott inquired.
“We couldn't make sense of it. You spoke in a tongue I've never heard before. It was downright terrifying,” Slim admitted. He paused for a moment, recalling Scott's utterances before continuing, “Hastur, Conquer, Carcosa, and The Brothers of the Yellow Sign were the only words I could decipher."
Scott’s visage darkened behind his mask. What the hell does any of that mean? He knew Hastur related to the eldritch being who made him its spawn, but for some reason, he couldn’t recall anything related to the great old ones no matter how much he tried. That Slim didn’t recognize the name only confirmed that the necromancer didn’t know about the eldritch gods, or it was possible he knew them by another name.
I hate the fact that I can’t even get pissed off by the ridiculousness of this situation. Then again, I can’t be mulling over something I can’t remember or understand.
The eldritch knight focused on the massive cyclops in the distance, ignoring the flurry of system messages competing for his attention. I wonder if any of them is the mother of that guy. Maybe that’s why they’re chasing us. But to think three days have gone just like that. I can’t begin to imagine what would have happened if I didn’t have Slim or Zara with me.
Scott instinctively reached for his face, but the mask of the eldritch spawn blocked his fingers. Why did I do that? I should be focusing on how to escape this situation.
The half-human focused his attention on the fleeing champions. The fact that neither of them attempted to sabotage the other nor try to snatch their beacons surprised him a little. Scott's eyes moved from one champion to the other, lingering on their arms illuminated with the familiar glow of the beacons. Each group possessed an abundance of beacons, more than sufficient to successfully navigate the trial multiple times.
The fact that these guys have so many beacons means Ember was right. The half human raised his head toward the misty skies. Maybe she’s still hunting the judges. It has been two days, I mean, five days since we saw her. Thankfully, more weirdos haven’t found me since then.
“Why do you refuse to call me?” The voice pierced Scott's thoughts, causing him to flinch. It held a strange duality—youthful yet weathered, alluring yet repulsive, calm yet tinged with a primal hysteria.
“Guys, did you say something?” Scott questioned; his confidence shaken by the mysterious voice.
“Huh? Not me,” Zara replied, her attention still fixated on evading the rampaging cyclops.
“I didn’t say anything, either,” Slim added, sprinting with all his might while skillfully avoiding the shower of rocks.
Scott squinted his eyes, uncertain if he had truly heard a voice moments ago. Was it a figment of his imagination, or had someone deliberately played a trick on him? Deep in thought, he focused on the system messages of the surrounding champions, but none of them possessed skills capable of projecting a voice into his mind.
“Pathetic! Utterly pathetic. Why flee when you can harness me to obliterate everything?” The voice echoed again, leaving Scott unsettled and searching for answers amid chaos.
The voice resonated in Scott's mind, louder than ever. After a brief pause, he contemplated before reaching for his mask. “Am I conversing with the War-Hammer of the Mad God?”
A heavy silence hung in the air, only to be shattered by an ear-deafening roar from the pursuing cyclopes. The horde accelerated, flinging everything within their grasp at the fleeing champions.
“Murderers! You will pay for killing my child!” bellowed a cyclops. It hurled its club like a javelin, the bone weapon obliterating five groups before crashing to a halt. Simultaneously, other cyclopes launched their weapons and boulders, setting off explosions amid the frenzied creatures' screams and roars.
We’re fucked if we slow down for a moment, Scott thought, his emotionless eyes lingering on several corpses trapped behind rocks, and those smashed beyond recognition.
Abilities: Hammer Strike, Quick Step, Magic Missile, Minor Heal, Frost Nova, Fireball, Levitate, Poison Cloud have been updated! Some of your abilities have been purged due to your current mental state!
What the…? Scott stared at the system message, and instinctively called out his status screen.
Champion Interface Basic Stats
Name: Scott Dorsey. Level: 10. Experience Points: 100/1000 – New! Eldritch Energy Capacity: 300/300 [Lower Tier] – New!
Race:
* Eldritch Spawn.
* Half-human.
Class: Eldritch Knight.
Party Members:
* Slim the Grim.
* Zara [Party Leader]
Title:
* Chaos Caller.
* Minion 01.
Energy Sources:
* Abyssal Void.
* Madness [Locked] – War-Hammer of the Mad God required for activation!
Abnormal State: Chaotic Neutral. Achievements: None! Sponsor: None!
Physical Stats Strength: 15. Agility: 18. Endurance: 14. Dexterity: 16. Toughness: 16.
Skills Carpentry (Level 1). Running (Level 2). Survival (Level 3). Madness (Level 3) – New! Hastur’s Gaze (Level 2) – New! Mental Manipulation (Level 2) – New! Party Communication (Level 1) – Party Dependent Skill. Basic Eldritch casting (Level 0) – New! Hammer Mastery (Level 2) – New! Combat (Level 2) – New! Fishing (Level 1).
Abilities Low Tier Hammer Strike: Fueled by eldritch energy, delivers significant damage to a single target when using a hammer. Quick Step: Increase movement speed by 10% for five seconds. Nature’s Bounty: Increases the odds of finding food and resources by 5%. Build: Construct a structure or item using wood materials. Repair: Restore damaged structures or items. Middle Tier Imprint of Madness: All physical stats will rise by fifteen points. Odds of landing a critical strike increases by 22% when Imprint of Madness is activated. All physical stats will drop by 7 if mental state is overridden with madness. Limit: 3/10. Mind Control: Odds of manipulating beings without mental resistance increases by 10%. Mind Control’s effectiveness increases by 10% when combined with Imprint of Madness. Mental Resistance: You’re immune to all mental attacks from beings below sainthood. Chaos Missiles: Unleashes five bolts of raw eldritch energy. Corrupted Mend: Restores a small amount of health to the caster or an ally. Warning! Beings of non-eldritch origins will be predisposed to their inner insanity. Abyssal Blizzard: Creates a burst of icy energy from the void. Void Blast: Shoots a small nightmare flame to a single target. Nightmare flames devour negative emotions to fuel its rage. Void Levitate: This version of Levitate is infused with the power of the Void, allowing the caster to slip in and out of existence. While levitating, the caster becomes intangible and immune to physical attacks, but also unable to interact with the environment in any meaningful way. Curse of the Nightmarish Fog: Creates a fog of eldritch energy that inflicts both poison and madness upon enemies caught within it. Siegel: 10% chance of corrupting an item with your eldritch energy. Items bearing your Siegel have a 15% chance of corrupting the mind when used by other beings. Hastur’s Gaze: Peer into the status screens of other beings! Only beings above Level 20 will escape your gaze. Hastur’s Whisper: Strengthened with your connection to the abyssal void, you can summon low level entities of eldritch origins. Shapeshifter: No one will see you for who you are. High Tier Tongue of All: You will understand every language, written and spoken, native or foreign to your world!
Inventory
Dried mushrooms x272. Fresh Water x20. Gruff Wine x24 Wine Flagon. Quick Recovery Potion – x75. Suitcase x3. Instant hangover pill – x168. Map. Elemental Shards x1. Spear of the Swift Hunter. Ayan Ore x1. Quests Main Quest: Survive the second trial – Ongoing!