Kenneth was at least curious. "What's the tape do?"
"All skills that consume resources become spells and then you pair it with Gatling Wand. Ninja's become assassins, right? So, soon there will be nothing you can't instantly assassinate."
"I don't have resource based skills. Also I'm going Shadow Ninja at 20 if I can. Got any items for that?"
"Don't worry, I've gotten my hands on a whole treasure trove of items. This way." Lauri lead him towards the guild and searched the Market for 'Use Magic Device.' "I don't see that skill on the market?"
"Which?"
"Use Magic Device."
"That's because the book of 'Classes and Professions' doesn't even list the Thief profession, thus nobody takes it when it comes up as a choice. So the skill-book isn't getting many drops."
"Then how did you select Theif?"
"I heard of it somewhere when I was young and mistook it for one of those cool, hidden professions. I was wrong. Apparently it was removed from the listed options because it was bad and also hated-on."
"Removal is its own sort of propaganda. I wouldn't be surprised if the System penalised someone for removing that."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see if you try and give a kid System advice. It doesn't like people doing that. Calls it propaganda."
"Well I wish people had told me a lot more than they had. If that's because of the people behind the system then I'll give'm a good thrashing if I find'em." Lauri decided then and there that it was best not to tell anyone that he was now a System moderator. Just incase they misunderstood.
A quest prompt appeared for Lauri. [Quest: Defeat Nemesis Incoming
In a double dungeon break, a Nemesis Ankheg and Nemesis Minotaur have been dispatched to kill you and won't rest until dead. Defeat both to gain reward: Ankheg Armour]
["Reject. Let the city guards kill them, I'll stay where I'm safe for now."]
[Please Note: Ankheg Armour reduces physical damage received by half]
["Not worth dying. I said reject."]
Kenneth asked, "something up? You went quiet."
"Just the System trying to give me a quest."
[Quest: Defeat Both Nemesis Together
In a double dungeon break, a Nemesis Ankheg and Nemesis Minotaur have been dispatched to kill you and won't rest until dead. Defeat both at the same time, within a single battle, to gain rewards: Ankheg Armour and Minotaur Shield]
["Really? Reject"]
[Please Note: Minotaur Shield increases Toughness by 1,000 and can block attacks. You want to become a tank, right?]
["What in... Reject, how did you even know that? Right now I'm only worried about how I'm going to get so many attribute potions."]
[Quest: Defeat Both Nemesis Alone
In a double dungeon break, a Nemesis Ankheg and Nemesis Minotaur have been dispatched to kill you and won't rest until dead. Defeat both alone, at the same time during one vs two, within a single battle. Rewards: Ankheg Armour, Minotaur Shield, all future Ankheg kills can drop Potions of Agility, all future Minotaur kills can drop Potion's of Toughness]
["Red-light?"]
Lauri stopped walking and Kenneth stopped in response. Lauri stated "the System isn't sapient. Right?"
"Oh my goddess, is there an admin messing with you?" As Kenneth got riled over the idea there were sounds of battle to be heard nearby. Looking in the general direction nothing could be seen at first. Then a minitour smashed bins out of the way as it charged out of an ally and turned to look directly at Lauri.
[Quest: They're Coming For You
I didn't send them and you don't actually have a choice. They're immune to damage not dealt by your party and they won't rest until dead. The only question is how well you do. Otherwise see last quests.]
["I suppose I accept then."]
Kenneth's excitement changed to dread. "They can't harm us inside a town right?"
"I don't think 'no people versus people' applies to monsters. You should run."
"You're not running?"
"That quest I was talking about, I believe it's him and one more. I need them together so I can fight them both at once."
"It's level 25, are you insane?"
"According to my System, I don't have a better choice." He grabbed a few restoration potions out and gulped them down in preperation.
"Damn that System. Goodbye and good luck," Kenneth was already running away.
["Much appreciated Red-light, wish me good luck"]
[+1 temporary Luck points]
"Huh."
