Pef looked up as the false sky exploded into shards.
The world returned to normalcy, if magic and evil cults could be considered normal. Not to mention the literal goddess.
He walked along the shore, keeping a lookout for an easy to steal boat. It was a bit difficult, although the light of the moon helped him navigate easier. Til he felt the familiar cold engulf him again.
*You have entered an Instant Dungeon. This dungeon is called Hagar Qim.
*The Gamer gained +1 Kharma.
"Eh? Another dungeon, and I entered it by accident, again?" he exclaimed in a pretty reasonable manner.
*Do you wish to enter all dungeons automatically? Yes/No/Ask first.
Pef slapped his face rather dramatically. "Tell me about these menus first!"
*You have selected 'Ask first' method.
*Gamer's Mind has resisted your attempt to burst into maniacal rage.
Pef clenched his fist, teeth biting down on his lip. Then, he dove flat, as a fist sized rock flew at head height.
With a frown, he turned to Observe the attacker. A fat stone statue, somehow able to move.
*Maltese Venus Golem
Lvl 10 HP 200, MP 190/200.
Status: slow, stoned, petrified.
Under his eyes, the ground rose into the statue's hand, then it threw another projectile at him. Pef rolled to his left, dodging the neolithic attack.
"Give me my falx!" he demanded holding his palm out. A few slashes chopped the attacking statue into lifeless bits.
*Warning, statues have no blood. The BDF will lose all durability shortly.
"Hmmm. You have a point here. Stone, paper, scissors. I'll need something like paper." Pef muttered to himself, while examining the new dungeon. Old stone walls, sometimes pillars and altars.
He pointed a finger at a stone pillar.
"Water ball!", "Water bullet", "Water hand". Nothing.
"Aqua", "Aquaticum leviosum!". A faint giggle could be heard in his ear.
"Wave!" he tried in desperation.
*You have failed casting Wave, not enough MP.
"Oh. How much MP for the smallest Wave?" he asked curious.
"The smallest Wave would cost 1000 MP." the familiar female voice replied.
Pef mused on that for a while. At least 100 Magic stats, to cast Wave. He would need to reach lvl 40 and use all the attributes only on Magic. At that level, his Waves would likely sweep away tiny mobs like this with no effort.
"Any advice?" he asked politely.
The woman waited for a while. "Find a spell manual, or an elemental summon. Perhaps get a big rifle..."
"What is your name, Goddess?" he asked on a hunch.
A soft giggle resounded in his ear. "I thought you'll never ask, my new servant... Gaia."
Pef sputtered in disbelief. "What? The goddess of Earth? Of Life and Plants? Of oaths and ..."
"You can also call me Terra, like the Romans did, my dear Pef. You terrans are all my children after all." the woman said in a softer voice.
Another statue drew closer, and Pef decided to punch it to death.
-20
-20
In a dozen hits the statue shattered into dust.
*Golem dies. 20 Exp gained. Drop: small earth element.
With a nod to himself, Pef stored the damaged falx and rushed into melee combat.
It took many hours, til the familiar notifications began.
*You have killed 1000 Venus Golems. You gain the perk Art Critic: + 1 to Strength, 10 percent extra damage to all golems and artists.
*You have gained 20000 Exp.
*You have reached level 9.
Pef chuckled at the amusing perk, while a feeling of wellness and vigor rushed through him.
The ground began to tremble as a gigantic golem rose from all the pillars and walls combined, about 100 meters tall and wide.
"Observe!"
*Venusian Giant Golem.
Lvl 100, HP 50000, MP 50000.
Status: slow, petrified, determined.
Pef ran away, not waiting to be attacked by the large boss.
"Don't just run, or you'll never gain that juicy loot."
"It's a level 100 Boss!" he yelled in despair, as he failed to think of any way to escape the situation.
*Gamer's Mind has prevented you from becoming despaired. Gamer's Mind has reached lvl 3. Logic thoughts may occur during combat now.
"Right, logic, logic!" he mumbled as he ran.
With his new speed he could keep away from the big golem with ease.
"Oh, I have some extra attributes to use." he realized after a minute.
*Due to thinking logically under pressure, your Mind gains +1 attribute.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Hahaha. That's right! I'm a genius now!" Pef exulted as he ran like a rabbit from the stomping giant.
