Chapter 7: Mana Crafting_Harem Reaper

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used a potion of major invisibility! Your body and anything you‘re wearing or holding will become invisible for 12 hours![/col][/box]

*Snickering*

“He never said that I wasn't allowed to leave… only that I couldn't let people see me until he returned.”

The disembodies voice of an invisible elven girl was already searching for her first victim among a crowd of filthy beggars. Unlike Azrael, she wasn't willing to test her more dangerous ‘Potions’ on herself to find out what they do. The first target was an old woman who was missing her left eye and couldn't even afford an eye patch. Freya quickly pulled out a special elixir she created and poured it on the woman’s partially bald head.

After a few seconds the old woman had become a young child who looked about ten years old, if she had tested that potion herself, she probably would have died. When the other beggars and users in the area saw that miracle they flocked around the little girl, who apparently also lost all her memories and experiences which may have been for the best. A kind male and female wood elf couple decided to adopt the one eyed little girl because they wanted to raise their karma points after being player killers for a few weeks.

In that crowd of people was a sleazy looking obese old dwarf with an evil grin as he stared at the little girl, this was her next patient. She poured the potion into his beer a second before he started guzzling it down, the effect was slightly delayed.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Sadism has increased by 5![/col][/box]

The dwarf immediately began convulsing on the ground as his giant beer gut burst into flames and his flabby arms and legs became nothing but bones. His face contorted as all seven of his chins disintegrated and his rather large head became nothing more than a skull with hair.

‘Maybe I added a little too much demon salts? Could have been the hell-fire ginseng… oh well. Still have quite a few mysterious potions to try out before Azrael gets back!’

*Snickering*

The invisible elf’s reign of terror had only just begun and it would be another ten or so hours before Michael could log back into the game!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]The 7 Laws of Michael!

Cleanliness! A clean body creates a clean soul!

Always shower after returning to the house!

Wash your hands before and after you touch anything!

Always take a shower after sitting on the toilet!

Never get into the capsules unless your body is clean!

Never get into the capsules wearing clothes!

Stay alive! Dying is bad![/col][/box]

Before they went into the capsules Michael made his ground rules very clear, if she was going to live in the same house as him and use his equipment then she had to become just as insane as he was. Perhaps his compulsions were the reason he had the mental fortitude to endure 820 years of torture? Maybe he was just too crazy to be tortured in the first place? The truth was that within his twisted mind were thousands of rules and regulations that he had to follow every second of every day, most of which conflicted with each other and made absolutely no sense. That was his burden and even in Royal Road he continued to suffer because of it, but somehow it was different. In the game he was stronger, mentally and physically. After taking their individual showers, they were finally able to enter royal road. The reason they needed to be nude in the capsules was because, if the emergency protocol had to be initiated, clothing could prevent the system from working properly. So-Ra made him go first because she didn't want him to see her naked, she was a pretty normal person in very abnormal circumstances.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are completely naked. Some parts of your body may be censored to the eyes of users under the age of 17 and anyone who is using a nudity filter.[/col][/box]

“Shit!”

Azrael had logged into the library section of the Alchemy Guild with Freya nowhere to be seen. Then he felt a warm fluid splash against his back, accompanied by the scent of burning flesh.

“Ouch, I see you've been busy working on your…”

When he turned around, there was a bright red name with a smiling golden elf underneath, holding a half empty vial of green liquid. After sighing dramatically he said “How many?” in a disappointed voice.

After looking away from him she said “How many potions have I made?” in childish voice. However, since she was his companion, he was able to look at her status window.

Status WindowCharacter NameFreyjaAlignmentNeutralLevel2ClassAncient AlchemistTitleThe Invisible Chaos Fairy of RhodiumFame0Infamy0Health100Mana250Stamina100Sadism50Strength5Agility5Art15Creativity15Wisdom25Intellect25Vitality10Fighting Spirit0Luck5Leadership0Attack2Defense0AffinityEarth: 25

Wind: 25

Fire: 25

Water: 25Magic ResistanceFire: 15%

Water: 5%

Earth: 10%

Wind: 10%

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]+1.5% Unarmed Combat Damage

+1% Weapon Damage

Poison resistance: 20%[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ancient Alchemy (Lvl. 3 11%): You have unlocked the secrets of the ancient alchemists and started on your path to bring it’s terrible power back to the Versailles Continent!

