Still above the city.
----------------------------------------
Wyxnos watched the events unfold. He was running simulations on what she did. The most obvious scenario was that the girl used {Bygone Hero} to accelerate her level loss and reach level one.
On his side, Loki was laughing like a maniacal clown. He was an Administrator as well, he knew how much Exp Bundi gained.
Down below, the man of the hour wasn't so happy his Vengeance was accomplished. He'd lost all the bonus Perks and Attributes from his Class as it downgraded from Ultra-Rare to just Rare.
Bundi started to crush the buildings around him, enraged. "How! How can she be level ONE with all the stupid Exp multipliers she has? She should level the zero rank levels just by BREATHING!"
He screamed, "DAMMIT!" And went to destroy more of the city.
"Is she dead? He won, didn't he? Why isn't he ascending?" The Broodmother asked, clearly affected by the emotional state of the man below. They were lovers, after all.
Loki stopped laughing and answered as he tilted his head to one side then the other as he answered each of the three questions. "Yes, Yes, and No. He can't ascend because he doesn't have a Domain. And the Perk he got from someone to give him a Domain," he glared at Wyxnos, "didn't trigger because killing the poor cowed girl," he said dramatically, reinforcing how pitiful she was at the end, "netted him...."
Then he proclaimed as if he was the host of a game show, "ONE. SINGLE. POINT. OF. EXP!" And promptly returned to cackling.
Still bound by the fishing line, the Broodmother asked. "What happens now?" She whimpered.
Still laughing, Loki said, "Now he dies. Watch."
----------------------------------------
Below the Gods and underneath some tons of rubble...
----------------------------------------
> You died.
>
> The negative debuff {Bygone Hero} was removed.
>
> Conditions met.
>
> Deadman's Switch. Assigned Trait:
>
>
> Last Chance: 987,432 Energy provisioned of 666,298 required.
>
>
> Activating...
I opened my gecko eyes, feeling weak. I had only 1 HP, no Energy - although it was recovering fast due to the wellspring - and was suffering from resurrection sickness, as Last Chance's subjects came back with only 1 Strength and Dexterity for 1 hour. And I couldn't cheat death again for twelve years.
As I gained more Energy, I became insubstantial and dove down into the ground. I also set my Exp allocation to automatic. Let the opening credits roll.
> Deferred Exp granted.
>
> For killing level 200 Nurha-Boenir, you gained 321.8 Quintillion Exp (Base 1,200,000 x3.05 Exp Boost x3.05 Favored Enemy x3.05 Challenge x32,768 Fast-Learner x7,57 Death Contract x x16 Species Rank x16 Class Rank).
> You reached Dolphin-Mermaid level 20.
>
> You gained 19 Attribute Points.
>
> You gained 10 Dexterity. Redistributing Attributes above the cap.
>
> You gained 5 Endurance, 5 Mind. Redistributing Attributes above the cap.
>
> You gained 5 Strength, 5 Willpower, 5 Charisma. Redistributing Attributes above the cap.
>
> You gained 12 Human Perks.
>
> You gained 190 Skill Points.
>
> You gained 228 base HP and 304 base Energy.
>
> Ultimate Surpasser granted you 12 Attribute Points.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 34/100 Points withheld.
> Your species ranked up into a Pale Dolphin-Mermaid (rank 1). Due to the diminished population of your species, you are classified as {ultra-rare}.
>
> You reached Pale Dolphin-Mermaid level 20.
>
> You gained 20 Attribute Points
>
> You gained 10 Magic
>
> You gained 5 Mind and 5 Willpower.
>
> You gained 5 Charisma, 5 Endurance, 5 Luck, and 5 Dexterity.
>
> Ultimate Surpasser granted you 13 Attribute Points.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 100/100 Points withheld.
>
> You gained the Perk: Surpasser XXVI (ultra-rare): Increase your Attribute caps by 260%. Gain 26 Attribute Points every 40 levels.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 7/100 Points withheld.
>
> You gained 200 Skill Points.
>
> You gained 12 Human Perks.
>
> You gained 240 base HP and 340 base Energy.
