> Name: Jeremiah McIntyre
>
> Level: 31
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> Profession: Premier Elite
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>
Jeremiah stood in a clearing high in the mountains outside the city that used to be known as Boise, Idaho. He supposed it still might be Boise, but it wasn’t going to be the same city it had been the last time he was there. The wind whistled through the surrounding trees, and the strong scent of pine needles tickled his nose. He could almost forget everything that had happened to him and the rest of the world.
Three weeks had passed since Earth had involuntarily joined the Integrated Universe. Every single person on the planet had been given access to a Personal Enhancement System that offered near-limitless power. At least, every person that had survived the Integration process and the chaos that had followed.
He had been lucky enough—and it was pure dumb luck—to be the first person to reach Level 10 and earn Elite status, thrusting him into a competition for global supremacy. If the gorilla-lion monster known as a lionape had caught him before he reached the safety of water, or if the creature had known how to swim, Jeremiah would have certainly been killed. Instead, he was the most powerful man in the world.
In the three short weeks since that encounter, Jeremiah had grown in power and skill beyond anything he had ever dreamed possible. He already rivaled the comic book superheroes he’d pretended to be as a child, and yet, knew that he had only scratched the surface of what was possible.
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> Health: 521 / 1073
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> Mana: 658 / 1423
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> Stamina: 680 / 1084
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> Agility: 35
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> Charisma: 30
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> Durability: 43
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> Intelligence: 42
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> Strength: 40
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> Vitality: 40
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> Wisdom: 31
His Health, Mana, and Stamina weren’t full because he had been battling monsters nonstop all day, but even at their reduced levels, these stats were more than twenty times higher than they had been when he first woke after the Integration. His personal attributes were all three to four times higher than the average pre-Integration human.
There wasn’t much point in comparisons to the time before the Integration. It was still impossible to travel back in time, and the new world was drastically different than old Earth.
A twig snapped in the trees to his left, and Jeremiah turned toward the sound, unsurprised as he had sensed something following before he’d stopped in the clearing. A huge sledgehammer appeared in his hand as a giant form lumbered out of the forest. The furry creature looked like a cross between a bear and a human, long brown hair covering it from head to toe.
That was another thing that had changed. The world was now filled with monsters. Huge, powerful, terrifying monsters.
The beast lifted a large wooden club over its head and roared.
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> Name: Sasquatch
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> Level: 30
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> Health Points: 764
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> Legends tell of huge apelike creatures that lived, undiscovered, throughout North America. They were called many names—Bigfoot, Skunk Ape, Sasquatch—and all of the legends described a huge creature that would do anything to protect its own privacy. Now that the world has changed, Sasquatch have no need to hide and are poised to take their rightful place at the top of the food chain.
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The monster was nearly the same level as Jeremiah and likely possessed strength and power equal to, if not greater than, his own. The creature was no match for him though. During his short time in this new Integrated world, Jeremiah had defeated monsters much stronger than himself, earning multiple titles and boons along the way.
> Titles Earned:
>
> * Premier Elite. The title of Elite signifies a person is not only unique in their ability to fight monsters but also able to lead the way for others. The Premier Elite is the first among this group of ambitious and highly skilled people.
> * Monster Tamer. Everyone fights monsters. Not everyone wins. And even fewer defeat monsters more powerful than themselves. A Monster Tamer has battled and defeated a monster at least ten levels above their own level.
> * Giant Slayer. Very few people are skilled enough to defeat high-level monsters. Even fewer can survive when drastically outclassed. A Giant Slayer is one such person, having defeated a monster at least twenty-five levels above their own level. The only question is whether this makes them very brave or very stupid.
> * Premier Dungeon Explorer. Many people have explored a dungeon. Some of them even survived. Only one did it first, the Premier Dungeon Explorer.
> * Premier Dungeon Master. Clearing a dungeon and facing down the Dungeon Lord take courage, talent, and luck. That’s an endeavor worth recognizing. Completing a dungeon before anyone else? That deserves a special title: the Premier Dungeon Master.
> * Founding Lord. Establishing settlements on a newly integrated planet is critical for the growth and re-establishment of civilization. To recognize the efforts of the early pioneers, the first ten people to establish new settlements earn the title of Founding Lord.
He sensed movement all around the clearing and saw more of the hairy humanoid creatures step from the surrounding forest. A quick glance showed him there were now a dozen monsters, and all of them were Level 30.
Jeremiah smiled. Bring it on!
A single monster at a similar level posed no real danger to someone like Jeremiah. It would take a dozen or more direct hits to threaten his life if he were at full Health, and even with reduced Health, it would take five or six. That was more than a single monster had any chance of landing before Jeremiah’s superior weapons and skills would end the fight.
Now, if all twelve Sasquatch rushed him at the same time and even half of them landed a clean hit, he might be in trouble.
