On the way back, I ended up gaining two levels, the first one I distributed ten points into intelligence, making it a full hundred before bonuses, maxing out my bonus skill points for the next level, and I put the remaining point into will power to increase my MP by another six. For the ten skill points, I maxed Tamer out at Skill Level 45, which boosted my pet's experience to a fifteen percent bonus, then I put the remaining one point in concentration, which didn't seem to do anything to the skill. When I hit level sixteen just as we got to the fork, I sighed and decided not to worry about distributing until we got back to the Guild. I'd also managed to execute another bandit on the way back, raising my total of executions to eight.
We rush back towards town, ignoring all the lower level animal mobs, and manage to make it to the Fortress with the sun still above the horizon. Rockenroll and I see the three to their guild, the 'Mountain Sabers', where we are introduced to Lionol, the guildmaster.
"Thank you very much for finding our people and escorting them home... If I might ask, may we speak in private?" I nod and he leads the two of us to a back room, which he closes the door. "So, what was the trouble that these three got themselves in? Why does my daughter flinch away from the gaze of a man other than her two bodyguards?"
"Well, sir," I sighed, knowing this was going to go over poorly. I'm sorry to say this, but your daughter and her bodyguards were being held by a Bandit Chief boss who is self-aware. He captured them in the cabin down the bandit path, and used them as his own personal grade enhancer... and he had a minotaur sub-boss with him. From what I could tell, your daughter, and maybe the two men with her, were brutally assaulted more than once. In addition to the Prison Collers that were around their necks and staked into the floor, there were shackles on the bed. I don't believe those are normal in-game items for a Safe Zone."
"They WHAT!?"
"Calm down, please... The system probably has control of the rogue AI now that it's been killed, so it probably won't happen again," I said, a lie if what Rockenroll told me was true, but I had to test the man's knowledge, I couldn't help it. "Anyways, I would recommend we post a Fortress-wide notice to not set ones bind point in that former safe cabin anymore, as it seems the enemy NPCs have moved into there."
"By the gods, you'd think the game would keep the players safe," Lionol muttered.
"Speaking of the gods, this is a rather small world, with very limited divine presence at the moment. I mean, according to the forums, most people aren't even bound to a Deity, so that means the AIs that control the gods, or the spiritual incarnations of the gods themselves, have very limited control over what can and cannot happen here. It's pretty much anything goes with this world at the moment. People need to be careful, and we need to actively plan to keep smoking him until the AI makes him move from the cabin area."
"You can leave that to me and my clan, We'll go have some revenge in the morning. Oh, and for your reward... Here," he grunts as he pulls out a pouch and tosses it on the table between them. I clicked the loot list of the pouch, and see it contains two thousand gold coins, five Scribe skill scrolls, two Riding skill scrolls, two Trap skill scrolls, and a Lockpicking skill scroll.
"Thank you, these skills will help us greatly in the Dwarven Theorum. However, we cannot accept the Gold. You will need the gold yourselves," I say as I select the scrolls and click 'Take', leaving the gold in the pouch.
"Dwarven Theorum? I thought you guys were a joke, but I better change that theory. Do you really think the dwarves are in the area?"
"I started my character here hoping just that, and by slaying that Grade 5 Bandit Chief, I might have my answer already." I pull out The Mountain King's Cloak for him to see and inspect before putting it back in my bag.
"I can't ask you to sell it to me, as that is a priceless item for one hunting the Mountain Folk. I wish you and your guild well. We appreciate your assistance with retrieving our lost members."
Lionol shakes my and Rockenroll's hands, then escorts us out of his guild, and we make our way back to our own guild hall. "Why did you not accept the gold?" Rockenroll asks me as we walk down the alley.
"Because accepting the gold would have been greedy on top of the skills they offered. While most people wouldn't have minded taking it all, I'm not most people. Basically, what he offered us was $100 in gold, which if we cashed out to the real world, we'd only $80 of. The skills were the more valuable of the items, at $10 each. Basically, I took the $200 in skills for the guild and left them with a third of the reward to build comradery, since we will eventually need help," I explained. "Since we did the job, I'm going to tell the boss that you're getting one of each of the skill scrolls, other than the lockpicking which I'm taking."
"That sounds fair to me," Rockenroll says as he opens the guild door.
"WHAT SOUNDS FAIR TO YOU?" booms Oathshield. "I ORDERED YE BOTH NOT TO COME BACK FOR FOUR DAYS!"