The minitour stood at a distance with an axe in hand, staring at Lauri with a deep rage in its eyes and the look of a scowl. City guards caught up and started trying to spear it but it just stood there. Lauri saw how desperately these post-200th level guards were trying to harm this mere level 25 minitour and felt he'd better explain. "It's a Nemesis Minotaur and it's here for me, it seems only I can hurt it right now."
The guards look confused at first until one looks to have a realisation. "Oh, I see. We'll kill it if you die then. Thanks, people usually don't explain."
"Huh. Why not?"
"A false idea that we might be able to do something. Why's it just standing still, if it's after you?"
"Because it doesn't stand a chance against me and it knows it, so it's waiting for its partner."
"Shouldn't you defeat it before it's partner arrives then?"
"I get a better quest reward if I wait."
"Wait, your level 4? I know nemesis monsters are beyond deadly but this is taking the cake. What did you do?"
Lauri stopped displaying his level publicly. After this nobody wouldn't know about his reset. "I think he's from a dungeon I killed."
A level 15 ankheg crept over to the edge of a roof but Lauri saw it in time, Drain Level, [-5 Levels] [+5 Levels]. It leapt down at him and Lauri dodged to his left, out of the way of it's road cracking first strike. The guard asked "and that one?"
"I think he's from a dungeon I threatened to kill."
He'd managed to reduce it to level 10 and nobody had seen its level drop, he hoped, quickly glancing at his stats but not getting a good look. Doing so at least reminded him to Protection Bubble.
{
Class: Ritualist
Profession: Level 1
Effective Level: 9
HP: 4,500, SP: 5,580, PP: 2,990/3,600, MP: 25
Strength: 270, Toughness: 450, Agility: 270, Memory: 126/270, Reasoning: 72/270, Charisma: 279/270, Destiny: 9/36
Skills: 7
}
Chitin Cracker Warhammer appearing in hand, Lauri swung it at Nemesis Ankheg but it jumped back in time. Nemesis Minotaur now charged at Lauri but even with the huge level difference he wasn't worried. He was just too OP and remembered how little challenge the minotaurs in the dungeon were. He tossed a chain at the ankheg and it was quickly bound, then he tossed another at the minotaur... *SMASH* the minotaurs axe slammed the chain down into the road, shattering a length of it and reducing the chains durability by half. The length around the ankheg also shattered, freeing it. A guard commented "Chain Shattering Axe, nice weapon. He certainly does seems your nemesis." The minotaur was still charging but a Hold Monster put a stop to that, causing it to fall in its tracks.
The ankheg leapt at Lauri once more and, rather than dodge it, this time Lauri swung his hammer to meet its claws attack [2,160HP damage]. Lauri didn't pause, swinging again as it leapt out the way, he let his hammers momentum carry him around in a circle. He took two steps forward as he continued the swing and this time hit it on it's left [4,320HP damage]. These two attacks were already enough to reduce the ankheg to close to half its health bar and Lauri was feeling good. The minotaur got up, recovering from the stun, but Lauri was waiting for this moment to use Sleep. He was about to grin but seeing Sleep have no effect he instead frowned. "Ohhh, won't rest until dead, it's a hint. Crap."
No longer feeling OP Lauri quickly looked up 'Shield' in Market and was thankful that his default filters are all still in place. The minotaur started charging at him again and the ankheg took a position to spring from but seemed to be waiting to time its attack. "Too many still, remove shields below 3,498 SP." Low durability items were perfect for his Renew Item skill but he was in battle now and had little to no time for much.
