The place I knew had monsters strong enough to level me up fast was one of the crevices in the ocean floor the mermaids collectively called “The Abyss”. Medaya dumped my crystallized body in one of them and there I met the Kerberos-anglerfish. I swam to one of them at the edge of the reef and stared down at the darkness. I had no idea if it was gazing back at me. Nothing in my detection range. No monsters, no people, nothing.
I surfaced to see the eternally starlit sky above. Only the calm sea below reflecting starlight from the night sky above. The calm waves were soothing and the edge between ocean and sky blurred in the horizon. It felt peaceful but also triggered a sense of despair from being just a grain of sand in the vastness. As if it would be easy to lose one’s sense of self to the vast nothingness.
Taking a deep breath, I sought the next one. It was quite far away. I needed power and the System demanded a blood sacrifice. That I offered the life of creatures that never did me anything in exchange for levels. Such was the true nature of this world. A meticulously engineered death-trap made to empower and grind souls into power for the world’s rulers.
With my water elemental form and a generous dose of {Water Jet}, I reached then followed the sandy bottom of the ocean in no time. A few monster signatures popped at the edge of my detection. Maybe they could distract me enough to make me forget I was running away from home on a whim because I couldn’t cope with the idea that my mom was a living being with worldly desires. I had problems coping with my own sexuality, even more so my own mother’s.
Mermaid culture was awfully open about it. Since the specter of starvation vanished several of them sought solace on each other’s arms and fins. I too would join them and find someone to dispel my loneliness with, were it not for my condition. Even though my skin healed fast, it still bruised awfully easily. The frivolous mermaids also valued physical appearance to a fault. Arista wasn’t pretty. The scars and my sparse hair made me look gaunt and sickly.
Lakerta’s magical wigs masked this huge problem. She - I - should’ve dedicated more effort to breaking this curse but she - I - didn’t care.
I stopped and the fairy burst from my chest to float in front of me. I leaned forward and she embraced my water elemental head. How didn’t she go through? I didn’t ask out loud. The tiny hands went from my forehead to the sides of my as my eyes met hers.
“Thank you for being here for me,” I whispered.
“If the people of this world knew the strongest creature to roam among mortals is this fragile…” She teased with a giggle. “I’m yours,” she added seriously. “I might be odd, venial, and secular for a fairy, but I was hatched inside your heart, bound to your soul from the moment I first drew breath. I grew up seeing through your eyes and browsing your memories. I’ll be your strength if you need it.”
I sniffled.
“Stop being an emo pussy. Go out there and kill, kill, kill.”
----------------------------------------
Besides, I could use some training. I had to try and learn to use all my new spell-song Perks. I pulled my Status window and pushed it to the side of my field of view. I could read it and travel at the same time. Combat would force me to dismiss it, though.
{Glissando} and {Fortissimo} were straight output modifiers. The damage boost could be achieved with {Overcharge Magic} but since it was its own modifier, it was cheaper to use both. {Pianissimo} was useful to remove the no-stealth-at-all problem with {Spell-Song}. I had a huge advantage here since I could basically sing in ultrasound frequencies.
{A Capella} wasn’t meant to be used with spellcasting. No. It was for those times when a [Magician] had to take her staff and bang some heads. With my current MP regeneration, I could add seventeen to a physical Attribute and sustain it for any amount of time. Or as long as I could sing it. The sudden boost could very well tip the scales in a straight fight.
{Adagio} was perfect for my Force barriers. They dealt zero-damage, slowing them down would only save MP. Again, to gain that benefit I would need to keep singing to keep the spell up. That was an option on the deck, though. If I had it when I fought Marlowe’s {Disintegrate} spell, I could’ve held it back like a breeze. {Staccato} allowed me to cast fast projectile spells like a Gatling gun.
{Chord}, {Arpeggio}, and {Major Chord} could give me some interesting effects and they worked with bardic songs as well, like my {Song of Peace}. The most basic example would be chaining fire and ice to cause a thermal shock on a target. It could destroy the durability of sturdy objects faster than most other magics. {Major Chord} broadened the choices by adding a third spell to the mix. The increased cost was a problem, but that could be mitigated with {Reprise} and {Ritornello}. I could imagine myself on a hill, making it rain an endless deluge of magical bombardment on a horde of enemies down below.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
The last of the basic {Spell-Song} Perks were {Coloratura} and {Falsetto}. In the fire and ice elemental barrage mentioned before, {Coloratura} could change it to lightning and darkness, or earth and light, or anything, really. Perfect to turn the tables against enemies that can become immune to an element.
I got one bardic Perk, {Song of Enrapture}. Here comes the combo, I could mix {Song of Enrapture} and {Song of Peace} with {Chord} and deliver both effects at once. That could be interesting. Getting more bardic songs and combining them. The thought of what I could do with my songs left me giddy.