> Your species ranked up into a Veiled Dolphin-Mermaid (rank 2). Due to the diminished population of your species, you are classified as {ultra-rare}.
>
> You reached Veiled Dolphin-Mermaid level 20.
>
> You gained 20 Attribute Points
>
> You gained 5 Magic and 5 Soul
>
>
> You gained 5 Mind and 5 Willpower.
>
> You gained 5 Charisma, 5 Endurance, 5 Luck, and 5 Dexterity.
>
> Ultimate Surpasser granted you 13 Attribute Points.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 70/100 Points withheld.
>
> You gained 280 Skill Points.
>
> You gained 12 Human Perks.
>
> You gained 180 base HP and 540 base Energy.
> You reached Diplomat level 60. You gained 60 points of Proficiency. Your Proficiency cap increased by an extra 42 points. You have 4 special abilities to pick.
>
> You reached Musician level 60. You gained 60 points of Proficiency. Your Proficiency cap increased by an extra 42 points. You have 4 special abilities to pick.
I quickly put five Classes with the highest rarity in the blender.
> Class Fusion.
>
> Spell-Singer (very rare), Reef Mystc (very rare), Reef Champion (very rare), Abyssal Explorer (ultra-rare), Princess (very rare).
> You reached Melodious Siren (5-fused, ultra-rare+++) level 20.
>
> You gained 20 Magic and 20 Charisma.
>
> You gained 10 Endurance, 10 Ego, and 10 Mind.
>
> You gained 10 Dexterity, 10 Willpower, and 10 Soul.
>
> You gained 5 Strength and 5 Luck
>
> You gained 10 Class Perks.
>
> You gained 240 base HP and 580 base Energy.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 100/100 Points withheld.
>
> You gained the Perk: Surpasser XXVII (ultra-rare): Increase your Attribute caps by 270%. Gain 27 Attribute Points every 40 levels.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 60/100 Points withheld.
>
> Ultimate Surpasser granted you 68 Attribute Points.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 100/100 Points withheld.
>
> You gained the Perk: Surpasser XXVIII (ultra-rare): Increase your Attribute caps by 280%. Gain 28 Attribute Points every 40 levels.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 18/100 Points withheld.
> Your Class ranked up into Enrapturing Siren (rank 1).
>
> You reached Magical Siren (5-fused, ultra-rare+++) level 20.
>
> You gained 20 Magic and 20 Charisma.
>
> You gained 10 Endurance, 15 Ego, and 10 Mind.
>
> Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
>
> You gained 10 Dexterity, 10 Willpower, and 10 Soul.
>
>
> You gained 5 Strength and 10 Luck
>
> You gained 10 Class Perks.
>
> You gained 240 base HP and 620 base Energy.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 100/100 Points withheld.
>
> You gained the Perk: Surpasser XXIX (ultra-rare): Increase your Attribute caps by 290%. Gain 29 Attribute Points every 40 levels.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 38/100 Points withheld.
>
> Ultimate Surpasser granted you 75 Attribute Points.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 100/100 Points withheld.
>
> You gained the Perk: Surpasser XXX (ultra-rare): Increase your Attribute caps by 300%. Gain 30 Attribute Points every 40 levels.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 13/100 Points withheld.
> Your Class ranked up into Siren Diva (rank 2).
>
> You reached Siren Diva (5-fused, ultra-rare+++) level 20.
>
> You gained 20 Magic and 20 Charisma.
>
> You gained 10 Endurance, 15 Charisma, and 15 Mind.
>
> You gained 10 Dexterity, 15 Willpower, and 10 Soul.
>
>
> You gained 5 Strength and 10 Luck
>
>
> You gained 10 Class Perks.
>
> You gained 260 base HP and 640 base Energy.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 100/100 Points withheld.
>
> You gained the Perk: Surpasser XXXI (ultra-rare): Increase your Attribute caps by 310%. Gain 31 Attribute Points every 40 levels.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 3/100 Points withheld.
>
> Ultimate Surpasser granted you 77 Attribute Points.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points. 80/100 Points withheld.