{
SP: 3,698
[Cost in System Points]: [Item Name], (Misc. Value) Notes
3,498: Barely Blocking Buckler (40,000/40,000 Can block attacks, +100 Agility)
3,498: Heater Shield of Warming (40,000/40,000 Can block attacks, 50% less damage from cold attacks, immunity to cold environmental damage)
3,498: Perverts Pavise (40,000/40,000 Can block attacks, immunity to attacks from naked female humans) Note: Pair with item which renders enemies naked
3,499: Cry No More Teardrop (40,000/40,000 Prerequisite: Ritualist. Can block attacks, immunity to emotional damage, +50 Reasoning)
3,500: Tower Defence Tower Shield (40,000/40,000 Can block attacks, can place up to 4 wall turrets)
3,500: Kite Shield of Quick Kiting (40,000/40,000 Can block attacks, easier to move while blocking, +50 Agility)
}
[Purchased 1x Cry No More Teardrop for 3,499 SP]
['Marketing Pressure' Achievement Earnt: Purchase an item you don't have, but need for a battle, during that battle]
Lauri had seen the word Ritualist and made a snap decision but as his brain processed the information he started to think that Kite Shield would have been a better choice. With his left hand letting go of his hammer he waited for the shield to appear in it... The minotaur swung its axe at his neck as it drew close and Lauri ducked under it but was then trampled over by the minotaur anyway [Lost 2,000SP]. The shield appeared in Lauri's left hand and he let out a groan before he saw the ankheg flying down on him so quickly turned his shield 90 degrees. Not only did Lauri manage to block the claw but by rotating his new shield it hadn't managed to grapple him either. "It might not work on your friend but..." Still prone, Lauri tossed the chain at the ankheg and put a loop of it around his neck before he pulled the chain tight. Turning his head to check on the minotaur he saw it had charging rather far past him and was only just coming to a stop now. Lauri started pulling against the chain and the ankheg toppled over as its legs were forced together. Lauri hit Nemesis Minotaur with Drain Level, no longer believing he could get away without it [-5 Levels] [+5 Levels].
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{
Class: Ritualist
Profession: Level 1
Effective Level: 14
HP: 7,000, SP: 5,570/8,680, PP: 4575/5,600, MP: 39
Strength: 420, Toughness: 700, Agility: 420, Memory: 196/420, Reasoning: 112/420, Charisma: 434/420, Destiny: 14/56
Skills: 7
}
Lauri put arm over arm against the chain as if he was trying to pull himself towards it but all that happened was the chains constricted tighter around the both of them. [100HP damage] [Lost 200HP], [200HP damage] [Lost 400HP], [300HP damage] [Lost 600HP], [400HP damage] [Lost 800HP]. The minotaur had turned around now and looked at the situation, lifting its axe its hoof stomped the ground 3 times. "It's not dying fast enough," Lauri activated Renew Item on the chains, taking them to 1,200 out of 2,000 durability. Then he grabbed the other end of the chain around his neck and started focusing more tension on that spot, as if he were trying to choke himself to death. [1,000HP damage] [Lost 1,000HP], [1,200HP damage] [Lost 1,200HP], [1,400HP damage] [Lost 1,400HP]. Lauri had to let go, while the ankheg was only a sliver away from dead, he was down to 1,400 out of 7,000 HP now. At least by exploiting one of the ankhegs weakness he had managed some damage parody. Lauri saw the minotaur arriving with speed and held up his shield to block its axe swing.
The minotaur hadn't been swinging its axe at him directly but at the chain between him and the ankheg, shattering it and reducing its durability down to 200. This freed himself as well and Lauri tried to roll out the way but got trampled by the minotaur again [Lost 2,000SP]. Lauri sent his hammer to his belt and groaned as he rolled again, must more successfully this time, and got up. The ankhegs next attack slammed into the ground near him so he was glad that he'd kept moving. Hammer appearing in hand again Lauri spun around with it just as he got caught [Lost 384HP, grappled]. He'd thankfully finished his spin before his feet were leaving the ground and the momentum was still there. Instinctively Lauri let his hammer fly from his hand, the problem was that the ankheg hadn't pulled him immediately in for a bite like the last critters and the hammers reach was short, so this was his quick-thinking solution. [2,160HP damage, killed Nemesis Ankheg, -5 Levels, EXP reduced to 0 due to 100% level penalty]. The hammer landed nearby and the ankheg disappeared in a splash of 100 golden coins.