Jeremiah summoned a vial of green liquid and downed it.
>
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> Health Potion
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> * C Grade Potion
> * Restores a high amount of Health
> * Cooldown: 30 minutes
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The slimy, viscous liquid slid down his throat, and he shuddered as healing energy flooded his body. It wasn’t enough to return him to full Health, but it was a good start. He followed that up with a quick healing spell.
> Spell: Basic Healing
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> Type: Life Magic
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> Requirement: Basic Magic skill
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> Effect:
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> * Heals a small amount of damage on a single target.
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> Range: Touch; can be used on self.
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> Cost: Low Mana
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> Cooldown: None, cannot cast again on same target for 30 minutes.
Even with the enhancement brought by his Master Level Life Magic skill, the Basic Healing spell was less effective than the Health Potion. Jeremiah was acutely aware that he needed to upgrade his spell repertoire, and that was one of the reasons he was going to Boise.
He shrugged. The combined effect of the potion and spell would have to be good enough for this skirmish.
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> Health: 781 / 1020
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Jeremiah spun his sledgehammer in one hand and prepared for the onslaught.
The clearing was suddenly filled with streaks of orange light whizzing past Jeremiah. Flaming arrows exploded into the hairy monsters in front of him, driving them backward.
Jeremiah turned toward the source of the barrage where Sabrina was now visible. The Illusion spell he’d cast to hide her had been dispelled as soon as she began firing arrows. He reached out a hand, pointing behind her, and cast another spell while she kept shooting flame-imbued arrows.
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> Spell: Whirlwind
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> Type: Air Magic
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> Requirement: Advanced Level Air Magic skill
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> Effect:
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> * Creates a whirlwind of air with a twenty-foot diameter.
> * Causes a significant amount of damage to anyone within the area of effect.
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> Range: Sight
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> Cost: Significant Mana
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> Cooldown: 1 minute
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The power of his Aircast Ring doubled the duration, his Dualcast Band doubled the damage, and his Master Level Air Magic skill increased the damage by another 50 percent. A small tornado shot toward the monsters, picking up three of the huge beasts, shaking them like ragdolls.
It was a powerful opening volley. Half of the monsters took damage from explosive flaming arrows while three of the remaining six took damage from the Whirlwind spell. None of the attacks were anywhere near fatal, and Jeremiah and Sabrina were still surrounded by Level 30 monsters that were fully capable of ending both of their lives if they were careless.
The Sasquatch had been caught by surprise, though, and their intended ambush had quickly been turned on them. Jeremiah didn’t give them time to recover and charged toward one of the monsters that hadn’t taken any damage yet. His favorite weapon swung toward the hairy beast.
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> Enhanced Sledgehammer
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> * C Grade Weapon (enhanced for twenty-four hours)
> * Causes high damage.
> * Damage increased by 6% per Strength point.
> * Requirements to use: Level 20
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> Master War Hammer skill increases base damage by 75%.
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> Master War Hammer skill increases base damage by 5% per Strength point.
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> Advanced Lightning Strike skill causes lightning damage equal to 75% of base damage.
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This was where advanced weapons and skills turned the tide of battles against simply armed and relatively unarmored monsters. Sabrina’s flaming arrows and Jeremiah’s spell did twice as much damage as an attack from a Sasquatch. Once Jeremiah closed the gap and melee started, his skills and enhanced sledgehammer would combine to deal five times as much damage per attack as the monsters could.
He didn’t even bother to dodge the attack of the first Sasquatch. Jeremiah accepted a blow from the creature’s club, letting his armor absorb much of the damage.
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> Flannel Vest of Fire Protection
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> * D Grade Armor
> * Reduces damage by a high amount from non-magical attacks.
> * Reduces damage by a very high amount from fire-based attacks.
> * Requirements to use: Level 20
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The armor absorbed nearly half the damage that the club would have normally caused, and the blow did nothing to alter Jeremiah’s attack. The large metal head of his sledgehammer smashed into the Sasquatch with an explosion of lightning and thunder, sending the monster flying while two bolts of lightning flashed out to strike the two next closest monsters.
Jeremiah sensed an attack coming from behind and spun around to face the attacker. He sidestepped the club that slammed down into the ground where he had been standing then swung his own weapon. The sledgehammer smashed into the hip of the Sasquatch in another explosion of light that nearly bent the creature in half. He quickly spun the powerful weapon around and brought it down on the creature’s head, which literally exploded as lightning flashed out again.
Two flaming arrows zipped past Jeremiah in quick succession, driving toward the first Sasquatch he had attacked. As it struggled to its feet, the arrows blasted into the monster and sent it flying backward. The creature landed in an unmoving heap of smoldering fur.
The remaining ten monsters abandoned all caution and rushed forward.
