(Author: Hello! Now both an ancient evil (the Fallen One) and the Chaos both want their hands on whoever owns the Dread Ring. The King of the Baos Kingdom begins investigating why the heroes who chose to be knights were all killed. Lana's father, Arkilay, returns to the high elf kingdom to report to his wife. Odin, after devouring and witnessing fragments of a troll's memories, is curious as to what kind of ancient creature would make all the trolls so desperate to free. Enjoy.)
----------Chapter 8: The Crystal Cavern-------------
Odin thought the world had gone mad or, at least, the sky did.
Odin awoke as he felt his monster core react. He automatically transformed into a slime, and his body trembled. The night sky had become red, just as it did during the Chaos attack from before. This time it was different. Odin could sense vibrations from the azure and crimson mana strands and it hurt. It was as if the sound waves were unnatural and it had some sort of effect on monster cores.
Trillion tried talking to him but it kept appearing and disappearing from sight. Trillion was part of his mind and it seemed as if Trillion was fighting something. Odin propelled his slime body forward. He saw trolls die left and right as they had gone mad. He discovered that eating their cores helped keep him sane and kept eating it. Then he saw something he didn't expect.
System Notice You have begun quest: The Red Sky Incident
Many Chaos Beasts have breached the surface and tainted the air with their crimson, impure life energy.
Heroes all over the world are fighting the monsters who have gone mad due to excessive impure energy.
Only monsters with lower levels of evolution are affected.
Survive and retain your sanity until the Chaos Beasts are slain.
Devour the monster core of the creature in the cave to evolve.
Hero Rewards
Heroes who survive this quest will be awarded gems for their weapon upgrades.
The Fallen One will begin capturing heroes.
Fallen One will pursue the Dread Ring.
The Chaos will become less aggressive for three months.
+ 10,000 experience
+10 mithril coins
+10 gold
+10 silver
+1 bronze
Personal Rewards
Receive Grimoire Dragon Pants
Receive gem for Hex Lance upgrade
"Holy.....this must be one of those major storyline quests. To actually receive a weapon upgrade and a new piece of armor? Who is this Fallen One? Capturing heroes?" Odin repeated, confused. He realized every hero would receive a quest at the same time and that there were possible variations for each hero as he got the Ring of the Witch King and others didn't. Whoever had the Dread Ring was probably priority number one.
System Notice You are the owner of the Dread Ring.
Must be able to harness life energy to use its special powers.
"Oh f*ck! It's me! I got both the Witch King AND the Fallen One after me?" Odin cried in shock. "I definitely need to keep my identity as a hero on the down low. For now, I need to eat monster cores and kill that ancient creature in the cavern to get rid of this damn headache."
Odin continued to eat monster cores while his monster core shook less and less violently with each core eaten. Odin did not know what Trillion was fighting, but he was pretty sure it was because of Trillion that he did not go insane now after seeing the system notice.
He would occasionally position himself behind another troll if one troll went to attack him in its rage. He would finish off whoever won with a lightning bolt from his body and eat both of their monster cores. It would not take Odin long to reach the cavern but he decided to kill all the trolls outside first as they would regain their sanity after the event. Odin wondered what triggered the event in the first place. After forty minutes, all the trolls in the area were dead and Odin was nearing the level cap to level 16.
System Notice Heroes alive before the quest: 741
Heroes slain: 54
Heroes alive: 683
Heroes tainted by the Chaos: 17
Heroes turned into a Chaos Beast: 1
Heroes turned into monsters of the Chaos: 16
Odin waved the notice away as it appeared before him, blocking his vision. As Odin entered the dark cave, water dripped from the rocks above. Odin paused once to see if Marcus was still alive on his friend list. Relieved his best friend was still alive, Odin continued making his way to the heart of the cave where the creature was sealed. He saw some trolls unaffected up ahead and counted five of them.
The trolls roared as they saw Odin and charged at him. Odin blasted them with lightning and slowed them down enough to move his slime body out of their path. The trolls had to bend low as they tried to claw at him. Sand sprayed everywhere as their brute strength crumpled the rocky ground to sand under their onslaught. Huge chunks of Odin's body would freeze and shatter and Odin would frantically get out of their way as he regenerated. He roamed between their legs, spreading purple demon dragon fire below him. The trolls would scream and Odin blasted lightning around him, finishing the trolls off.
Odin had no time to rest and ate their monster cores before moving on. He could feel more of his mind losing control. Trillion was starting to lose against whatever he was fighting. Odin had to kill the creature quickly or fail the quest. Odin stopped in awe as he appeared in a large clearing in the end of the cave with a huge dragon with its entire body from the neck down trapped in some kind of crystal.
