I sat next to Treia, who didn’t shy away from holding me as I slumped over, weak. She leaned me against the wall and didn’t move from under my cloak as she whispered something in English/Common, though I was so out of it, I couldn’t understand anything she said. I responded weakly in French/Elvish.
“Can’t… understand. Weak,” I whispered.
Leah, who sat on a chair nearby, looked up at me, confused. She shushed Char before responding.
“The… program makes you weak after you use it?” she responded, clearly not understanding how to say “Skill” in French.
I nodded weakly before feeling myself fall back asleep, exhausted.
***
Treia sighed, unwilling to let go of Jason as he fell asleep in her arms, his head falling against her shoulder. Mia snuggled on his lap, already sleeping, clearly exhausted. For a few moments, she watched his contorted face relax as she pulled him closer. Once she was content, she kissed his forehead and looked over to Leah, who gave her a baffled look.
Ignoring it, Treia said, “I think we both have an idea of what just happened there.”
For a moment, Leah looked like she was going to acknowledge something, but sighed. “Yeah. We have to talk about this, don’t we?”
Char grabbed Leah’s arm, terror evident on her face. “Hold on a minute! You’re not telling me something! Was all of that destruction him and his Serpent? There’s no way they could’ve killed all of those things! Lee, what’s going on?” she spouted, whimpering at the end.
Leah pulled Char onto her lap and sat for a few moments to try and calm her down.
Wolf-kin have always been prone to panic attacks, Treia thought, looking away to the Party Screen again.
Party Status:
Jason Andromeda (Voidborn Abyssal) - Level 82
Miana Andromeda (Abyss Blizzard Serpent (Lightning Attuned)) - Level 82
Treia simply sighed. Jason was double her Level now. Over that. However, that was only expected. The gap between him and her grew by the day. She knew there was nothing she could possibly do to reach his level of power anytime soon. All she knew was that he’d probably stagnate at this point, giving her a chance to reach Level 50, possibly 60. She was half his Tier, which was a huge gap in power. He probably had nearly fifty times her Mana and Health.
She looked back to Leah and Char, who’d calmed down and was curled under Leah’s arm. Leah then nodded.
“So, let’s begin with the simple things, starting with this: Jason is the Abyssal,” Treia started.
***
I groaned as I sat up, just to immediately be assaulted by notifications
You have Leveled up (x15)!
+ 120 All Stats
+ 270 Free Stats
You have Reached Tier 4!
+ 25% Effective All Stats*
You have improved 2 Titles:
Speedrunner -> Speedrunner II
You have defied the odds and reached Tier 4 before reaching Level 100. However, you have also reached this with your Bond, increasing the rewards.
+ 25% Effective all Stats*
+ Progress to Bond Evolution
Mass Destruction -> Global Powerhouse
You have done the impossible : You’ve soloed an entire army of Beasts that were all enhanced by a Dungeon Break with the help of your beloved Bond. Because of this, you have been identified as a Powerhouse on the global scale.
+ 25% Effective All Stats
+ Shared Skill : [Bonded Battling]
Bonded Battling
While you fight with your Bond, you gain a 20% damage bonus.
Skill Upgrades Acquired!
Abyss Touch - Tier 2
Draw on the latent Abyss Element in your body and push it into raw materials to Transmute or destroy them.
…
Whenever this Skill is used on a weapon or body part, that weapon or body part releases two sharp bursts of Abyss when you land, dealing 25% of the damage dealt by that attack each.
Cost : Transmute - Dependent on Tier of object. Infection - 500 Mana to start. You can infuse up to triple the base Mana to increase the damage dealt.
Channeling : +(Mana/s / 4)% (Maximum : 100%) Speed
Damage : 100 + (Extra Mana/2) Abyss Damage/ 20s. Damage increases by 300% every 1.5 minutes.
Void Armor - Tier 2
Draw on the Void to create an armor that both negates a percentage of damage and restores Mana and Health.
…
Whenever you’re protected by this armor, you gain a 20% damage bonus.
Damage : 60% Max Health
Damage Negation : 24%
Cost : 150 Mana/ 2s
Avatar of Destruction - Tier 4
Envelop your body with the Elements of Destruction, increasing various attributes. This Skill has two modes : Partial and Being
Mode - Partial : Envelop up to two body parts, increasing the Damage caused by those body parts by 75% (Applies to weapons used by those parts) and the speed you can move them by 60%.
Cost : 100 Mana/s per body part
Max Time : 12 min
Cooldown : 7 min (Starts after use begins and is separate for each part.)
Mode - Being : Envelop your entire being with Destruction, channeling the full power of your Avatar (Applies to Weapons). Increases Mana Regen, Health Regen by 400%. Increases Damage inflicted by 350%. Increases Void/Abyss Damage by 250%. On hit, damage is considered Destruction Damage, applying both the effects of Void and Abyss. Your speed and processing speed will be increased by 700%. When duration ends, you will be put into a weakened state where your Mana Regen and Health Regen are decreased by 70% and you take 90% more damage. This lasts for 2 hours.