Intellect and Wisdom increase by 1% per skill level.

Health and Mana Increase by 1% per skill level.

Handicraft (Lvl. 2 35%): This ability is the foundation to every crafting skill and increases along with them.

Increases unarmed combat damage by 1.5% per level.

Increases weapon damage by 1% per level.

Torture (Lvl. 5 25%): Experimenting indiscriminately with dangerous and extremely potent poisons on relatively innocent bystanders has given you a better understanding of pain and suffering.

Iron Stomach (Lvl. 8 0%): By subjecting yourself to terrible and excruciating digestive torture you have gained the ability to neutralize weak poisons without much discomfort.

Increases Poison Resistance by 10%.[/col][/box]

*Sigh*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Why aren't the guards doing anything to them?”

“Not only are they walking around completely naked, but the girl is even a murderer!”

“I've never even seen that race of elf before, maybe she’s just wearing body paint?”

“How can a barbarian get that big? Isn't there a limit?”

“That title! She must be the one who was going around killing people earlier!”

“That bitch! She killed two of my friends! Although she did bring one of them back to life afterward…”

“The guards are afraid of them! They must be top rankers or something!”

“They probably lost all their fame by being nudists!”

*Snickering*

Azrael wanted to laugh as well but that would probably end up killing everyone around him, so he just started grinning. He didn’t really understand why everyone thought it was strange for two people to walk around naked in the town square, in CoM people would do it all the time. The giant, muscular, barbarian body felt very comfortable to him but even so, they needed to wear clothes and even armor to survive in this virtual world. Finally they had arrived at the tailoring supplies shop, which was a small building that had a door he needed to crouch down and turn to the side to fit through.

After gently smiling at the terrified cashier Azrael said “Excuse me, I would like to purchase low level cloth, thread and leather in bulk.” in a very low voice.

Without saying a word the cashier who appeared to be a young boy pointed toward two giant piles that were right next to each other, one of ragged cloth and another of shredded leather. Then the boy said “There are spools of thread and sewing kits over there.” in a soft voice while pointing at the other side of the room. After managing to stuff 75 lbs of cloth, 100 lbs of leather and 25 lbs of thread, along with a few sewing kits into his bag, he checked the prices. While holding the bag in his left hand, he gave the boy two gold with his right.

‘We better hurry back before So-Ra logs in…”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yes?"

"Sure?"

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have 1 friend.[/col][/box]

"That sounds kind of depressing..."

-Look to your right, I'm the giant naked dude in front of the building with big sign that says Alchemy Guild on it.

"Huh?"

So-Ra looked to her right and just as he said, there was a gigantic naked body builder waving to her. She quickly recognized his face and started walking over to him, as much as she didn't want to, her job was to keep an eye on Azrael.

"So the demon has captured another maiden?"

"It seems that way..."

"Well, it's not like anyone could stop him..."

"Those poor girls."

"Maybe he's a siren?"

"More likely to be an ogre..."

"He might be really nice..."

"A nice person doesn't kidnap naked women and keep them locked up in a decrepit haunted poison workshop."

"True."

She tried to ignore what everyone was saying as she walked towards her only friend in all of Royal Road. As soon as she entered the building she saw a beautiful, golden skinned, completely naked woman with long and pointed ears.

Freya carefully examined So-Ra, looking over every inch of her body in a very invasive and offensive manner. After sighing she said "I don't get it, how can you tell the difference between Users and NPCs?" in an irritated voice.

Azrael laughed and said "Users are simply visitors to this world, NPCs live here permanently." in a serious voice as he struggled to sew some cloth together.

