Looking around Alex took a moment to shake himself. He could still feel the madness lurking at the edge of his consciousness.
"Earth 0 is going to lose a lot of people at level 50."
"That bad?"
"Yes. Thank you. If you weren't here… I don't think I'd still be me."
"Till, we reached that point days ago."
Alex looked up then smiled.
"You're probably right. Now, let's loot these big…", Alex extended a foot to the closest crispy corpse.
Unable to Loot Items Due to Corpse Damage
Going from corpse to corpse resulted in the same issue.
"Well, that's on me. Oops."
Loot received
Undead Gorilla (Level 56)
370 experience
Undead Gorilla (Level 52) x7
1690 experience
"The experience reduction is a real kick in the teeth. If I ever catch up with the bastard from Earth 51-"
"Level 281 bastard from Earth 51."
"Yea, if I ever catch up with…” Alex stopped and looked at his Companion, “281, really?"
"His Earth was Initiated over 100 Earth 0 years ago."
Alex released a pent up breath and shrugged.
"Still. 281! Well, that kind of changes my plans."
"To what?"
"Nothing. At least not yet. When I'm 250, then we'll reassess."
"Probably a good plan Till. He could probably kill you with a look."
"Earth 0 is so far behind."
"There are countless Earths that haven't been Initiated."
"Why are we Earth 0 then? Surely the first Initiated Earth would be 0."
"It is."
Alex started jogging along the overgrown freeway.
"How?"
"Every Earth is Earth 0 to its inhabitants. The System just alters the numbers based on temporal distance from each Adventurer. So your Earth 1 is the Earth closest to you in terms of time since Initiation."
"That strikes me as unnecessarily complicated."
"Not really. It's just… consider the GPS in your truck. Your location is Earth 0. Every other location is another Earth. Another person using GPS isn't suddenly allocated a random number, or Earth designation. According to the Maps app, they're Earth 0, or the starting location."
"Did you just reduce Multiverse Location Theory to Google Maps?"
"That's actually a far better name than what leading Multiverse scientists use."
"So everyone lives on their own Earth 0 and my Earth actually has a different number depending on who you speak to?"
"Basically. Except for the Prime Earths."
"Except for the… what?"
"Prime Earths. They're outside the flow of time and… this is really hard to explain Till. Are you sure you need to know."
"Just dumb it down."
"Around twenty Earths have been removed from the Multiverse… for reasons. They’re still connected to the Multiverse but they function independently. Sort of. When an entity reaches a certain power threshold, also known as ‘Max Level’, the System provides them with a world where they are, in every way that matters, God."
"So they rule over an empty world?"
"Don't be ridiculous, they're the God of their world. They create life, seed the planet and watch their people grow."
"That's… I don't even know."
"How do you think a new Earth gets started? There are currently around 20 in the, we'll call it an Incubation Stage. That number fluctuates for… again, for reasons."
"No. That can't be…"
"Afraid so. Every Earth is the result of a max level Adventurer who is deified by the System, then given a new planet to rule over. They create a Pantheon, or set themselves up as the One God."
"So there are 20-something Earth's early in their evolutionary cycles that will one day be similar to this Earth and they may or may not end up part of the System?"
"Basically. I dumbed it down for you."
"That's… that's too much for me to consider now. How do you know all of that?"
"Some of the records I have are from Earths where the inhabitants learned of their humble beginnings early. At that point the God Adventurer was given a new planet to govern and the System had to step in."
"That would flip your world view on its head. It kind of lends value to some ancient civilisations receiving information directly from a God entity."
"That it does."
The AI trailed off and Alex looked up to see a blue light burst from the tome and wash over the surrounding area.
"Professor?"
"Access your Map, I'm plotting targets. Get ready."
Alex pulled up his Map and zoomed in on his location, seeing a couple of red dots pop up.
"We're just North of the STRAT, so we can consider this our starting point."
"You also need to clear a lot of the Earth 51 portion of the Strip for the Captain."
"We'll make our way down to the airport, clear as much as we can then come back. We'll just clear the street, or… the Boulevard because people are fancy. Then we can carve out the STRAT to the entrance and camp out there before pushing inside, upgrading the Dungeon and going to the Broker."