"YOU!" the dragon roared, creating a shockwave with its voice that sent Odin back two feet. "I smell demonized dragon blood in you! Disgraceful! Why does a slime have such dishonorable blood?"
"Now, how did you get trapped in there? This is gonna be a hassle to obtain your monster core. I suppose dragons really are monsters. Pure blooded ones anyway. If even you can't get out of the crystal, then I'll just have to absorb you into my body to devour you and your monster core. Be grateful. You made me a dragon slayer like in the legend," Odin laughed. "My only regret is that I'll have to earn even more experience to get to the next level. What a drag."
"I'll burn you, insolent slime!" the dragon roared and breathed a large river of fire at Odin. Odin didn't move and continued to laugh as the fire engulfed him. The dragon's eyes bulged as it saw that he was unharmed.
"Impossible! Slime's are weak to fire and ice! Dragon flame is the epitome of all fire. Nothing burns hotter and brighter than dragon flames besides the sun!" the dragon roared. "I am one of the four Elder Dragons! You cannot eat me!"
"Tut tut," Odin sighed. "For one of the great Elder Dragons, you're level is too low. Much too low. Only level 37? I suppose maybe the crystals sealed so much of your power, it would have been a better fight if you were whole. Oh well. My mind is breaking and I need to eat you to keep it. I'll evolve and probably level a lot when I eat you."
"NOOOOO! To be eaten by a slime! NO! Stay back! I can give you my riches! I can give you dragon magic!" the dragon pleaded.
"Sorry. System notice said my true form's a purple king slime. Can't learn anymore dragon or demon magic. Not that I mind. I can manipulate lightning and demon dragon flame in whatever shape I choose. Spells and warrior arts? They just restrain you and cost you mana. Riches? I don't really care so long as I have enough to get what I want," Odin sighed as he hopped in his slime body and landed on the dragon's head. "Just be a good old lizard and accept your fate. Begging for your life only makes you more pathetic. Killing you is so easy because you can't do anything. Well, your little vexations make it a bit more entertaining."
"I won't let you!" the dragon roared, but it was unable to use ay dragon magic and could only use its flames and create shockwaves with its mouth. It roared and twisted its head, but the shockwave originated from its mouth outwards like an invisible, expanding cone. Odin was very much safe from the powerful shockwaves atop the dragon's head.
Odin's body suddenly expanded as purple slime extended from his monster core and wrapped around the screaming dragon. The dragon roared more dragon fire, but it was no use and slowly, painfully, dissolved into the purple slime as it was eaten alive. If slimes had a mouth, Odin would probably burp loudly. Odin didn't think it was possible to burp telepathically.
Odin's purple crystal monster core shook as it absorbed the body and the dragon's monster core. Odin sighed as he didn't want to absorb the body as it meant that it would take even more experience to level. Odin's slime body began to lose shape as the monster core shook. Azure and crimson mana strands suddenly ripped and were being absorbed in Odin's monster core as if it was a black hole. Odin screamed as he felt as if he had bones being fractured over and over. After two minutes of constant agony, Odin's crystal monster core was white and orange. His slime body stabled and materialized into a bright orange goo that spread around the monster core.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
System Notice Congratulations! You have evolved into your third evolution.
Evolved from a stellar slime to a purple king slime to an imperial impurity slime.
You are now a slime among slimes. You are life energy form in physical form.
All slimes will worship the ground you hop on in your slime state.
Completed quest: The Red Sky Incident You have eaten an elder dragon and evolved into an imperial impurity slime.
Your body can now contain impure planetary life force without conversion.
You have retained your sanity and will keep your mind in control.
Trillion will rest after constant fighting within your mind.
Hero Rewards
Heroes who survive this quest will be awarded gems for their weapon upgrades.
The Fallen One will begin capturing heroes.
Fallen One will pursue the Dread Ring.
The Chaos will become less aggressive for three months.
+ 10,000 experience
+10 mithril coins
+10 gold
+10 silver
+1 bronze
Personal Rewards
Received Grimoire Dragon Pants
Received gem for Hex Lance upgrade
System Notice You have become level 27.
Your rank is 257 out of the surviving 683 heroes.
All awarded stat points have been determined automatically.
You now require one hundred times as many EXP to level.
Restriction to dragon form: Level 50.
Titles have been restricted to 7.
Stats will no longer be increased for all heroes.
Heroes have become a threat due to abnormal high stats.
System has begun balancing.
Due to evolution, stats have been awarded.
System is now balanced.