I rubbed my ear. "Ouch, turn down the bass boss. We're back because of unforeseen circumstances, which you'll probably be happy to hear about. Also, our trip wasn't in vain. We saved those three missing players from Mountain Sabers. You need to hear the story, and see our loot!"
I pulled out the Mountain King's Cloak again, but this time, I actually hold it out to Oathshield, who takes it reverently. I then pull out the rest of the loot, before pulling out my Trophies.
"How in the high hells did ye get to keep their heads!?"
"That's the most surprising thing about all this loot? Look at the Totems for Luck's sake! Two Grade 4 Minotaur Totems! They say you must be Trainer Level 20 or above to use!"
There's a thud as Oathshield hits the floor, having actually fainted! I blinked in surprise, having not realized people could faint in the game, but since Oathshield is digitized this isn't a game for him, and it does make sense. I ran over and knelt beside him, gently slapping his face to bring him around. "Wha-what...? What happened?"
"Well, you just fainted, when I told you about my Minotaur Totems..."
"And we hadn't even hit the best part of the loot yet, Guildmaster," Rockenroll chuckled as he pulled out the map, which indeed did list the location of the Home Under the Mountain. "In the loot chest of the bandit boss, we found this AI drawn map. It contains the locations of various dungeons and one-off caves, listing their levels and current loot age. It also shows the path needed to find the dwarven homeland!"
Oathshield staggered and glared at me, as if all of this was my fault. "So... This new player joins the game... And then he brings us no end of trouble. I want a full report!"
"Well, I remembered reading on the forums that there were very rare crafting materials that had to be harvested off living monsters, and that if you faced a humanoid monster with a weapon, and could disarm them, you could claim the disarmed item, since NPCs cannot 'Bind' on Equip like we do. Thanks to this fact, we have hundreds of rare crafting items, a pair of Grade 3 Minotaur Horns each marked as an epic quality craft item, various low level daggers, knives, and swords... We've got some legendary quality armor and cloaks, which I was planning on using the Mountain King's Cloak as a gift to the Dwarves when we get there...
"Anyways, the cash came to 7,800 Copper, 5,200 Silver, and 2,800 Gold. We also have the Minotaur's Nosering which is a Legendary Rarity. Rockenroll makes a great monk with the unlimited boost for his strength with the Ultimate Bag. It also allows him a much greater chance to break off the crafting materials as they are immune to armor negation. What is the bag reading at right now? +487!? Damn... Let me see that nose ring."
Minotaur's Nose Ring
Upgrade
Legendary
Requires: Craft Skill 50
Requires: Equip Level Requirement 50+
+100 Strength
+100 Constitution
+50 AC
Access to skill: Rage
Well! It was even better than the forum post I saw had suggested! Of course, it could be an amazing boost for any piece of gear once I hit level 50 to be able to use it. I quickly pocketed it and put all the skill scrolls on the table. "So, we got a bunch of skill scrolls from everything we did. I'm keeping once of each. That leaves four scribes, and one each of stealth, thievery, riding, and trap skills. I checked over the map, and it looks like we'll have to go through the Goblin Caves you were sending me into for leveling purposes, and find its path into the lower mines, so I'll need to learn Mining skill as well."
"I'll teach you that," Oathshield grunted. "I'm already Level 50 in it."
"How many people do we want to bring though?"
Oathshield looked around the room. "How about a full party of five? You, Rockenroll, myself, Helmstriker, and Foambeard. We'll leave in the morning. If we encounter those bastard bandits, we'll genocide them on the way through."
"Who are Helmstriker and Foambeard?"
"The other two who started this guild with me. We're all Level 80 or higher."
"That's good... it looks like the lower tunnels is full of Level fifty mobs, who likely have reached the maximum time grade of three... so hopefully we can manage to take on Level 400 mobs as a group of five..."
"Foambeard is highly proficient with healing magic. He's leveled it to 50."
"Alright, so let's call it a night... I really need to get cleaned up and sleep."
"Night Hidden, sleep well. We leave at noon tomorrow, and camp tomorrow night at the 'Safe Spot' that the bandit chief was using. we'll chain him up if we keeps respawning."
And with a plan made, I headed upstairs to my room, dumped my gear on the floor, performed a quick wash with the steaming rose-scented water for washing, and then hit the bed, falling asleep immediately.
The next morning, I wake up at about three in the morning to an incessant beeping. Apparently, I received a system message some time in the middle of the night.
You have been watched by the Lady of Luck.
You have been observed by the Grim Reaper.
Lady Luck has an offer for you.
Will you view it?