"Send all points to Magic!" he decided after a bit of high speed ruminating.
*You have reached 20 attributes in Magic. You may select a Magic Affinity.
"For real? Hahaha. Thunder God!" he yelled as he dodged an incoming boulder.
*You have selected Lighting affinity. All Lighting spells gain 10 percent extra damage. You gain three of the beginner Lighting spells.
*You have learned Taze. Costs 10 MP. Range 10 meters. Shock someone unconscious. 50 percent success rate.
*You have learned Charged Armor. Costs 100 MP. Cover yourself with Lightning. Metal will still ground you.
*You have learned Volt. Costs 200 MP. Range 200 meters. Throw your magic around, 1 million volts per throw.
Pef jumped and pointed with a pistol hand at the stone giant. "Deus...Volt!"
A thunderbolt crashed from the black sky, hitting the Venusian Giant in the crown of its head.
A powerful smell of fresh ozone filled the air, as the thunder arrived as well, booming with power.
"Observe!"
*Venusian Giant Golem.
Lvl 100, HP 44500/50000, MP 48000/50000.
Status: slow, petrified, dazed.
Pef sped towards the dazed boss and began punching its stone ankle with a flurry of fists.
A dozen seconds later, he felt the Danger Sense kick in, so he sped away, leaving a meter of ruble to fall out the ruined ankle.
The giant punched the ground behind him, but it was too slow.
Pef shook of the numbness in his hands, and checked his mana reserves. Climbing slowly.
He turned around and attacked the damaged ankle again. As long as he was careful, he could hobble this boss as well.
A few minutes later, his MP reached 100, and Pef grinned genially. "Charged Armor!"
A feeling of power and invincibility covered him, and he began ripping through stone like cardboard. With fingers out like claws, he just scooped out the soft material, leaving melted and dripping lava in his wake.
The armor didn't last very long, perhaps a minute. But in that minute he demolished both giant's ankles and half of an elbow.
With a joyous face, Pef ran away, leaving the golem to scramble and crawl on the ground. "I'll be back!" he told it memetically.
And he did. Just had to wait for mana to recover. Next run he jumped directly onto its back and burrowed through the neck, til the head fell off.
*You have killed the Venusian Giant Golem. Gain 10000 Exp.
*You have defeated the Hagar Qim dungeon. Gain 15000 Exp.
*You have received Drain Mana Manual. You have received 3 Greater soul fragments. You have received Bronze Vambraces(Uncommon quality), You have received Bronze Greaves(Uncommon quality).
*You killed an enemy of level 100. Well done Mister Bond. You gain the perk Double-O: +100 HP
*The Gamer has reached level 10.
*Free attribute points: 3
*You can select a trait. Fast, Strong, Durable, Clever or Sparkly.
Pef glanced at his status, and added the free points to his Constitution. Then selected the Sparkly trait, since it was surely related to his new magical powers.
*Pef the Gamer
Level 10, HP 350, MP 200
Attributes: free = 0
Str: 12
Con: 15
Agi: 16
Magic: 20
Mind: 16
Charisma: 11
Kharma: 11
*You are now Sparkly. You have always been Sparkly. Your Lightning spells cost 10 percent less MP. Also, you may choose to glow in the dark, and save on electricity bills.
"Oh well. How else could I prove my new divine nature, other than glowing in the dark?" he asked himself with rightful pride.
"You're a long, long way from divinity, my page. Also, you do not need a boat anymore, Pef. You can swim anywhere." Terra whispered in his ear as the dungeon imploded into sky shards.
With a long jump, carrying him far into the sea, Pef left the islands of Malta and began swimming the 80 kilometers towards Italy.
*The Gamer has completed the quest: SERE.
Primary objective: Escape the facility and the island. 10000 Exp.
-Ally with Chen Song- Done.
-Avoid Chen Song being seen when escaping. - Done
-Kill all mundane guards - Failed 5/50
-Kill all mundane hospital personnel- Failed 0/50
-Kill all resident Templars - Failed 0/10
-Rescue all the Templar victims -Failed 1/100
Rewards: - Ally with Chen Song. You always know her faint location.
- You gain 10000 Euros.
- You gain Escapist perk. Reading fiction or escaping Alcatraz, it's all the same for you. Gain +1 Agility.
- The Templar Orders marked you as an Enemy and shared your picture with all their agents.