{
Class: Ritualist
Profession: Level 1
Effective Level: 9
HP: 900/4,500, SP: 2,295/5,580, PP: 2,941/3,600, MP: 25
Strength: 270, Toughness: 450, Agility: 270, Memory: 126/270, Reasoning: 72/270, Charisma: 279/270, Destiny: 9/36
Skills: 7
}
Shield in hand, Lauri had a moment to gauge the minotaurs charge and had learnt from past charges that it would change direction as he moved to avoid it. Stepping just as it arrived, Luari basically bashed his teardrop into the minotaurs side in order to move out of the way while attempting to angle his shield. He probably didn't get it right, or just wasn't accustomed to a shield, as it went flying out of his hand. Ignoring the shield he instead ran over to his hammer, grabbing it up as he continued to run after the minotaur and prepared to swing at its back. The guards started to cheer for some reason, probably because 'one down, one to go,' but Lauri was worried by his resulting drop in level. Having caught up as the bull slowed and Lauri spun around, took a big final step, planted his right foot hard into the ground and swung with everything he had. He had earlier toggled off the detailed readouts but he felt like he had stacked a lot of them and hoped to view the full log later. [1,760HP damage] "Is that all?" The minutour turned and lifted its axe... "At least I got it to skip its charge" he thought as he activated Hold Monster, shoving it over. He didn't even wait for it to land as he started building up momentum and slammed the hammer down on the creatures face [2,880HP damage]. The hammer did massive damage but he'd been hoping for something in the 4k range, no time to stop, he built up for another all-out swing [2,640HP damage]. "Less? Mustn't be maximising damage."
Usually Lauri could get three attacks in for a Hold Monster but time was somehow already up and it started to move. He doubled back, running for his shield, stashing his hammer as he looked behind and saw the minutour rise from the ground. Grabbing his teardrop he faced the minotaur, which was now pawing the ground, and tried to consider options. "If I wrap my chains around my arms and land a bind then I can restrain the minotaur but then what? Also my chains would be destroyed if that axe hit them again. It's still at three quarters health so it must have around 20k HP, even after reduced to level 20. Thinking of it, that ankheg must have had 14k HP. Nemesi are totally unfair." Even with his exploits if Lauri reached level 20 he would still only have 10k HP. As the minatour started charging he had no more time for planning, not that his mind had stayed on focus.
Lauri shifted his weight to try and dodge to the left this time but the minotaur shifted in response, not by much but enough for Lauri to realise he'd tipped his hat. He held the teardrop in front of his body so that the minotaur couldn't get another read on him. Continued to be prepare to jump to the left at the last moment, he started to plan in his head how to hold this shield while trying to move ther from his position. He firmed his grip of the shield with his right hand and put his elbow against it. As the beasts charge reached him the minotaur veered as though it had expected Lauri to dodge right, making his dodge to the left easier. "In foresight, changing the direction I was going to dodge, after I'd been predicted, would probably have made sense. Good thing this beast isn't smart enough to expect a double bluff." Lauri didn't give chase this round as he was buying time for the Hold Monster cooldown to elapse. As the minotaur slowed, turned around and started at him, pawing the ground again, Lauri smiled at it but this only made it scowl worse. Sending the shield to his belt, Lauri hadn't expected this but, the teardrop sat on his left side from just above his foot to covering his whole shoulder. He wondered if the shield could still block like this or if it was more cosmetic. Either way, this belt that could somehow fit large items didn't seem as extra-dimensional as stamped on the tin.