Cost : 100000 Mana
Duration : 15 minutes
Cooldown : 20 Hours
Void Rip (Portals) - Tier 1
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Call on the Void to make a rip in the fabric of the universe, creating a two-way portal into the Void.
…
Cost (Long Distance) : 3000 Mana Initially, 400 Mana per kilometer/s to keep open.
Cooldown (Long Distance) : 30 min/Kilometer
Cost (Short Distance) : 400 Mana Initially, 30 Mana per meter/s to keep open
New Skill!
Shard of Oblivion - Tier 0
Summon a spike of Abyssal Energy throw it at your opponents and deal large amounts of Abyss Damage. Up to 10 Shards may exist at once and last up to 1 minute. When a shard is broken or it’s timer is out, it explodes into 5-12 smaller shards, dealing Abyss Damage that targets enemies. When you summon any shard above 10, a shard is dismissed to meet the maximum, not exploding into more.
Cost : 150 Mana/Shard
Damage : Large Shard - 1000 Abyss Damage. Small Shard - 200 Abyss Damage
You have reached your current maximum Effective Stat Multiplier. Reach Tier 5 or upgrade your Race to increase your Effective Stat Multiplier.
I blinked away the notifications and was about to speak when a shriek sounded near me and someone threw their arms around my neck and pulled themselves onto my lap. Without question, I wrapped my arms around Treia and was about to squeeze when I remembered that I was Tier 4 now. I just gave her a light pull and let her kiss me multiple times before she started to cry.
We sat like this for an interminable amount of time. At some point, I’d pulled her next to me and we laid down next to one another as she cried in my arms.
Eventually, she’d stopped crying and sniffed, looking up at me without a single word. We looked at one another for a long moment before she whispered.
“I love you,” she said.
I closed my eyes, pulled her in again, and whispered back, “I love you, too.”
~~~
When we woke up again, Mia was in between us, clearly having moved us apart so she could snuggle between us. Unwilling to disturb her, I sat up as Treia moved to my other side, yawning.
I looked at her for a few moments before deciding to study my surroundings. We weren’t in the normal infirmary like last time, but in Treia’s manor in an unfamiliar room. In the middle of the room was what looked like a tree growing through and to the ceiling, but I suspected that it was actually just a branch of the tree that made of the mansion.
Slowly looking around, I could see a painting of what looked like younger versions of Treia and Xaila with their mother and father behind them, all smiling. I then snorted.
“Am I in your room?” I asked Treia, side-eyeing her.
She blushed and stuttered. “I-I mean, it-it was the only place I could think of at the t-time-!”
I cut her off with a hug. “Just teasing you. I’m not gonna complain until your mom comes barging in.”
She shook her head and leaned against me. “We should actually talk about the repercussions of our relationship now. I may have, uh, made a scene yesterday.”
I blinked. “Yesterday?”
She looked at me for a good four seconds. “Yesterday. You were out for the entire day.”
I shook my hair out. “But-”
She glared at me. “No buts. You were spent. It was worse than when you used all your Mana. It was like you couldn’t recover any Health or Mana. I was terrified.”
I laughed nervously. “Well, my Health and Mana Regen were decreased by 80%. I’m pretty sure the only reason I wasn’t out of Mana was because my Avatar-”
Treia nodded. “Speaking of that. Why the hells did you not tell me about that?” she hissed, pressing her finger into my jaw.
I opened my jaw and grabbed her finger with a grin. She simply shook her finger in my jaw, tickling me.
“Oi!” I exclaimed, opening my jaw again and shaking my head. “That tickles- wait, why are you grinning like that?”
The moment I said the word “tickles”, a grin spread over her face. “It tickles, you say?”
I felt my eyes widen and I leaned away from her. “Actually, it doesn’t tickle, I was lying- ACK!”
She pounced on top of me, sticking her finger between my jaw and wiggled it as I writhed below her. She giggled as I glared up at her. Then I grabbed her around the waist and spun her around so I could lock my jaw softly around her neck. She then slipped out of my grip and faced me, her face red with laughter. Before she could say anything, however, Mia snorted a weak bolt of Lightning at us, dealing a measly thousand damage.
She glared at our antics, her emotions undecipherable. Then, she turned around with a huff and went back to sleep, shutting her mind off from me.
I looked at her with a worried expression. “She’s angry. No. More like frustrated,” I said.
Treia rolled off of me so I could lift Mia onto my chest. Mia opened an eye, closed it, and snuggled into me, keeping her mind open this time.
I get the feeling that my relationship with Mia is going to grow steadily rockier if I don’t do something about it.
~~~
Treia’s mother looked between Treia and me with a self-satisfied expression. I slowly ate, eyeing her to make sure she didn’t decide to throw one of my slips of paper she still had, though I didn’t think she had any control over Ice or Lightning.
Xaila, on the other hand, didn’t hide her glee, sometimes giving me a smug expression. I slowly grew annoyed at it and, because I was becoming annoyed, Mia was getting annoyed as well. Finally, I finished eating and stood without a word. After depositing my plate in the sink, I walked out of the manor, Mia still chewing on some sausage, ignoring the questions shot my way by Xaila.