"Sounds easy enough."
"If I wasn't so excited I'd be-"
Faction Quest:
Clear Las Vegas Boulevard South to Sunset Road
0/2000 Undead Slain
Accept
Yes/No
Alex accepted the quest without putting much thought into it.
“Faction Quests now? Honestly, with so many ways to improve, how were people so far behind when I hit 50? You'd think people would be clearing quests and going after higher level Elites together."
"Something to ask the Broker."
"There is something else I want to know. About you."
"Me, Till?"
"Is there a way to… 'upgrade' you? You're technically a Profession Companion, professor, but you do more than that. I’ve basically forced you into doing more."
There was a pause when the AI didn’t respond, then a soft golden light radiated out from the tome.
"You'd do that? For me."
"Of course. As you're fond of reminding me, I'd be dead without you."
"This is true. Something to look into, I don't know if it's possible. Anyway, you have company."
"One last thing…"
Alex Till
Progression Experience | 98%
"I knew I was close, but shit. That's almost like being at 11%, with the limiter that could take ages."
"Dodge."
Alex didn’t even think, he just dropped to the ground and rolled to the side as a large… something impacted where he'd been standing.
Undead Gorilla Elite (Level 64)
Undead Gorilla (Level 60) x11
Undead Gorilla (Level 55) x 9
Undead Scythe Monkey (Level 50) x 10
“Was that a fist?”
“A large one, amongst others.”
"That's quite a few, thankfully only one has fists the size of garbage trucks."
"I did plot them on your map but you started planning and going over Quest details."
"True. Ah well, it's more fun this way."
“It only takes one mistake to start monologuing, Till.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Very bad. I believe an Australian once said, ‘it’s one step from monologuing to having a secret base on the side of a mountain carved in the likeness of your own face.”
“An Australian?”
“I think it was a Chūnibyō thing.”
“A Ch… bugger it, a what?”
“Never mind, get in there and kill, kill, kill.”
“Are you ok, professor?”
“I’m fine, Till.”
Alex stared at his Companion, shook his head then surveyed the milling Undead with interest. After the initial attack failed the Band appeared to be confused. Smiling Alex withdrew his axe.
"Blazing Hurl."
He then threw his axe on its side in an arcing pattern, causing it to bisect several of his Simian oppressors. The axe left pools of fire in its wake until it was embedded in one of the larger level 60 specimens.
"You'll do."
Alex clenched his fist just as the large gorilla gripped the chain in it’s own huge, slightly decomposed fist. Instead of the axe returning to him, Alex was pulled through the Band to land on his feet in front of the equally confused creature. Both Adventurer and creature looked down at what had been the offending fist and watched as ash fell to the ground. Shrugging, Alex funnelled intent to his axe triggering Volcanic Resonance, cooking the gorilla from inside its chest cavity. Then with a quick yank he withdrew the axe and swung from right to left, splitting the unfortunate creature at the waist and letting the pieces fall into Smouldering Embers at their feet.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
"Flame Manipulation."
Blades of fire sprung up all around him and lanced into the confused Undead, sliding easily into necrotic flesh and penetrating the odd, fleshy growths that had been focused on him since that battle started. With a shudder Alex continued. Damage continued to tick up on the Undead as they attacked him while standing in the fire from his Smouldering Embers, it also increased the damage he did with any other fire based ability, ensuring that non-Elites fell before him, merely fueling his annoyance. 30 bodies lay charred and blackened in the growing conflagration as Alex faced off against the largest gorilla he'd yet seen.
"Scan."
Undead Gorilla Elite (Level 64)
Unlike most of its Undead brethren, this gorilla has retained much of its intelligence from before it was infected. Intelligence that saw it become an Alpha to thousands of lesser gorillas in the forests of Earth 91. Unlike the Thundering Gorilla's it led, this specimen was known as a Stormbender, able to control the storms that plagued the forests of its home ensuring that storms were able to be harvested by the Thundering Gorillas and the other elemental simian races..