This time Lauri drew his hammer up out his belt the normal way, confirming that he could, as until now he'd used the quick-action that apparently comes with all dimension-belts. The further he drew his hammer the more of its weight became apparent until it was fully drawn, then he adjusted his hold. The minotaur watched him, wondering what Lauri was up to, and as it became apparent the beast adjusted downwards where its hands were on the pole. Both of them were now holding their poles low for more range and the minotaur started its charge. He started twirling his hammer to build up momentum, the minotaur arrived and started its swing. Right then Lauri activated Hold Monster. With a cheeky grin Lauri slammed the full force of his hammer into the full-speed charging bull monster, breaking its nose [Crit, 7,280HP damage]. "Yes!" Lauri managed to exclaim just as he got a lesson on 'conversation of motion' [Lost 2,295SP, Lost 305HP] as the axe hit his chest and left a gash the length between two of his leather straps. On a positive side, the axe diverted the beast slightly and it only gave Lauri a good knock as it tumbled over to his left. Lauri quickly recovered himself and wound up to hit it again and again, [2,640HP damage] [2,880HP damage]. With a running start the minotaur avoided a potentially final hit the moment its stun ended. Lauri went to put up a new shield but found that Protection Bubble had over a minute of cooldown left. "Oh no, it must have a long cooldown, why did I never check?"
Nemesis Minotaur looked like he might be fleeing but as it slowed and turned around it became apparent that it wasn't, hoofing the ground and huffing with rage. While it was one hit from dead so was Lauri, at 595HP, and he wasn't liking the situation. "Oh right!" Lauri cast Cure Wounds on himself [Healed 500HP], "shoot." Despite almost doubling his current HP it was still significantly less than the damage he'd received from any one previous attack and now the spell was on 15 second cooldown. "I need to be healing more often." The minotaur started charging again and Lauri made up his mind to get desperate, holding his warhammer for maximum range again. Seeing what he was doing the minotaur finally stopped scowling and even seemed to grin, the idea of mutual death actually seeming to please it. That wasn't what Lauri had in mind though, he grabbed a chain and tossed it as he started to wind up his hammer with a couple spins. The minotaur thought quickly, if it destroyed the chains with its axe swing then it loses and if it doesn't then it's restrained and loses anyway. It roared with fuming hatred and rage, as it decided to at least rob its enemy of his weapon, and swung at the chains.
With a flick of Lauri's wrist, a spiralling wave carried along the chain and it flicked out of the way of the minotaurs attach arc. Receiving a hammer to its stomach the bulls HP bar fell to empty and it let out a gruff that Lauri chose to imagine was the gravest insult the beast could muster. The quest was marked complete and the 4 rewards received, with the two physical ones appearing before Lauri. [3,640HP damage, killed Nemesis Minotaur, -5 Levels, EXP reduced to 0 due to 100% level penalty] the minotaur disappeared in a splash of 50 silver coins. Picking one up it read "1" on one side and "PP" on the other, redeemed for 100SP each. As the guards walked over he collected a total 6,000SP worth. "Quite the haul in System Points," he mused out loud.
A guard grins, "and you're only level 4? To take down two Nemesis and so much higher level than yourself. Though I think one dropped from level 25 to level 20. Maybe I imagined it?"
Not one to gaslight Lauri smiled and admitted, "you didn't. It's a Sealer thing, been around longer than we've been alive. What does PP on the System coins mean? Power Points?"
"Platinum piece. It's worth 10 gold pieces. Which is worth 10 silver pieces. Not to be confused with the kings currency."
"Why did the first drop 50 gold pieces?"
"I don't know. At cap for level 10, should have only dropped 25 or so. Maybe you reduced it below its true level as well?"
"I meant rather than dropping 5 platinum pieces?"
Some of the guards had started patting Lauri on the back or on the shoulder, "good show my man."
One of them offers the theory, "perhaps because the System wants to give you a payoff to keep adventuring and you get a bigger feeling of reward when more coins drop?"
Lauri was given offers that they'd shout him to drinks but he declined. He needed to find Kenneth so sent him a friend request in the hope of then messaging him. While he waited for a response he put on the Ankheg Armour and checked out the Minotaur Shield. Now that he thought about it, the Nemesis Minotaur he'd just fought didn't even wield a shield. With Toughness already maxed and items not able to exceed that cap, Lauri sighed. The shield was of no more benefit than the one he'd purchased out of desperation. Though he considered he might need it once ready to starts leveling.