Covered in burns and dripping blood from many cuts, I look down on the shattered remains of the red skeleton. Staring at the hand that was used to create the fireball, I saw lines carved into the palm. Bending over, I examined the hand without touching and see a diagram similar to the one I used to create a spark with my fire manipulation. After taking a picture and saving the image to the gallery, I grabbed the two-handed sword before nudging the remains with my toe. In its place, I find three copper and a red gauntlet.
Figuring I will identify the gauntlet soon at the kiosk, I strapped it to my left arm. Taking out my phone, I turn to the image of the skeleton's palm and begin forming the diagram in my mind. When I think it's as close as I Can get I pour magic into it slowly as I watch the fire continue in my hand. Weird, although I Can see the fire building and brightening, I feel no heat emanating from it. When it is double the size of a marble, I pointed at the wall and watched it zoom off to splash against the stone blocks. Unfortunately, I didn't get a notification sound from my phone. Perhaps I have to make it bigger? With that thought I started over but continued to pour in the magic until I felt that if I added any more, it would explode in my face. Instead, I stared at the fire and focused on making it condense into a roiling baseball sized fireball. I felt if I had more control I could continue to condense it further, but no matter how hard I tried it wouldn't shrink further. Pointing at the wall again the ball zoomed off again, this time causing a minor explosion making me duck and dodge the flames.
Ding! Grinning like a maniac, I pulled my phone from my pocket.
Spell unlocked. Fireball, 16-32 damage. +1 Int +2% Fire.
Discovered a magical spell without a teacher, scroll, or book. +4 Luck +2 Int.
Nice with my current intelligence stat that brings my damage with this spell to 116-132, I can one shot a regular skeleton with this. Unless the fire% adds to my damage too damn, maybe the mage route would be more powerful. — No, I will stick to my plan of being a magic swordsman.
Heading up the stairs, I see something strange: the broken arrow from my previous self surgery is laying on the floor. Turning to the door, I see fourth floor written on it. So from the looks of things, I should be able to store extra weapons and armor in this room for later use. That will be handy, as I still haven't gotten a pack or inventory yet.
Turning to the kiosk, I identify the red gauntlets since they show up on the screen. {Shoddy gauntlets of fire — +5% Fire +1 AR} Looking at my sword, I try something. Taking my phone out again, I take a picture of the sword. Scrolling to the picture in the gallery, I click on it. {Longsword - quality common 20-45 damage}
Alright lets see what item unlocked. {1 slot inventory -1- silver} One slot inventory? Also, how many coppers are in a silver, my app still shows 0 silver and I have over 400 coppers now? So much for this world sticking to the 100 as their standard for measurements. Another change on the list is the coin purse while grayed out now had a -1- silver price next to it. So maybe eventually I Can increase the max I Can hold.
After checking my stats and nodding my head at my progress, I shoved the door open to the next floor. When I reappeared on the fourth floor, the first thing that I noticed is how well lit the floor is. The second is the seemingly bottomless pits to either side of me. Stepping forward into the corridor, my heartbeat slowed back to normal, and I took out a penny and tossed it down the pit, listening for the bottom. After a few seconds, instead of hearing a distant hit, the penny fell out of thin air right Where I was standing when arriving on the floor. So if I fall into a pit I restart the floor, Hmm, I don't think I'll test that theory just yet.
Turning away from the place, I walk a couple steps along the sandstone corridor to a corner and peek around to the left. I see another three-way junction twenty feet down the corridor and another right turn a few feet beyond that. With a sinking feeling in my gut, I realize I am in a maze. Let's see, my roommate always said if you're in a maze, choose a direction and stick to it until you find the exit. Well, since I am right-handed, I will go right sounds logical to me.
Walking to the first intersection, I hear skeletons clacking around the corner, maybe three from the sound. Peering around the corner, sure enough, I spot not three but five skeletons milling around a dead end tunnel. A malicious grin spreads on my face since you guys grouped up so nicely I should test the exploding power of my new spell. It should do decent damage after all: one flung me forward hard enough a skeleton only had to let me run into his sword to end me. Concentrating I formed the fireball in my palm this time it was a lot faster, now that I knew how. When I compressed the fireball as far as possible I twisted my hand over pointing at the center of the group. When the fireball entered their midst, I closed my fist causing the fireball to explode sending all five slamming into the walls. To my shock only one survived having been slightly further away from the blast. However, both its legs are missing, and it is trying to claw its way closer.