I portalled to the edge of the property and looked over the dense forest that was now the area Treia’s manor was in with a nod. Then I sat down, Mia in my lap. She looked at me, wondering why I wasn’t moving.
I shrugged. “Still a bit tired. Plus, you seemed like you wanted to talk to me.” I gave her an expectant look.
She blinked, then shoved the rest of the sausage down her gullet before burping and looking at me.
Without pause, I responded,
Mia nodded, pleased. Then she frowned.
I blinked at her.
She hissed at me, dead serious. I was taken aback for a few moments as she continued speaking.
I gave her a long glance.
I glared at her and bopped her on the nose.
Mia sighed.
I was about to snap back when I realized how right she was (damn, I always seem to be wrong, don’t I…). She wasn’t Human… or Abyssal, for that matter. The same rules didn’t apply to her. I looked down at her for a long moment. She looked back, her hands gripping my shirt. Finally, I came to my conclusion.
Mia nodded slowly.
I laughed and took that moment to look at our Statuses.
Status
Name : Jason Andromeda (Bonded)
Level 82 | Tier 4
Race : Voidborn Abyssal
Health : 564480/564480 (28224 Health/Min | 470.4/s)
Mana : 564480/564480 (42336 Mana/Min | 705.6/s)
Class : Voidborn Abyssal Prince II (Unique)
Bond : Miana Andromeda
Stats
Strength : 1764 (Base : 588 Effectiveness : 300%) [25%]*
Dexterity : 1764 (Base : 588 Effectiveness : 300%) [25%]*
Endurance : 1764 (Base : 588 Effectiveness : 300%) [25%]*
Vitality : 1764 (Base : 588 Effectiveness : 300%) [25%]*
Mana : 1764 (Base : 588 Effectiveness : 300%) [25%]*
Intelligence : 1764 (Base : 588 Effectiveness : 300%) [25%]*
Free Points : 270
Titles : The Top of Humanity…?, Abyss Enhanced, One Tier Ahead!, Speedrunner II, Global Powerhouse
Skills : All Seeing Eye of the Abyss - Level 22 | Tier 0, Abyss Touch - Level 50 | Tier 2, Void Armor - Level 53 | Tier 2, Wreath of Destruction - Level 40 | Tier 1, Void Manipulation - Level 45 | Tier 1, Avatar of Destruction - Tier 4, Void Rip (Portal) - Level 30 | Tier 1, Partial Draconic Form - Tier 4, Shard of Oblivion - Level 20 | Tier 0
Growth Item Creation Uses : 2
Bond : Status
Name : Miana Andromeda (Bonded)
Level 82 | Tier 4
Race : Abyss Blizzard Serpent (Lightning Attuned) (Humanoid Form)
Health : 903168/903168 (45158 Health/Min | 752.64/s)
Mana : 451584/451584 (33869 Mana/Min | 564.48/s)
Bond : Jason Andromeda
Stats
Strength : 1411
Dexterity : 1411
Endurance : 2822 (Base : 1411 Effectiveness : 200%)
Vitality : 2822 (Base : 1411 Effectiveness : 200%)
Mana : 1411
Intelligence : 1411
Titles : Unique Bond
Skills : Lightning Manipulation - Level 54 | Tier 2, Ice Manipulation - Level 56 | Tier 2, Electrical Freeze - Level 51 | Tier 2, Domain of Ice and Lightning - Level 46 | Tier 1, Draconic Form - Tier 4, Glacier Fall - Level 32 | Tier 1, Heavenly Discharge - Level 18 | Tier 0
Evolution Level : I
Shared Skills
Abyss Manipulation, Bonded Battling
Bond Level : II
I smiled. I’d come a long way since being Integrated, hadn’t I? We’d been through… well, not too much, but here I was now, ready to take on the world. Just Mia, Treia, and me. I then looked at Treia’s Status on a whim.
Party Status :
Treia Kia (Windborn Voidling (Elven Heritage)) - Level 35
I felt my grin slide off my face. The gap between me and Treia was unbearably large. Looking at Mia, she clearly understood what had to happen.
Treia needed Levels. And fast.
***
“I mean, you don’t have to worry about much,” Jason continued to Treia, but she didn’t listen and instead hugged him.
“You’ll make sure I Level to 50?” she asked tentatively, looking up at him after a short kiss. “Maybe to 60?”
He grinned. “As far as we can get you before we have to fight that Orchestrator.”
She gave him another kiss on the lips, letting her heart flutter in her chest as their lips touched. The two of them still hadn’t had their talk yet, but they would talk before she had to return to the Capital. That was for sure.
Her boyfriend looked over the side of the wall to the thousands of monsters that covered the ground below.
“Let’s get down there, shall we, my Princess?” he held his hand out to her as a portal opened in front of him.
She ignored the beating of her heart in her ears and grabbed his hand. “Let us go, my dear Prince.