Yes / No
I rub my face and groan softly, thinking this has to be a joke of some sort. I do owe Luck for the statistics and ability, but really? What an obscure message and time to send it. My log shows it as having arrived five minutes ago, in the middle of the damn night! It does mention the Grim Reaper though, so I sigh and pull on my 'free' starting clothes before I click the 'Yes' button.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
It's a good thing that I got dressed, as the world goes dark, vanishing around me, and there's a soft 'thump' of my feet hitting the ground right before my vision comes back, and oh my! I'm suddenly in a temple of pale marble and glistening onyx inlays. As I look around, I see that it's much more than a simple temple, but a divine casino! From where I am standing, I can see slot machines, blackjack tables, poker tables, a roulette wheel... and an absolutely stunning young woman making her way to me, wearing of all things, a female version of the Mad Hatter outfit from Alice in Wonderland!
"Greetings, Aurian Limsoli. My name is Dealer, please follow me, her divine ladyship should not be kept waiting," the woman introduces herself to me with a doff her cap and a bow. She's my height, with long brunette ringlets framing her face and flowing down her back. Her eyes, however, are very catlike with their refractive green coloring. She puts the cap back on, and turns around, revealing she has a tail, and with the cap on, I can easily make out her feline ears!
"How do you know that name...? Nobody in this world outside the Administration should know it!"
She turned back around and frowned at me, crossing her arms and tapping her lip. "Lady Luck is one of the few deities who still exist on Earth. You wouldn't believe how much energy she gets from that dying planet! Of course, with the creation of Virtual Worlds, the resources aren't being drawn from the planet anymore and are allowing it to start recovering, so the planet and the current human race on it might now be completely dead...
"Anyways, to answer your question, Lady Luck has always had an eye on you, as you had a bet with her in your former life. You see, in your life before that of Aurian Limsoli, you had been a street tough, lucky as all hell, but just a street tough. Your soul was created in an experiment to see how much one's financial situation impacted the overall happiness of a person."
"So I'm an artificial soul?"
"No, there is no such thing as an Artificial soul. Come, follow me, and I'll let the Lady and the Reaper explain."
"I'd... rather not see the Reaper, as I don't think I've gone Digital yet..."
"Oh, you've been Digital since you rolled your stats, don't you remember the screen glitch? We digitized you then. You're in perfect health, and Immortal. The Grim Reaper is kinda your grandfather anyways, so you should really hear him out."
"You're purposefully trying to confuse me, aren't you? It's a relief to know I'm digital though..." I follow her through the Casino Temple, and blink as I see screens showing Arena combat from multiple different games and realities. "So, what, are we outside time and space?"
"Welcome to the Temple of Luck and Casino of the Undying. Did having all the money one could ever hope to spend make you happy? No, I know it didn't... We're sorry about your biological parents having left you. Luck didn't foresee that happening."
"Can we please not bring up my old life anymore? I mean, I'm truly grateful that Lady Luck has helped me as much as she has, but..."
"But you want a challenge, yes? That's one of the reasons why she's summoned you, her Son." She opens a huge door that suddenly appeared in front of us, and motions me in. Inside, is a huge round table, with at least 64 chairs around it, and stairs to climb on top of it. Each of the chairs is occupied by either an obvious incarnation of a god, or someone who looks like they'd make a great match for the description of some of them.
She leads me up the stairs to the center of the table, where an absolutely stunning blonde woman in an elegant crimson ball gown is arguing with a man who looks exactly like a soulless corporate lawyer. You know the type, tailored business suit, frozen facial features, and eyes so dull it makes one wonder if they really are alive.
"My Son is certainly up to the test! You've been watching him these last few life cycles. Even though he didn't know a damned thing about himself, he gave life his all and proved that money does not make one happy in and of itself!" the gorgeous goddess called out.
"Bah, you're a blind fool!" one of the Dwarven gods yelled back at her.
"No, I say let him take the test to see if he has grown powerful enough to join the ranks of the Children of Gods. If he fails, he's now Immortal, and so will just respawn on his new home world," the soulless looking man says as he pulls out a scythe.
"Wow... so Death really is an attorney?" I can't help but ask, which makes all the other gods burst out laughing.
He turns around and grins, his form shifting to that of the robed skeleton, before changing to other various known incarnations of 'Death', then settling back on the attorney. "Yes, I am."
"So, what's this Test?"
"Get 100 Levels in your current game without dying or cheating. Either that or discover two racial homelands. You're not the only Godling in that game we made... Thor's little boy, Raijin, hacked his rig for the initial set up, granting himself a 'default' roll of 18 in each attribute and 99 in Spirit. I've smote him twice, once at Level 99 and again at Level 189. He's quickly approaching Level 270, and of course Thor over there can't help but give his son easy tests for his Divine Ranks."