> You ranked up. Your available Exp was divided by 1,000,000. You have 321.8 trillion Exp left.
> For killing level 251 Carcinodon, you gained 340 Quintillion Exp (Base 1,200,000 x3.05 Exp Boost x3.05 Favored Enemy x3.05 Challenge x32,768 Fast-Learner x8 Species Rank x8 Class Rank x16 Size).
>
> [...]
All my remaining Exp notifications came this time. After Carcinodon, I didn't kill anything worth of note but King Romulus IV. And I split his Exp with the girls and the Queen so it was - to me but not for them - negligible.
> Your species ranked up into a Ethereal Dolphin-Mermaid (rank 3). Due to the diminished population of your species, you are classified as {ultra-rare}.
>
> You reached Ethereal Dolphin-Mermaid level 20.
>
> You gained 20 Attribute Points
>
>
> You gained 10 Magic and 10 Soul
>
>
> You gained 5 Mind and 5 Willpower.
>
> You gained 5 Charisma, 5 Endurance, 5 Luck, and 5 Dexterity.
>
> Ultimate Surpasser granted you 15 Attribute Points.
>
> You gained 300 Skill Points.
>
> You gained 12 Human Perks.
>
> You gained 180 base HP and 560 base Energy.
> You reached Diplomat level 80. You gained 20 points of Proficiency. Your Proficiency cap increased by an extra 14 points. You have 5 special abilities to pick.
>
> You reached Musician level 80. You gained 20 points of Proficiency. Your Proficiency cap increased by an extra 14 points. You have 5 special abilities to pick.
> Your Class ranked up into Siren Muse (rank 3).
>
> You reached Siren Muse (5-fused, ultra-rare+++) level 20.
>
> You gained 20 Magic and 20 Charisma.
>
> You gained 10 Endurance, 15 Charisma, and 15 Mind. 6
>
>
> You gained 10 Dexterity, 15 Willpower, and 10 Soul. 41
>
>
> You gained 5 Strength and 10 Luck 56
>
>
> You gained 10 Class Perks.
>
> You gained 260 base HP and 680 base Energy.
>
> Attributes above the cap. Withholding Points.
>
>
> You gained the Perk: Surpasser XXXII (ultra-rare): Increase your Attribute caps by 320%. Gain 32 Attribute Points every 40 levels.
>
> Ultimate Surpasser granted you 80 Attribute Points.
>
> You gained the Perk: Surpasser XXXII (ultra-rare): Increase your Attribute caps by 330%. Gain 33 Attribute Points every 40 levels.
>
> 0/100 Points withheld.
> You ranked up. Your available Exp was divided by 100,000,000. You have 7.2 trillion Exp left.
> Your species ranked up into a Eldritch Dolphin-Mermaid (rank 4). Due to the diminished population of your species, you are classified as {ultra-rare}.
>
> You reached Eldritch Dolphin-Mermaid level 5.
>
> You gained 5 Attribute Points
>
> You gained 1 Magic and 1 Soul
>
>
> You gained 2 Mind and 2 Willpower.
>
> You gained 2 Charisma, 1 Endurance, 1 Luck, and 1 Dexterity.
>
> Ultimate Surpasser granted you 4 Attribute Points.
>
> You gained 80 Skill Points.
>
> You gained 2 Human Perks.
>
> You gained 55 base HP and120 base Energy.
> Your Class ranked up into Eldritch Muse (rank 4).
>
> You reached Eldritch Muse (5-fused, ultra-rare+++) level 3.
>
> You gained 3 Magic and 3 Charisma.
>
> You gained 3 Endurance, 2 Charisma, and 2 Mind.
>
> You gained 2 Dexterity, 2 Willpower, and 2 Soul.
>
>
> You gained 1 Strength and 2 Luck
>
>
> You gained 1 Class Perk.
>
> You gained 39 base HP and 105 base Energy.
>
> Ultimate Surpasser granted you 3 Attribute Points.
> You reached Diplomat level 83. You gained 3 points of Proficiency. Your Proficiency cap increased by an extra 2 points. You have 5 special abilities to pick.