Finishing the lone survivor, I grabbed up 10 coppers and left as there is nothing here to see. Turning around, I turn right and head a couple steps to the next right turn and peer around, only to see a left turn a few feet ahead again. I hate mazes. turning the next corner I see another left turn a few feet up, but this corridor goes on where I see another right turn about 50-60 feet ahead. Well, might as well stick to my original plan and stay right.
Following the corridor to the end, I hear another group of milling skeletons before I reach the corner. Looking around, I see another group of regular skeletons, but on the wall behind them I see a switch on the wall. That's new. Looking at my magic, I see that I only regained a third of what I spent on the last fireball damn that spell costs 30 magic to cast. So not something to waste on the small fries, I suppose. But then again, the small fries are the only ones dumb enough to give me the chance to cast it. Can't use my long sword either since the corridor is only five feet wide good thing I kept my handy iron mace. With the iron ring boosting my strength +5 and the recent stat boost from learning Dash. My physical attack without the weapon modifier is high enough to one hit these guys.
A few minutes later I sat against the wall breathing hard while bandaging five finger bone holes in my arm from when one got through and grabbed it. I thought it was going to break it before I turned its skull to powder. Looking at my status, I saw my health had fallen to 99 shit that thing did 31 damage with that one attack. I really need more endurance maybe I should use the three points available for thirty extra health plus raising my base armor by 0.6 sounds tempting after that. Besides, it's the stat that has fallen the furthest behind, I mean both Intelligence and Strength are both sitting at 21 now. Screw it lets do it pulling my status back up, I tried to click on the endurance stat, thinking about raising it but... {Unable to modify. To use free points you must be in a safe zone}
Since I plan to sit here until my health returned I wanted to check something conjuring a fireball I left it floating above my hand while watching my magic. While it seems I can hold on to the fireball as long as I want, I don't regenerate any Magic while I do. That could be that it is using the magic at the same rate I regen or the regen don't work while doing magic. Wait, what if I try making a fireball in my other hand? Concentrating on another diagram over my right hand, difficult while keeping the other from exploding in my face. What felt like forever but was actually only thirty minutes, I finally conjured a second fireball and now according to my status I am losing 1 magic every second. Interesting, but can I cancel the cast and get my magic back? This time I attempted to pull the magic back into my body, unfortunately that was a big mistake. Note to self: don't pull fire into your own body it hurts.
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Learned Dual casting. +100% magical damage, +50% cost of dual cast spells, +50% cast time. +2 Int, +1 Wis, +2 Per.
Discovered magical discipline without a teacher, scroll, or book +5 Luck, +7 Wis, +4 Int. +3% to all discovered elements.
But I want to be a swordsman. — Even in my own mind I sound like a petulant child. What’s with the huge numbers? "Hey system, did you roll the wrong dice?" Ding. {you have identified a bug in the system, I shall grant a reward. — Reward granted you receive a twenty sided die roll on attribute of your choice.} "Cool, I choose endurance then." {Confirmed}
Discovered magical discipline without a teacher, scroll, or book +2 Luck, +2 Wis, +2 Int. +2% to all discovered elements.
Suddenly a golden die fell into my hand. Shaking my hand, I threw it against the wall. When it stopped rolling a 13 was facing the ceiling and a couple seconds later the dice vanished. Opening my status screen, I saw that my endurance stat had doubled instantly. Ha, take that magic lake my HP is finally higher than you. Maybe I won't be forced down the path of a squishy mage after all.
Although my HP now sits at just under 50% I think it's time to move on. Staring at the lever attached to the wall at the dead end, I ponder everything I can remember of what my roommate said about traps. "So if I pull this will the ceiling fall, floor collapse, or maybe a slime will engulf my body eating my flesh in seconds?" Witha shrug, I grab the lever and yank it down, hearing stone grinding somewhere in the distance. So either I opened a door or rearranged the maze.
After following the corridor back to the intersection I passed earlier, I turned down it only to see another corner leading to the left again immediately. Maybe I was getting cocky but dumbass that I am, I continued around the next turn without checking it first and got a fireball thrown by a ten-foot skeleton. Hitting me in the chest flinging me back against the wall dropping my health down to just under 15%.. Cussing at my stupidity, I rolled back around the corner while also putting out the fire on my now ruined shirt. Standing back up, I retreated further behind the next corner, listening to the sound of a massive skeleton trudging closer. Well, no time like the present to see what kind of damage dual cast fireballs can do.
