"Why do you need a really heavy weapon?" Lise asked him next week.
Pef scratched his head in embarrassment. "This dungeon, I recover my stamina too fast. Can't strain my body enough. Still no progress towards that Taichi manual."
Lise giggled elegantly. "Too much energy, eh?"
Pef nodded while blushing a bit.
The elder alchemist closed her eyes in thought. "These might work. Norse pauldrons." she said holding out a pair of shoulder guards made of blue steel with glowing runes on them.
Pef tried to hold them with a hand and failed. Two hands were barely enough not to drop them.
*You have tried to equip the Midgardian Pauldrons. You need 50 Str.
He stored them in inventory for now. "They're perfect, Lise! Thanks." he exclaimed and kissed her cheek, then flew away towards more dungeon diving.
Once he reached the 5th Floor, he turned on the Farmer's Strength, and equipped the pauldrons.
"Woof, Strong!" Raiju declared in an admiring tone.
"Heh, I'm not a melee warrior, my dear pet. But they do provide plenty defense and training for my body."
*Midgardian Pauldrons. Made by a secretive clan of Norse dwarves, these shoulder guards resist 20 incoming damage, and add +10 percent Magic Resistance. Requires 50 Str.
Drawing the Arc Lightning Staff, Pef flew towards the eagle flock, determined to fight in melee for a change.
By the 4th dungeon run, his skills had begun growing to aid in the new combat style.
*Charged Armor has maxed out at level 20. Blocks 20 damage. Adds 220 damage to every melee strike.
*Nine Lighting Steps has maxed out at level 20. Adds +50 Agi for combat.
*Arc Lightning Staff has reached level 9.
*Farmer's Strength has reached level 9 and grants +29 Str.
*You have learned the spell Fly, by using it constantly. You no longer need an artifact to provide support.
*You have gained +1 Magic for constant use of buffs.
*You have gained +1 Agi for constant melee combat.
*You have gained +1 Con for fighting while under stress.
"Yay! A new stat point for my body!" Pef proclaimed happily.
"You deserve it, my servant. And be careful not to neglect the body. For a mind needs a house to live in" the goddess said softly.
"Many thanks for the advice, goddess. So what's the deal with the thousand potions?"
Gaia remained silent for a bit. "Nothing that impacts you for now. Trade some Major potions if you want. Just don't reach 1000. The last trade should be made in person and for something of true worth."
"Gain twice for same price, you say? Devious indeed. Truly worthy of praise, my dear Gaia!" Pef proclaimed out loud.
A soft hand ruffled his hair along with a chime of laughter.
"Mistress kind!" Raiju added his voice.
The pet's mane was ruffled as well. "Wuuuuuuu" the wolf wailed to the sky.
"Let's go deeper Raiju. To the 6th floor!"
Soon they arrived in a swamp, full of dead trees and murky waters.
"Huh? What do you think Raiju. Is it fish?"
"Legs. Fish." The pet declared smelling the water cautiously.
A long tongue attacked from beneath the water.
Raiju flashed to the side and bit on the tongue, dragging a frog out.
*Brown swamp frog.
Lvl 70. HP 20000 MP 100
status: murky, amphibian, tasty.
Pef watched his pet maul the frog, and gain another level.
*Raiju has reached level 19.
"Legs. Tasty!" the pet proclaimed licking its fangs.
"Okay then. I think I know what Lucia used to eat me before..." Pef mused inward, then jumped into the swamp.
Soon he began sinking deeper and deeper.
*You have Adapted to swamp water. You can breathe underwater.
A school of swimming frogs formed up for an assault.
Pef smiled and began launching his Lightning arrows, while slashing with his staff the ones who got too close.
*You have killed 1000 frogs. Gained 7 million Exp. Gained the perk Gourmet +1 Str. +10 percent damage vs frogs.
*You have found 56 newt eyes. You have found 12 frog hairs. You have found a frog tongue.
A Swamp thing appears!
*Swamp Monster(elite).
Lvl 115. HP 2 million. MP 1000
Status:Amphibian, murky, hungry.
-600
*You were hit by a sticky tongue.
*Your Aura Body has reached level 14.
'Sick him' Pef commanded to his pet, while he vanished under Hide and Veil.
After retreating a bit and considering the situation, he concluded the frog had a small Mind and Magic.
"Curse: Evil Eye." "Curse: Silence"
The deformed frog stopped and looked around in confusion.
'Well, that was easy! Thanks Lucia, for that lesson.' Pef thought inward as he began bombarding the boss from afar.
After a long struggle to reduce its HP, the boss finally died.
*You have killed the Swamp Monster. Gained 8 million Exp.
*You have killed an elite monster + 1 free attribute.
*You have found a Wave manual. You have found a Poseidon bracelet. You have found a Major MP potion.
*You have reached level 53.
Pef added the free points to his Mind, then checked the new bracelet.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
*Poseidon(Rare). This bracelet was made in Atlantis. Grants Water breathing. Grants +10 Charisma. Grants +100 MP.