"I'm stuck with my stats? Well, some games have a limit and this is like real life. It didn't indicate that my level won't increase. I guess that is fine. Levels and skills are the ones that determine how effective stats are. Not the stat amount itself. " Odin roared as he transformed into his demi-human form. "I couldn't even choose where my selectable stats would go. It's convenient how I'm already wearing the Grimoire Dragon Pants. My body seems to have changed as well as my lance."
Odin Argent Race: Imperial Impurity Slime
Level 27
HP: 567/972
MP: 643/700
EXP: 27, 431
Class: Witch KnightStatistics STR: 107
VIT: 101
DEX: 95
INT: 92
WIS: 89
LUCK: 71
Prestige: 173TitlesHero of the Thousand
Enemy of Dragons
Golemancer
Fiend Savior
Avatar of Beasts
Life Energy Devourer
Tyrannical KnightEquipmentRune Spatial Ring (Restriction Odin Argent)
Impurity Spear
Grimoire Dragon Pants (Restriction: Odin Argent)
Enchanted Mithril Chain Mail
Enchanted Black Robe
Spirit Prison Necklace (cannot be unequipped)
Dread Ring (cannot be unequipped)
Gem Evolution Hex Lance has evolved due to a strange crystal that sealed an elder dragon.
Hex Lance has become Impurity Spear
Weapon now radiates impure life energy.
Hex Bolts have tripled in power.
"Interesting," Odin laughed as he stared at his new body. He was now five feet eleven inches and his hair reached the middle of his back. The pure life energy veins that used to be visible around his core vanished. His now orange and white crystal monster core was in his chest.
Impurity Spear now comprised of a dark wooden shaft with a crimson snake coiling around it. Out of its mouth at the top of the shaft was a shining, acute, and triangular spear head made of mithril with a small triangular metal within made of a strange orange metal. The eyes of the snake were made of an azure crystal. The entire spear itself was indestructible as it was still a weapon of a Primordial God, even with the materials it is comprised of.
Odin was sad that he would not be able to speak to Trillion as the lion spirit would be in a deep slumber for who knew how long. He was truly on his own now. There was no doubt in his mind that he was strong with so many of his stat points close to 100. He didn't have to worry about titles or stat points anymore and just had to focus on his levels. He felt as if his real life was less of a Virtual MMO.
He probably had a few days left until the coliseum. He couldn't wait for all the carnage to begin and test out his upgraded spear. Since his stats would never change, he knew his limits and could focus on a fighting style that suited him without having to adjust for his stat changes. Now it wasn't a matter of stats but a level of skill. It was the difference in levels and skill that would determine if Odin could become the strongest knight now. Odin was well pleased.
Odin spent the next few days experimenting with his new body and practicing his spear techniques. He would cook the troll meat and eat it in his demi-human form. He still needed to eat, but only if he wasn't in his slime form. He wanted to turn into a dragon, but he would have to wait until he got to the level requirement. The Chaos Beasts that caused the event were killed along with all the infected but the hero who became a Chaos Beast. No one knew where the former hero went. It was the first humanoid Chaos Beast and its existence scared a lot of veterans.
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Twelve dark elves in black armor stood over a few dead bodies on a bandit ship to Sea Wolf Cove after raiding port cities in Uzalga. The dark elves disposed of the bodies and stared silently at the captain and a quarter of the crew they left alive. They needed the bandits alive to sail to the island where their target was waiting.
"According to some of the bandits, it seems the coliseum will host many fights in the arena. Someone even took the alias of Witch Blade. I believe this person owns the Dread Ring," one of the dark elves whispered to their leader.
"Then we shall head to the coliseum and find our target," the leader said. "The general said to capture him alive and in one piece. That means we must defeat him and use sealing runes on his body. For the glory of the Fallen One!"
"Glory!" the dark elves shouted, scaring the bandits. They had sailed and plundered many ships for many years. They knew about the Fallen One and screamed in their hearts. Whoever the Fallen One wanted on Sea Wolf Cove was doomed. None of them doubted it. Even if the dark elves were slain, more would be sent. It never ended until what the Fallen One wanted done was done to perfection.
(Author: And that pretty much sums up the end of an era. Literally. Stats are no longer applied (unless you somehow change your race or evolve like Odin). Another way to change stats would be to replace pieces of yourself like Johnny and his prosthetic golem arms that boosted his strength and allowed him to wield two battle axes (two-handed weapons) in each hand. Now the only way to survive was to depend on your level and skill. Stats are just a bonus but it is how you apply those stats and apply your training that will allow you to defeat or kill your foes. The pace will get slower now as the plot thickens. Enjoy.)