"That's pretty awesome. A gigantic gorilla who actually controls storms. It's a shame it can't do that now, that fight would've been fun."
With that Alex launched himself upwards, aiming to lodge his axe in one of the towering creature's eyes. As he left the ground all of the fleshy growths on the gorilla's body started twitching, then they all split open as he reached the apex of his leap. With a jerky slap from the back of a large hand that still had sections of concrete jutting out of it, Alex was sent flying, leaving the professor to face the creature.
Alex struggled to his feet, pulled his axe to his fist and watched from the building he'd just crashed into as the gorilla crouched and consumed several of the well done bodies at its feet.
"Oh, that's messed up. Professor?"
With a barely audible pop, the glowing Tome appeared above his head.
"Yes, Till?"
"How did you-" Alex breathed out and steadied himself against the wall with an Alex-shaped hole in it.
"Till?"
"I'm OK. The bloodlust just likes to sneak up on me. Anyway, just to be sure, that gorilla is eating its band members right? Guess the music industry has gone to shit. It's also… is it healing?"
"Yes and no. Wait, just to be clear, you know that these gorillas aren’t actually in a band right? It’s just the name chosen to describe a group of them.”
Alex gave the AI a flat look but didn’t say anything
“Right. Good. Anyway, Undead can't heal, but they can consume or absorb biomass to increase their size. Think of it as… you have a perfectly good snowman, but part of the snowman breaks off. You can’t grow a part from the original so you reattach the damaged portion and add more snow to cover over the damage. Then you fill the poor snowman with an unquenchable need to consume more… snow. But only living… snow, once it bites another snowman it needs to look elsewhere, never satiating its… thirst for snow."
"That's a terrifying analogy."
"I work with what I've got."
“Are you… nevermind.”
Adventurer and Companion watched as the gorilla grew, the fleshy growths on its body growing until they completely covered the poor creature.
"It looks like a cross between a gym bro, a gorilla and one of those creepy hairless cats that people incorrectly refer to as cute.
"Hey, I… the real professor had one of those cats."
"I know. You made us look at pictures of it. Everyone in your class thought saying the right thing was a requirement for a good grade. Your cat, all of those cats, honestly look like a clown who makes balloon animals, has turned a hairless scrotum into a cat."
"That's… accurate. But still, little Imhotep was-"
"Disgusting. Anyway, time to put this thing out of its misery."
"Rude."
Alex walked from the broken shell of a building he’d been observing the gorilla from. Gripping his axe tightly caused the Chain of Woe to appear, burning nearly white hot against his new Volcanic Jacket.
“Ember Walk, Blazing Fury.”
“Till, don’t use too many-”
Alex reappeared behind the huge gorilla and swung into it’s leg, cutting deep and releasing a torrent of foul smelling Corpse Juice. The gorilla lurched backwards, narrowly avoiding the massive creature.
“Ember Walk.”
He popped up again, swinging into the shin of the same leg, before stepping backwards and disappearing into the fire.
The gorilla turned in a circle, looking down at the fire it was standing in.
“Flame Manipulation.”
The words seemed to come from the fire itself. Alex wasn’t visible. Chains of fire appeared, wrapping around the huge injured limb, digging into the axe wounds and restricting the gorilla’s movement.
Alex appeared again, hacking into the uninjured leg, swinging from the left then from the right like he was attempting to cut down a large, gross, diseased tree. That was when Alex realised that the gorilla didn’t make any noise. Looking up he saw the fleshy layer writhing around, following his movement when he was close. Stepping back again he disappeared.
The gorilla moved slowly, the herky, jerky movement impeded further by the chains coiled around its right leg.
“Blazing Hurl.”
Alex’s axe seemed to pop out of the fire itself, it slammed into the gorilla’s left leg. Corpse Juice rained down from the wound and the gorilla was suddenly unsteady on its feet. Again chains appeared, this time wrapping around the new wounds on its left leg as somewhere in the fire Alex clenched his left fist causing the axe to pull out of his enemies body.