"Nice! Not useful for me, but I bet Lise will like it."
*For thinking of others, you gain +1 Charisma.
Pef smiled in amusement. The goddess surely had time to waste monitoring his thoughts.
"I invented telepathy. Now I just can't stop..." Gaia spoke in his head.
Pef sighed and nodded. "No problem, my beloved goddess. You're welcome in my life. Not that I have a choice..."
*For inviting a goddess into your life you gain +1 Karma. Gaia approves.
"Once more then. Let's see what's behind door number 7!" the Gamer whispered and dove through the next portal.
A field of pure snow, with mountains blocking the horizon.
"Great level!" Pef exclaimed as Raiju ran happily through the snow.
A tiny rabbit fled at superspeed.
"Fast!" Raiju complained.
"Yeah. But they should be fun to hunt, right?"
"They come!" the pet exclaimed, running on top of Pef's shoulder.
A wall of snow, like an implacable winter storm, was approaching at speed. "Don't tell me...they hunt us?"
Pef flew up, avoiding the stampede of rabbits.
*Snow rabbit.
Level 70. HP 10000. MP 1000
status: fast, carnivorous, omnivorous.
The small wolf clung for his life to Pef's pauldron.
Pef opened up with his fire spells, as they fit the situation quite properly.
After a few passes, the huge mob of rabbits was defeated.
*You have killed 7777 Snow rabbits. Gained 17 million Exp. Gained the perk Carrot: +1 Agi. Gain +10 percent damage to herbivorous enemies.
*You have found 777 buck teeth. You have found 34 rabbit pelts. You have found a Lucky Rabbit Foot.
*The Gamer has reached level 55.
*Winter is coming!
"Observe!"
*Mama Winter(immortal)
LvL 117. Hp 7 million. MP 7000
status: immortal, herbivorous, omnivorous.
"...Errr?" Pef said in confusion at the humongous rabbit, the size of a small mountain.
"Food?" Raiju spoke with a trembling voice.
"Yeah, I do think it wants to eat us." Pef replied while flying higher.
A high pitch sound resounded from the mountain rabbit.
*Winter Wail hits you for 10 damage.
*You lose 10 Mind.
"This is a well-made boss" Pef concluded while sighing inward, and compensating by adding the new free points to his Mind.
"Floating Meditation"
Aided by the various DPS buffs and the perks vs herbivorous, omnivorous, Arctic, dungeon, and so on, Pef began to slowly chip away at the rabbit boss, from a safe distance.
A hundred salvos of Lightning arrows later, the immortal rabbit fell down and dissipated into snow flakes.
*You have killed Mama Winter. Gained 17 million Exp.
*The Gamer reached level 57.
*You have killed an immortal. You gain 100 HP.
*You have found 7 Major HP potions. You have found a Winter Wail manual. You have found an Elixir potion.
*Raiju has reached maxed level and may evolve. 2000 MP. Accept? Yes/Later.
"What do you say, boy? Want to ascend to the next tier?"
"Wooof. Strong!"
Pef clicked yes, and saw another cloud form above. Soon three lighting bolts fell from the sky and electrified the elemental, making it glow with crackles of power.
*Raiju has undergone a Heavenly Tribulation and has become a Medium Elemental. It can use Volt and Shock Armor.
Cost 300 MP per minute.
"Really? Show me the new armor!" Pef exclaimed in wonder.
The large wolf changed, its fur flattening into armor plates cracking with electricity.
"Consumes a lot of mana, Master" the pet explained in almost normal speech.
"But you hit harder and have more armor?"
"Yes, harder!"
"Enough to try the big rabbit again?" Pef asked jokingly.
"Winter immortal, like me. Cannot beat." the pet replied while deactivating the armor.
"So, you do not die if you get killed?"
"I return to Mother Earth. Then you summon me back, next week!" the wolf said wisely.
"Really?"
"Yes, Pef. That's why they're called elemental." Gaia replied instead.
"At no cost?"
"They become level 1. But do not lose the ascensions, if they gained any." the goddess said in a gentle tone.
Pef mused for a moment. "Can I get the same deal?"
Gaia hummed to herself, no doubt deep in thought. "Easy to do for private dungeons. Let me think about the rest."
*Update 1.070 Gamer's Body allows resurrection with level 1, in private dungeons.
Pef wiped some sweat from his face. A big fear was simply erased by his goddess.
"This is amazing Gaia! Can humans attain ascension too?"
"Indeed they can. You will soon achieve your first. Phantom-class they call it." she answered softly.
*The Gamer has received a new quest: Ascension.
Become more than human.
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Rewards: Immortality, Skills, Stats, Fame, Status, profit and pleasure.
*You have a Gamer's Body. This is the first step to godhood. +1 Karma.
Blinking confused at the new quest, which did not have an accept button, Pef returned to his dorm room, and fell into sleep.