Moving onto the [Diva] Perks. These were complex and somewhat hard to use. I knew I had to practice a lot with them.
The ones named after musical rhythms were highly situational. The [Diva] played solo. She was meant to dominate the stage, be it a theater or a battlefield. Set the tempo of the piece, make everyone dance to her music, so to speak. The six rhythm Perks I bought, {Allegro}, {Adagio}, {Minuet}, {Scherzo}, {Fughe}, and {rondo} could be used only one at a time.
{Allegro} and {Adagio} were two faces of the same coin. Speed up and go on the offensive, or slow down and gather information. Both gave dodge bonuses, which was very good. Combined with my {Grandmaster Dodge} bonuses, I could dance around my enemies unscathed. {Minuet} and {Scherzo} were mutually exclusive. One was for single combat, the other for mass battles.
These four demanded dominance. They couldn’t be used if I was taking too many hits.
But again, if a [Diva] wasn’t dominating the stage, it was time for a hasty retreat. That was a job for Super… I mean, for {Fugue} if everything was lost, or {Rondo} and {Fermata} to gain a breather and turn the tables. {Rondo} was meant to overpower and regain control. One would need to be creative during a {Rondo}, mixing the different spells along the main theme spell to get maximum efficiency. When that failed, {Fermata} would signal either the climax or the bottom of the performance. I could wrap myself in a Force cocoon and hold a note, or hold a pause and gain nine-tenths damage resistance. That, combined with my other defensive Perks could allow me to withstand a massive attack almost unscathed.
Finally, there were the {Diva’s Presence} and its associated Perks. They had not much to do with spellcasting and could be used during pure physical combat. With a large crowd watching, the [Diva] could hold her own alone against hordes and hordes. They would be thinned down by {Aria}, making some of them stand aside and watch, then contribute to my HP and MP management with {Captive Audience} and {Standing Ovation}.
I could imagine a [Gladiator] Class had something like that as well. Or some sort of [Skald], a combat [Bard]. Which also meant enemies would be aware of the benefits of these Perks and how to counter them. I wondered about a duel where both combatants had the same Perks in which the decision was in how well one could sway the crowd. Reality TV was brought to the medieval arena.
Finally, I picked {Center Stage} for those moments when I had to guard someone. Even if hostility, it was unthinkable that an enemy wouldn’t devote their full attention to the [Diva].
That was the gist of my new toolset.
----------------------------------------
I stopped before a medium-sized crevasse. Detection showed some monsters lurking in the rocks at the edge of the precipice. "You are right, Nenandil. Even if my heart wavers, I must trust on what my predecessors left for me."
I still refused to fully acknowledge them as "me". Arista wanted to be her own mermaid. To be accepted on her own merit, not because she was born with a mithril spoon in her mouth. It was irrational, I knew on an intellectual level. Woe to those that attempted to forcefully tame a maiden's heart. The line on what Arista was and what was the legacy of my previous incarnation didn't exist. Restricting it to only my current life's Status gains was impossible.
The fairy didn't answer with words but I could feel the warmth her approval irradiated from deep inside my soul. I needed to find the common denominator between my current and previous existence.
Hells, we would all be dead or enslaved if I didn't rely on them. An empty mind was the devil's workshop, indeed.
----------------------------------------
A couple of lampreys darted out of the sand at the edge of the crevasse. Their round suckers had rows upon rows of sharp teeth. The base animal might've been a slow one, but these monsters had my hairs standing on an end from the sudden discharges of their surprise attacks. They fired lightning at me, a high-frequency jolt meant to stun more than damage. Even with my {Water Elemental} form taking half as much extra damage, the jolts were negligible. It only tickled and restored some MP. I returned the courtesy with two {Force Javelin}.
> You killed level 65 Lightning Lamprey. You gained 25.2M Exp (Base 42,250 x3.05 monster x64 Fast Learner x3.05 Exp Boost).
>
> You killed level 67 Lightning Lamprey. You gained 26.7M Exp (Base 44,890 x3.05 monster x64 Fast Learner x3.05 Exp Boost).
Only after the fact I noticed I'd used {Sorcery} instead of {Spell-Song} to cast my magic. The spell, Rosewise's go-to problem solver, formed like an afterthought. I sighed and chuckled. Anyway, we were off to a good start. I swam downward, killing more fish monsters that thought I could be a nice snack. The normal, non-monstrous animals stayed in their hiding spots and I left them alone. With the automated pickup of my Item Box, barely a cloud of blood was left behind from my kills. I just needed to strike when they were within range. Small fry, levels below one hundred.
I cleared the crevasse of monsters and went in search of a bigger one. These weren't enough for a single level.