>
> You reached Musician level 83. You gained 3 points of Proficiency. Your Proficiency cap increased by an extra 2 points. You have 5 special abilities to pick.
I checked my Status. It was looking really nice. There was the bothersome 1 in both Strength and Dexterity lowering my HP and Energy, but it was temporary and I wouldn't depend on those Attributes to defeat Mr. I-Kill-Defenseless-Girls.
> Level 168
>
> Strength: 68+12 (1) / 86 - Dexterity: 70+14 (1) / 86 - Endurance: 71+14 (85) / 86
>
> Mind: 71+19 (90) / 86 - Willpower: 71+19 (90) / 86 - Charisma: 74+12 (86) / 86
>
> Magic: 83+12 (95) / 86
>
> Ego: 67+17 (84) / 86 - Luck: 70+17 (87) / 86 - Soul: 70+17 (87) / 86
>
> HP 25.613.280 (20,677 HP/s)
>
> Energy 57.591.600 (58,132 E/min)
Energy was higher than it was before {Class Fusion IV} ate my bonus Attribute Points, but I didn't have the time to get elated. I got... several stages of Surpasser. That meant nine hundred Attribute Points lost. Oh, well. I had to make do with what I had. No crying over milk out of reach. I opened the Perk shop and purchased just the Diva perks again. I would save the other few dozen Perks for a shopping spree later on.
I had a bastard to kill, in the most humiliating way possible.
----------------------------------------
Bundi's rage-fueled rampage stopped when he sensed the presence of the Anomaly. He was so pissed he couldn't even trap her soul that he just started to break stuff. He grinned.
"What? Back so soon? I knew she would reincarnate after dying, but that was fast! Now, how can I level up a baby so it can give me enough Exp before I kill it? Let me get her first. It should be easy to get her to level up," he said to nobody in particular.
One could question his sanity at this point. Nevertheless, he rushed to where he sensed the Anomaly. In a strange twist of fate, it was the same spot he'd killed her.
"What the fuck is happening here," he cursed.
Removing the rubble, he found the mermaid lying on her hips and elbow, waiting for him. She wore a gown made of silk.
"Hello, patron saint of colonoscopies. Shall we go for our tiebreaker round?"
"I'm going to kill you," he said coldly. "There is nothing you can do. Ever since you came to this world as a rabbit, my fellow Gods and I have watched you. I know every single trick you have and prepared for them. You can't even make me bleed a single drop of blood."
"Oh, is that true?" She smiled. "Ever since I arrived as a rabbit! I'm flattered!"
He fired an {Appraisal} just to be sure.
> Level 168 Dolphin-Mermaid
>
> Status Blocked.
Blue meant truthful information. Bundi grinned. Now, all that he had to do was to chop some dolphin sushi. He raised his sword and the Anomaly also grinned. Dying must've broken her mind.
----------------------------------------
His last words gave me two pieces of information. One, Wyxnos hadn't screwed me up completely. If he thought I arrived in this world as a rabbit first, he was in a world of pain. Second and obviously, if he had a counter for everything I had ever since living as a rabbit, all I had to do to defeat him was use something from before it.
I didn't waste time. One second was all it took for me to shapeshift into a blue whale. Yes. A freaking blue freaking whale. Throwing myself over him, I activated a Perk I seldomly used.
> Phagocytosis
My pseudopods wrapped around him and his sword and everything as my whale-ish flesh parted to pull him in. That was part one of my last-minute plan. Part two was to keep him from escaping.
> Cyst Hibernation
Now I wanted to see if he had anything that dealt more than a thousand base damage that he could use without moving.
----------------------------------------
Back to the sky above the... whale.
----------------------------------------
"Could anyone explain to me what just happened?" Zacheia, Goddess of Love and Arts asked.
Meheia, the mother of both Leviathan and Kraken, was laughing and slapping her tentacles, "A whale! A whale!"
"I believe she is smothering her," Queltphion, God of Soldiers, War, and Balance suggested.
Wyxnos was holding his breath.