So-Ra was extremely uncomfortable, she was in the same room as two nonhuman nudists with superhuman physiques, she didn’t really understand the way races worked so she just chose her own body but made herself a little younger. Freya said “Then this human is a User?” with a confused look on her face.

He smiled as he looked at So-Ra with eyes that could see better than humanly possible, she looked to be a young Korean woman with very pretty features and a relatively nice body. She said “Why are you looking at me like that? It’s creepy… and who is this girl?” in an angry voice while blushing slightly.

Freya suddenly jumped on her back and then began biting on her neck as hard as she could. Azrael said “She’s a User, are you trying to see if you can taste the difference?” in a curious voice as he finished sewing his first piece of clothing.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ragged Cloth Panties

Durability: 5/5

Defense: 0

These are quite possibly the most cheaply made and useless underwear in all of the Versailles Continent.

However, they were made with a lot of effort and are quite comfortable.

Basically just a piece of cloth attached to a rope.

Requirements: none

Special Effect: none[/col][/box]

Azrael had a satisfied look on his face as he pried Freya off the crying So-Ra’s back and forced her to wear the flimsy piece of cloth. She looked at them with great disappointment and said “Even Orcs know how to make a proper loincloth.” as she attempted to tear them off. However, with only 5 strength she couldn't even stretch the 5 durability panties.

After getting off the floor, So-Ra yelled “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” at the golden elf who was still attempting to remove her underwear.

She looked up with a blank expression and said “I’m not used to this body yet… it’s so small and weak. Maybe I should have picked an ogre or a small Minotaur instead?” in a sad voice.

Azrael had already started sewing together something new when he yelled “Stop bickering you brats! Freya, teach So-Ra how to do alchemy! So-Ra, stop whining and start leveling skills! This is a game where grinding out skills is the key to victory! Also, I’m terrible at sewing because my hands are gigantic so this is going to take me a while!” in a voice that was almost loud enough to literally kill them.

Without uttering another complaint they both scurried off into the back room and left him alone to focus on the most aggravating skill in the whole game, Tailoring. At first it wasn't so bad, all he had to do to gain levels was pull needles out of his body, sewing was so much more difficult. It would be relatively easy if he were in his normal sized body, but when his finger tips were several times larger, there was just no way to properly do it. That’s when he realized something, the trick was being able to sew without using his hands!

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Weaving (Lvl. 1 0%): After hours of intense concentration you have discovered a new form of tailoring that doesn't require you to use your hands or even a needle! By pouring your mana into the thread, you can sew together leather and cloth into armor. At higher levels you will be able to fuse the materials together without the need for thread.[/col][/box]

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Art has increased by 10.[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana has increased by 200.[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Giant Simple Cloth Boxers

Durability: 15/15

Defense: 2

Who could possibly fit in underwear this size?

Requirements: Gigantic Barbarian, Ogre, Minotaur, Giant Orc

Special Effects: +5 Strength.[/col][/box]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are on fire![/col][/box]

*Sobbing*

Azrael had anticipated this outcome from the beginning and had just finished creating new clothes for her to wear. He didn't understand why she was so embarrassed by nudity, he had become jaded after spending 820 years completely naked. He sighed and said “Listen kid, there are times in life when you feel embarrassed or ashamed. When you look back and remember all the stupid things you did because you were afraid of being judged by others you will feel even more embarrassed and ashamed. Hmmm… I forgot what I was talking about. Something, something, hmmm…. oh yea! Here are some clothes I made for you.” in a completely serious voice, then he handed her the clothes. They were basically just some poorly made underwear, pants and a t-shirt that looked terrible.

So-Ra was struggling to cover her body with her arms and hands when she yelled “Don’t look!” in an angry voice as she grabbed the clothes and ran into the other room.

Freya had confused look on her face when she said “Why do human try so hard to cover their bodies?” in a curious voice. Obviously as a dragon she couldn't wear clothes even if she wanted to and before that she was an Orc, so she was completely oblivious human customs.