Without warning Alex walked out in front of the large gorilla that was still looking for its enemy. As soon as he appeared the growths under the fleshy covering all seemed to lock on him almost like they were magnetised to Alex. The gorilla lurched forwards towards Alex.
“Chains of Woe.”
Fiery chains surged out of the fire and wrapped around the giant creature's neck, pulling it forwards and down until it lost its balance. Falling forwards it managed to stick a hand out before it slammed face first into the fire. The titanic weight of the creature with all the added biomass shook the surrounding area. The house with the Alex-shaped hole in it collapsed to the ground behind him.
“Ember Walk.”
Alex popped up beside the huge wrist and hacked into it with a vengeance. The gorilla got it’s other hand up to slap Alex away, instead, using the movement speed increase from Blazing Fury he managed to dodge the hand this time. Then he ran up the long writhing arm, onto the wide shoulders to the back of the gorilla’s head. Swinging his axe down into the massive skull he managed to hang on as the gorilla broke the chains around it’s neck and pushed itself up to its feet, leaving one hand behind to burn in the fire.
Leaning on his axe he funnelled his anger and the dregs of bloodlust into the blade as Volcanic Resonance kicked in again. Leaning more of his Strength into the axe he pushed and felt the blade slip further into the skull.
“Just a little more big guy.”
Volcanic Resonance kicked up another level and the skull around the blade started to melt as the axe slipped all the way into the creature's brain. The creature fell back to the fire and Alex pulled the axe out before hacking at the neck.
“Surely there is a better way?”
The AI said nothing so Alex kept hacking away until the head came free. Writhing tentacles burst into flames as they came in contact with the axe or slipped out of the grievous wound causing Alex to retch.
“So those things are what you can see under the fleshy layer.”
“A bite from an Undead will inject you with the babies, they’ll kill you then reanimate your corpse as an Undead. Eventually you’ll be covered in that flesh-like layer. The final stage is you emerging from a flesh-like cocoon. At that point you’re completely changed and will eat living and Undead creatures until you’re killed. Nothing short of death will stop you.”
“Lovely. I could’ve gone my whole life without hearing, ‘emerging from the flesh-like cocoon’. God that's rank!”
With that the gorilla’s head came away from the rest of the body and the writing tentacles all stopped moving and the fleshy layer popped, releasing all of the contained Corpse Juice over Alex.
“No. No. No. No. Professor? Professor! The juice is on me! Professor?”
Alex jumped from the smoking gorilla’s back as hundreds of dead tentacles slipped from the hole into the fire. Following their example he dove to the ground and rolled in his flames.
“Till? You can get up. The Corpse Juice isn’t dangerous.”
“It’s fucking horrible though. Have you ever smelt anything that bad before?”
Alex retched again, got to his feet and leaned on his knees breathing hard.
“I’ve seen you covered from head to toe in various brain, blood and other things from creatures as you massacred them and Corpse Juice is what sets you off? Also, I have no sense of smell.”
“Look, it’s horrible. But I’m ok now…”
He retched again then stood up straight.
“Mostly. That was a fun fight though. I haven’t had to use Ember Walk that much before.”
Alex walked forwards and tapped the now exposed shoulder of the gorilla.
Killing Blows:
Undead Gorilla Elite (Level 64)
Undead Gorilla (Level 60) x11
Undead Gorilla (Level 55) x 9
Undead Scythe Monkey (Level 50) x 10
Unable to Loot Items Due to Corpse Damage
“Oops. That’s my fault again.”
Loot received
Undead Gorilla Elite (Level 64)
810 experience
Undead Gorilla (Level 60) x11
4510 experience
Undead Gorilla (Level 55) x 9
2430 experience
Undead Scythe Monkey (Level 50) x 10
2100 experience
Level Up
“Oh! It happened. Honestly, I didn't expect it but I was pretty close. God, think of the experience we’d get if we were still outside the city!”
Name: Alex Till
Race: Human (Earth 0)
Class: Fire Warrior
Titles: Planetary Forerunner 100, Multiverse Forerunner, Multiverse Dungeon Diver, Multiverse Elite, Initiation Perfectionist
Faction: Clark County Resistance
Level: 51
Attributes:
Strength: 250
Constitution: 157
Inner Fire: 157
Agility: 75
Wisdom: 22
Charisma: 21
Available Stat Points - 5
Alex pushed his 5 available Stat points into Inner Fire.