Backing back down the corridor a dozen feet, I held both fireballs ready. When the skeleton with the slightly purple tint walked around the corner it stopped in what I assume is surprise. Hard to tell when it doesn't have a face. But I didn't wait to find out as I pointed both fire balls releasing one then the other. The first hit some invisible barrier exploding, shattering whatever it was like glass. The second hit right in its chest cavity blowing most of the ribs away and breaking the spine causing it to fall into a heap. Not taking the risk, I used Dash for the first time, arriving on top of it in a second, slamming my mace down on its head.
Taking the staff from the skeleton, I let the tower absorb it and grabbed 5 copper. Slumping back against the wall, I groaned at the pain in my chest, but I still noticed the strange sensation of my magic replenishing faster than normal. Following a hunch, I took a picture of the staff. {Oaken staff of replenishment. +2 MP a minute - 20-45 magic damage} Couldn't it have health regen instead that would be great. The staff also had the diagram for fireball carved into the top presumably the skeleton used the staff to conjure the fire. I remember the last magical skeleton had a similar one carved into its palm.
Looking at my health at 35 HP, I decide I am not going anywhere until it is over 150. Glancing at the time it is 76:30 still almost 24 hours to respawn I should be fine to take a quick nap.
Jerking awake to what felt like mere seconds after closing my eyes, I again hear the sound that startled me from slumber. That sounds suspiciously like that purple skeleton pacing around the corner. Grabbing my phone, I groan it showed 00:03. Shit is this going to be a thing every time I try to sleep anyway how did my nap even last nearly 24 hours? I never slept over six back home.
Holding my new staff, I pour magic in and to my surprise the fireball forms in less than a second atop the diagram carved into the staff. The fireball felt stronger too. Peeking carefully around the corner, I see my foe facing me. The moment our eyes lock, he thrusts his staff in my direction, letting the fireball loose. Jerking back, I retreat, letting the fireball explode harmlessly. Or that was the plan instead the fireball turned the corner and while it was slightly off course, it still exploded close enough to cause me forty points of damage. “What!” Hurring back, I pointed my own at the skeleton this time instead of letting it loose, I focused on the fireball. As it flew and sure enough, I can make slight adjustments to its flight. This magic system is too OP. Although most of the explosion from my own got redirected by whatever barrier it has it still stumbled. Giving me the chance to fire off another before dashing forward and smashing my mace into its skull.
Learned, Control magic Cost 5% spell cost per second of control. +3 Int, +3 Wis, +1 Per.
Discovered magical discipline without a teacher, scroll, or book +1 Luck, +2 Wis, +1 Int. +3% to all discovered elements.
"You really want me to go the mage route, don't you system?" Is it rare or something for a person from Earth to go the mage route is that why it seems like I am being pushed in that direction? The crazy amazon twins made it sound like magic is really difficult to learn and bartered by climbers from higher ranked towers.
Moving onwards, I smashed another group of regular skeletons before coming to my next intersection. Hearing water dripping to my left, I hesitated before continuing to my right like usual. Shrugging, I turn to the left corridor and follow it when I turn another corner; I see to my left another pit and straight ahead a pool of clear water. Deciding to ignore the pit, I walk up to toward the pool. Bending down, I stuck the tip of my finger in all I feel is ice cold water lowering my head I sniffed but I smell nothing bad. Dipping my finger in deeper this time, I stick it in my mouth and immediately I felt my magic lake replenish along with my HP. Admittedly I am not missing much of either but damn I wish I had some vials or atleast a water bottle.
"Hey system, sell me some vials or a water bottle." Ding. {Hidden app discovered system market} Gaping at what just happened, I stare at the loading bar on my phone; holy crap, I was joking. While waiting for the download I fully charged my phone for the first time since I arrived might as well since a magic pool is handily waiting here.
After nearly three hours practicing, remote controlling my fireballs, a notification from my phone brought my attention back. There is now a new app with a picture of a hand dumping a pile of gold on top of a tower. Tapping the icon, a list of mostly gray question marks shows up. The only two available are alchemical supplies and crafting supplies. Clicking on crafting supplies I choke at the prices the lowest is, cloth scrap -1- s 10- c, leaving that tab I turned to alchemical supplies. On the very top I see, warded glass vial -100- c, For that price they better be extremely durable. Purchasing one, it appears in my hand after several attempts to crush it in my grip and failing; I drop it on the stone floor. Luckily it seems like it won't break while im fighting. I purchase another, filling them with the clear water, sticking them in my pocket. I really need a pack.