Azrael sighed and said “People are stupid, they create paradigms and unbreakable rules based on principles that haven’t existed for thousands of years. Taboos are the same, most of which are completely irrelevant in current times but culture is like a cancer that kills ingenuity and creativity. Every culture has its own rules and each of those rules has exceptions which make the rule completely pointless in the first place. The point is, just wear some fucking clothes and stop trying to understand the illogical nature of humanity.” in a tired voice as he was trying to force her to wear a very strange looking white dress that had leather armoring on the chest. It looked hideous but it was actually the best piece he managed to create so far and had decent durability along with defense.

Unlike normal crafting skills, Mana Weaving required him to constantly exert massive amounts of mana into the thread instead of simply moving it using his hands and a needle. After every few minutes he would run out of mana and have to drink mana potions or simply wait for it to regenerate naturally. After seven days of practicing by creating clothes for the two he finally reached his goal.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Weaving (Lvl. 5 0%): With the mana control that should be impossible for a barbarian, you can now fuse cloth and leather together to create clothing and armor without the use of thread!

Mana increases by 2% per skill level

Mana regeneration increases by 1 per second per skill level.[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Wisdom has increased by 5[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Art has increased by 10[/col][/box]

It was finally time to test out his new ability! It was much easier and faster than weaving the thread through the cloth or leather and with his extra mana regeneration he didn't have to stop as often. All he had to do was focus the mana pulsating out of his giant hands into the materials and using his imagination he was able to create a halfway decent suit of gigantic leather armor to wear.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Crafting(Lvl. 1 0%): A skill that most people would never even consider because of how difficult and inefficient it can be. However, by using a combination of creativity and intelligence you have successfully created a powerful new technique! Replaces the Handicraft skill and increases along with all crafting skills.

Adds 1% of intellect as weapon damage per skill level.

Adds 1% of creativity as unarmed damage per skill level.

Increases defense by 1% of max mana per skill level.[/col][/box]

“Heh, I guess I was right… the trick to this game isn’t in the numbers but the names.”

Azrael had already realized the moment he gained the creativity stat, it didn't matter if you were a master or a grand master at a basic skill because someone with a better version of the skill would always have more potential. It was also better to learn the upgraded skills as early as possible because even if you have intermediate alchemy, Ancient Alchemy will start at beginner level 1. A theory he tested shortly after he tried on the armor, surprisingly all he had to do was ask Freya to teach him and the skill was immediately learned. He was right about the reset to beginner as well, but then something strange happened that managed to surprise him.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Quest Complete![/col][/box]

Suddenly the lights in the room dimmed and the ground began to quake, a sinister laugh emerged from the center of the chemistry room where Azrael, So-Ra, and Freya were gathered. The air dropped below freezing in an instant and it was incredibly hard to breath. It was that sensation again, that sense of dread and terror that Azrael was incapable of feeling. Why was it that he was unable to fear like a normal person would? Maybe it was a bug in the system, or possibly some sort of natural ability that barbarians had but his instinct made him react before anything even happened. He picked up the two girls, one in each hand, and threw them out of the room before the doors slammed shut. Azrael yelled “Freya! Take So-Ra and get the fuck out of the building now!”

It all happened so suddenly that Azrael didn't have a chance to react, or even speak. He was standing in the center of the room while a warped harmony of thousands of voices screeched “Hahaha! I knew you were crazy but I never thought anyone could be that insane!” inside his mind.

The voice continued its horrible melody as it said “Not only did you manage find that bitch for me, but you even tricked her into creating a weakness I can exploit!” and his vision began to blur.

The voice said “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your little pet while your gone! Hahahaha!” as intense pains shot through his entire body.

Azrael looked down to see a wide, curved black perturbing out of his brand new leather armor’s chest plate. The voice screamed “No! I won’t you destroy my new body!” so loud that his ears started to bleed, even though he wasn’t technically hearing it.