Inner Fire: 162
“Inner Fire is now my second highest stat, I wouldn’t have expected that 30 levels ago.”
“Inner Fire wasn’t a stat then, Till.”
“Spoil Sport.”
System Announcement
Jäger, Initiation Perfectionist has achieved level 51. Sponsorship is now available for all Adventurers over Level 50. Choose wisely Adventurers
“Odd that it was unlocked at Level 50 but wasn’t available till Level 51. Also, did the System have to use a title? It makes me sound like I’m trying to stand out with the most pretentious title possible.”
“System Logic.”
“You say that like it’s a real thing.”
“That’s because it is. I can’t dumb this one down for you.”
“You’re getting sassier as you get older, professor.”
“One thing that no one else has mentioned is the final line from the announcement when you got to Level 50.”
Alex racked his memory, but couldn’t remember it.
“Remind me?”
“MAY THE BEST ADVENTURER WIN”
“That’s ominous. I think I’ll just check how the others are doing…”
Planetary Leaderboard
Jäger (51)
Dark Soulstice (45)
R34P3R (41)
Aisha Patel (39)
Brigette O’Driscoll (38)
Gina Kritsotakis (38)
Gareth O’Driscoll (38)
Dave (37)
Benjamin Chen (33)
Jamerson Dean (32)
Eduardo Santos (31)
Li Yingchao (30)
Olivia Mendez (30)
Liu Zheng (30)
Ji-hyun Kim (29)
Kaneko Kiyoshi (28)
Akira Nakamura (26)
Min-jun Park (24)
Liam Khan (22)
Amelia Rodriguez (20)
“Good old Dave, still getting involved.”
“Dark Soulstice is catching up.”
“Good. Hopefully he’ll get to 50 soon.”
“Where to n-”
Sponsorship Screen Unlocked
“Better check it out. Keep an eye on the local Undead.”
Alex pulled up the Sponsorship Screen.
Sponsorship Screen
Sponsorship Description
Adventurers below level 101 are able to hold three concurrent Sponsorships. Sponsorships provide access to information, items and support from outside their Earth and reach
Accepting a Sponsorship ties you to your sponsoring entity, including taking on any allegiances and enmities that entity holds in the Multiverse
Each Sponsor can provide assistance once every 10 levels
Assistance is gauged by the System, thresholds cannot be exceeded
Current Sponsorship Options:
(BEL) Bio-Evolutionary Laboratories
Led by the Evolutionist, Dr Cullen Vance, this cutting edge organisation blends military and science to ensure Earth 78's military is the best in the Multiverse
(TWS) Teacher of the Worlds Society
A Society that revolves around the conjunction of Incan archaeological discovery and research into Viracocha's impact across the Multiverse.
(E27) Earth 27
Exceptionally rare within the Multiverse are entire Earths with a single collaborative goal. . E27 is one such Earth, they harbour the intention to rule the Multiverse and eventually control the System. In the pursuit of this goal they recruit aggressively amongst the Multiverse Elite to create an core fighting force that battles creatures in Multiverse Dungeons to increase their power, levels and find top tier gear
"Thoughts, professor?"
"Vance orchestrated events to make sure we had time to speak with him after the Dungeon and he was forthcoming with information. In saying that, an archaeological society that deals with Incan Archaeology and Viracocha… That's hard to pass up. Earth 27, that just sounds like a huge amount of trouble."
"Why not both BEL and TWS?"
"That leaves you only one Sponsorship slot for another 50 levels."
"We can be pickier next time. They both strike me as good options. Something about Viracocha… I think he's important. Plus, Vance was good to us and he has access to strong enemies. Archaeology and battle, two of my favourite things."
Alex locked in both the Bio-Evolutionary Laboratories and the Teacher of the World's Society and waited… and waited.
"Nothing has-"
"It would help if you turned around, Mr Till."
Alex spun to see who had spoken.