I scratch my jaw and frown. "So, I have to either rescue two races or gain a hundred levels without dying or cheating. If Luck is my mother, who's my father?"
"I am," Death responded instantly. "We had a bet going to see if a child of Luck and Death could be a productive part of the ecosystem. Most of these fools think you'll fail."
"So I've got two mega deities as my parents? Well, does that mean I have to choose one of you for my 'Religion' status?"
Luck smirks quite evily, "No son, if you want to have quests from both of us, you'll be allowed since we did create you."
Suddenly an aura of black and silver flows from Death as a gold and mythril colored one flowed from Luck, both auras coil around me and sink in to my being. My vision goes black as my HP, MP, and TP all plummet down to 10%, making me stagger and drop to my knees. A series of system messages pops up.
Congratulations! You have received Deity: Lady Luck!
Congratulations! You have received Deity: Death!
Deity: Lady Luck
Rank: 1 (Noob)
Luck's Admiration Skill +5 Levels
Changes Lucky Strike from Daily Allotment to 10 TP Cost
Changes Lucky Stars to effect Party, instead of single Player.
Grants Access to Ability: Lucky Wish
Removes Deity Restrictions and allows instruction of Luck's Admiration.
Deity: Death
Rank: 1 (Noob)
Grants Access to Skill: Necromancy
Grants Access to Skill: Shield of Bones
Grants Access to Skill: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Scythe
Necromancy - Skill Level 1
Epic
The ability to control the dead
Access to Ability: Summon (Undead Monster - Pet)
Unlocks Item Drop: Captured Soul
Summon (Undead Monster - Pet)
50 MP + Level of Captured Soul
Grip Captured Soul and call out 'RAISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!'
Raises the monster whose soul is contained in the Captured Soul item.
You may control 1 Undead Monster at a time.
Shield of Bones - Skill Level 1
Epic
Enhanced protection from beyond the grave.
Access to Ability: Shield of Bones
Shield of Bones
10 MP x Level of Shield of Bones
Incantation: Protect me, Fallen Ones!
A barrier of bones forms around you and then becomes invisible
Absorbs 25 damage for each level of Shield of Bones
Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Scythe
Meticulous
The ability and training to use a Scythe and special Scythe combination attacks in battle!
No longer will you need to turn a plowshare into a sword to fight!
Can equip a Scythe as main weapon even if it isn't a default weapon for your Class.
Lucky Wish
Mythic
For 1000 Gold, you can open the loot list of a monster you or someone in your party has slain and take any item of your choosing.
Quest Alert! You have been assigned a Divine Quest!
Deity: Death
Quest: Purge the Mountains
Slaughter 100 Bandits
Reward: Rank Upgrade, Divine Weapon: Scythe (Rank 1)
Quest Alert! You have been assigned a Divine Quest!
Deity: Lady Luck
Quest: Critical Luck
Perform 100 Critical Attacks
Reward: Rank Upgrade, Divine Talisman: Lucky Dice (Rank 1)
"Go now, son and make us proud! I am allowed to set Raijin up to die one more time. Make us proud and join the Godling Squad before he does!" The world goes black.
"WAKE UP, HIDDEN!" Oathshield roars from outside the door to my room, startling me awake on the floor of my room in the guild. I open up my eyes and find another system message!
Due to the hard work of the last day the following skills have increased on their own accord:
Fire Magic - Skill Level 8
Longsword Proficiency - Skill Level 5
Intelligence Up - Skill Level 2
Creature Analysis - Skill Level 5
Longsword Proficiency (Passive)
+1% Damage when using a Longsword single handed
+5% Damage when using a Longsword two-handed.
Intelligence Up (Passive)
Intelligence +3%
After Clearing it, another message pops up!
The truth has been told! You are a Godling!?
Effect: Doubles the bonus for your Titles!
Oh my! Well, that will certainly help me on my course of staying alive! Oathshield pounds on my door and roars my name again. "Hold on! I'll be down in a minute!" I glance at the time on my interface and whistle. After my parents 'blessing' me, it turns out I slept another six hours! I quickly got dressed in my armor and headed downstairs.
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And that is where I am in writing the story right now. I'll continue to work hard, but don't expect a post other than his Current Stats as of finishing this chapter for a few days. Thank you all for the encouragement to keep going, and I hope you are enjoying the story!