Sabrina calmly summoned a vial from her dimensional storage and shattered it on the ground. Smoke erupted from the broken vial and quickly filled the clearing.
Jeremiah slipped into the trees, knowing Sabrina would do the same, and cast his Illusion spell, creating the image of a large tree around him.
> Spell: Illusion
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> Type: Air Magic
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> Requirement: Basic Magic skill
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> Effect:
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> * Creates an illusion on self or anywhere within range of spell.
> * Illusion dispelled if target attacks or is attacked.
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> Duration: 5 minutes
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> Range: 20 feet; increases with Air Magic skill.
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> Cost: Moderate Mana
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> Cooldown: 2 minutes
He waited patiently for the smoke to clear, and a few moments later, he could see the ten remaining Sasquatch standing in the clearing looking around in confusion. Each of the monsters had taken damage from a flaming arrow, his Whirlwind spell, or secondary bolts of lightning from his Lightning Strike skill. None of them were close to being defeated yet.
An orange light streaked through the clearing, and a flaming arrow exploded into a Sasquatch. The monsters all turned toward the source of the attack, but Jeremiah didn’t need to look to know that Sabrina had already moved.
Another arrow shot across the clearing from a different direction and slammed into the back of another Sasquatch. Once again, they all turned toward the new attack.
Jeremiah couldn’t keep a smile from his face as he watched arrow after arrow strike monsters in fiery explosions, each coming from a different location as Sabrina moved around the clearing, completely hidden by her Camouflage skill.
He waited while arrows struck every remaining Sasquatch at least once, each strike driving them toward the center of the clearing. Once the monsters were clustered together, Jeremiah cast his Whirlwind spell, using his Dualcast Band and Aircast Ring to increase the damage and duration.
The miniature tornado lifted all but three of the monsters from their feet, tossing them around within the whirlwind, and Jeremiah rushed the remaining three.
He was on the first Sasquatch before the creature even realized it was under attack. Jeremiah’s sledgehammer sent it flying backward with an explosion of lightning that flashed out, striking the other two.
The second Sasquatch swiped its club at Jeremiah, but he easily ducked under the blow and swung his sledgehammer up into the midsection of the monster, sending it flying almost straight up. Lightning crackled over its body before flashing away and striking two of the monsters still caught up in the whirlwind.
The third Sasquatch brought its club down on Jeremiah’s back, but his armor absorbed much of the damage again, and he barely stumbled forward before swinging his sledgehammer backward with one hand. The metal head of the weapon caught the hairy creature in the head, sending it spinning in a sideways cartwheel just as the Whirlwind spell expired and dropped the remaining Sasquatch on the ground.
Flaming arrows streaked toward the disoriented monsters that had just been dumped in a heap, blasting each monster before they even had a chance to stand.
A few seconds later, the battle was over.
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> Your party has defeated 12 Sasquatch. Experience points awarded to all participants in the battle.
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The experience points notification was immediately followed by the ever-important level-up notification.
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> Ding!
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> Congratulations! You have advanced from Level 31 to Level 32.
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> You have been awarded 5 free stat points. You must allocate points within 24 hours, or they will be randomly assigned for you.
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> You have been awarded 1 skill point. You must use the skill point within 24 hours, or it will be randomly assigned for you.
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A wide grin split Jeremiah’s face. “That’s not too bad for a few Bigfoots.”
Sabrina stepped forward and high fived him. “Oh yeah! That brought me up to Level 30.”
“You’re catching up to me,” he replied.
The gap would not close easily though. The difference in experience between Level 30 and Level 32 was at least as large as the difference between Level 1 and Level 20.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “You can keep your spot at the top of the leaderboard.”
Jeremiah smiled. “I intend to.”
He bent down and touched the closest Sasquatch.
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> Loot Level 30 Sasquatch? Yes / No
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He mentally answered, Yes.
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> You have looted Dried Meat Snacks.
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> You have looted Gold Coins.
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Jeremiah frowned at the poor quality of loot, choosing not to keep the monster’s wooden club. It was incredibly disappointing for a Level 30 monster, but he was quickly learning that monsters without good weapons and armor rarely had good loot, regardless of level.
Sabrina looted a monster near her, and he could tell from the look on her face that she was equally disappointed.
“We really need to do some serious equipment upgrading now that we’re both Level 30 or higher,” she said. “What we’ve got now is good, especially with the enhancement from your Weapons Storage Belt, but we can do better now.”
Jeremiah nodded in the direction of Boise. “Hopefully, we can find better weapons down there.”
The city of Boise had been an Orientation city and would have shops and guilds that would contain higher-level equipment. As Elites, they would have access to all of it.
His sister might be there too. It was a fact that Jeremiah tried to tell himself was important, but if he was being honest with himself, he had to admit that possibility was a bonus and not the primary reason for the expedition to Boise.