The Broodmother screeched, "She's eating him! She's eating him!" The desperate dragon-woman was almost descending and had to be restrained by several deities that still took her side. A handful less than ten minutes before.
Loki laughed, "Yes. She is eating him. Who would've imagined that she would defeat him with the powers of the most insignificant creature the System ever registered."
The gods stared at Wyxnos. "Her first species upon arrival in this world was an amoeba, not a rabbit," he explained. "I don't need to explain to you what an amoeba does. I removed the disease-inducing and reproductive amoeba Perks from her, but she still had the others."
The Broodmother stared at Wyxnos with a look of betrayal. He knew they would be enemies forever. He didn't withhold the information from her. She just never asked. Yes, that was the excuse he would use.
----------------------------------------
Inside the whale, why not.
----------------------------------------
Bundi felt the digestive juices burning his armor and flesh. He tried to move but he had mere millimeters of space to wiggle. Not enough to strike with his sword, but he tried.
> You struck Whale-Anomaly for 0 HP of damage. (Base 107 (-1000) x [...])
Minus a thousand base damage. He didn't know of anything that dealt that much damage, and he was the God of War for centuries. He screamed but that only made the digestive juices enter his mouth, burning his throat.
He tried to move and after what seemed like an eternity, he had a bit more room. That's when he noticed it was because his armor and equipment had already melted. Even his sword wasn't in his numb fingers anymore.
As the acid accumulated, the damage grew. He started to take damage, but his regeneration and damage mitigation Perks took care of keeping him alive.
Bundi had no idea how long he remained inside the Anomaly. But he knew he was doomed when the System popped a message. How much time passed?
> You are thirsty.
He kept his mouth as shut as possible, along with his eyes. The most sensitive parts of his body were already itching as if someone had scratched the skin then poured jalapeño sauce on the wound. His ears, nostrils, butt, and cock were burning. Melting. Being devoured.
Then the digestive juices covered his head.
> You cannot breathe.
>
> You can hold your breath for 29 minutes. (1 + Endurance /5)
The pressure was pushing the acid up his nostrils. Big difference it would make to hold his breath for half an hour. Nevertheless, his monstrous HP regeneration allowed him to survive that half hour.
> You are drowning.
>
> You are starving.
The pressure became too big. He had to breathe. Losing his mind, Bundi opened his mouth and sucked in the acid, desperate to find some air. He drank it, breathed it. Now his lungs burned. He opened his eyes and saw nothing in the darkness. His eyes burned and melted. His hairs were long gone.
> You are drowning. You will take 1,000 HP/second of damage.
He wanted to die. The pain and burning sensations all over his body were unbearable. Everything hurt. He gargled acid and moved his tongue, or at least tried to. His tongue also melted. He choked and vomited.
> You are drowning. You will take 10,000 HP/second of damage.
All his mind could think of was to beg for the suffering to end. Nobody answered. He thought of his lover, the Broodmother. She didn't come to deliver him. Either to save or put him out of his misery. Nothing.
> You are drowning. You will take 100,000 HP/second of damage.
He felt his consciousness slip and felt grateful it was finally over.
> You died.
>
> Your soul is being purified.
Bundi screamed as he regained consciousness, only to endure another kind of pain. He had no body and yet he was still trapped inside the Anomaly. He panicked. He tried to flee but his soul was trapped. He tried to fight but the grip on him was like an adamantite vise.
> Your soul is being purified.
The revolving lantern of death came to him even disembodied. He saw his childhood in Texas vanish. Then high school and enlisting in the army. Gone. Fighting in the Gulf and returning home with a purple heart medal and a limp leg. Accursed Saddam and his IEDs. Even the rage he felt against the dictator's fanatics vanished. Forgotten. Bleached.
Hearing his friend, a college professor, rave about becoming Gods. Seeing magic for the first time and getting onboard along with his girlfriend. The sadness he felt when she decided to become a dragon.
> Your soul is being purified.
Finally, the Anomaly. The blind hatred at the invader. It was THEIR world. Their world. Their... vengeance?
In the end, nothing.
Just oblivion.