Before he could even regain half of his health, the curse disappeared and he was once again about to die. The voice screamed “Damn you Matallost! Even if you kill him a thousand times, he will come back, and when he does I will finally have my revenge on all three of you bastards!” in distorted and out of sync chords.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Warning! Error found in RR/settings/safetylimiter! Attempting automatic disconnect.... program file not found! Unable to disconnect... Retrying.......... Error has occurred in automatic shut down protocol.[/col][/box]

*Sigh*

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have died, level reduced by 1 and the last 5 stat points invested have been removed! Stats can be reacquired at the next level up.[/col][/box]

He blacked out for a moment but when he opened his eyes he wasn't in his capsule, he was drowning in a tar black river filled with wailing spirits. It took him a moment to realize but he wasn't even in a physical body. Azrael had just become one of the many ghostly figures being pulled along with the current, but he didn't scream, he didn't cry and he did weep. He simply yelled “Oh, for fuck sake!” in a voice so loud that the disgusting river water was blasted away and he was able to soar into the sky.

Status WindowCharacter NameAzraelAlignmentNeutralLevel6ClassNoneTitleNoneFame210Infamy0Health918Mana649Stamina500Endurance30Strength40Agility30Art40Creativity50Wisdom45Intellect45Vitality50Fighting Spirit0Luck25Leadership5Attack20Defense21AffinityEarth: 10

Wind: 10

Fire: 10

Water: 10Magic ResistanceFire: 10%

Water: 10%

Earth: 10%

Wind: 10%

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]+1 Health regeneration per second.

+6 Mana regeneration per second.

+50 Health

+100 Mana

+1% Intellect

+1% Wisdom

+8% Health

+18% Mana

+1% Defense

+2% Weapon Damage

+2% Unarmed Damage

Poison resistance: 20%[/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Heavenly Strings (Lvl. 1 70%): You have the innate ability to play any string instrument using your knowledge and experience from another world.

Angelic Voice(Lvl. 4 50%): Using your innate ability to control your vocal chords and breathing you can produce the optimal frequency to soothe allies and enemies.

Ancient Alchemy (Lvl. 1 0%): You have unlocked the secrets of the ancient alchemists.

Intellect and Wisdom increase by 1% per skill level.

Health and Mana increase by 1% per skill level.

Mana Crafting(Lvl. 1 0%): A skill that most people would never even consider because of how difficult and inefficient it can be. However, by using a combination of creativity and intelligence you have successfully created a powerful new technique! Replaces the Handicraft skill and increases along with all crafting skills.

Increases Weapon and Unarmed damage by 2% per skill level.

Increases Defense by 1% per skill level.

Iron Stomach (Lvl. 7 95%): By subjecting yourself to terrible and excruciating digestive torture you have gained the ability to neutralize weak poisons without much discomfort.

Increases Poison Resistance by 10%.

Creative Cooking (Lvl. 7 10%): Either out of laziness or desperation you have learned to use dangerous and poisonous ingredients in combination with other more conventional ingredients to create edible food that tastes pretty good.

Warning! Most people or monsters will not think it tastes good and may die or suffer from the various poisonous effects!

Increases Health and mana by 1% per level.

Mana Weaving (Lvl. 5 15%): With the mana control that should be impossible for a barbarian, you can now fuse cloth and leather together to create clothing and armor without the use of thread!

Mana increases by 2% per skill level

Mana regeneration increases by 1 per second per skill level

Repair (Lvl. 2 85%): You can repair low level weapons and armor.

Heavenly Percussion (Lvl. 2 25%): Using knowledge from another world you are able to create music by striking or scraping even objects that don't seem like instruments.

Voice of Death (Lvl. 4 0%): Enemies with low health will have their hearts stopped at medium range and their brains will explode at close range. Can purify tainted spirits and banish demons. Effects monsters, undead and humanoids up to your level.

Mana consumption: 75 per second[/col][/box]

<=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=>

Chapter 7: Mana Crafting

目录