The tram line was really quite interesting. It seemed to use some sort of magic to make the skids on the bottom of the trolleys act like magnets, and it used that magnetic force to push itself forward and backward. The metal used for the tracks and skids was cool too, because when you rubbed them together they slid on each other's surface like a hockey puck on ice. It really was too bad that those tracks would never see use again.
All of the trolleys lay broken along the streets beneath the lines. Devon didn't know where they'd kept coming from, but they had brought out a new one to ram him with every single time he stepped on those tracks.
Each of the buildings seemed carved by hand, impossible though it seemed. All of them towered almost as tall as skyscrapers, and the stone they were made from was super resilient. Perhaps the most interesting thing was that many of them contained murals on the outer walls of the lowest floors. They stuck out beautifully like the vibrant pieces of art spray painted onto the walls of New York City.
All of those walls of the buildings that bordered the plaza were covered with blast marks, scratches, and all other matter of spell debris. At one point the people had given up trying to fight Devon with weapons, and they just started lobbing spells at him. None of them had very high mana on their own due to their low levels, but the sheer quantity of spells cast by different people pushed Devon to his limits.
Probably the thing that had made this plaza in particular stand out in the city was the wonderfully ornate fountain that stood in its center. It had sprayed water several meters into the air, and it had surely captivated every child that had ever been fortunate enough to pass by.
Devon had broken the outer siding of the thing. He'd done it after the dungeon stopped sending people for him to fight, though he wasn't sure exactly why he'd done it. The spillage swamped the plaza while the water made its way into drainage gutters, making him unable to start a fire by which to warm himself.
Perhaps he couldn't bear to look upon such a beautiful thing after the horrific act he'd been forced into committing. Or perhaps he had done it because he wanted to wash away the blood that stayed behind, even after the system removed the bodies of the people he'd slain. It stained almost everything and the smell lingered, triggering memories of how awful the day had been. But he wasn't even sure if that was the real reason he'd broken the fountain and washed it all away.
Maybe he was just tired of seeing the color red.
The people he was killing were all fake. He was certain of that now, had been since the bodies had started disappearing in droves over the course of the day so he could continue to stand on solid ground.
It hadn't made the task easier. Their faces still haunted his conscience, as their screams still rang in his ears.
The worst part was not knowing why any of this was happening. He understood now that this dungeon was a construct, most likely put together by the system in a subspace similar to an inventory. But the fact the system called it a memory dungeon implied that someone else had lived through this before as well, or something similar at least.
The system wasn't answering, as per usual, so Devon hoped that there would be some sort of elaboration at the end of this hell.
Feeling empty, Devon opened his status.
[Status]
Name: Devon Wells
Race: [E-Grade Human]
Level: 19
Class: [Cursed Warrior]
Profession: [Cursed Schemer - Level 2]
Mana: 140/140
Talents: [Spear Proficiency - Level 4], [Sword Proficiency - Level 5], [Hammer Proficiency - Level 5], [Dagger Proficiency - Level 3], [Axe Proficiency - Level 6], [Quarterstaff Proficiency - Level 6]
Skills: [Sever], [Shatter], [Quickstab], [Lacerate], [Split], [Bash], [The Mask], [Refine]
Abilities: [Respite], [Small Presence]
Magic: [Light], [Fireball], [Lightning Imbuement], [Adrenaline], [Boost]
Titles: Initiate, Cursed(3), Vicious, Ambitious, Giantslayer, Lord of Massacre
Strength: 82
Dexterity: 79
Vitality: 73
Endurance: 72
Arcane: 75
Spirit: 20
Free Points: 90
Talons: 748
[Lord of Massacre]
Title awarded to one who slew 1000 or more sentient beings in two hours or less.
+15% All Stats.
Lord of Massacre was the reason Devon still felt so horrible, even knowing the people he killed were all fake anyway. For some reason the damn system gave them sentience, even though they were only created to die.
At some point Devon had just tried to turn his brain off and go on autopilot, and he had managed to level all of his proficiencies and get every skill for each weapon he had possessed. Though the only weapons that had survived this far were the vishan axe and the ape quarterstaff. His starter weapons simply couldn't survive the continuous abuse.
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He had done a large amount of experimentation and now knew almost exactly how his skills worked. The system sorted damage into three types; cutting, piercing, and blunt. He could apply a skill to another weapon so long as that weapon was capable of performing that type of damage, but it wouldn't expend the skill so long as he didn't activate it.
So if he activated Quickstab and Bash simultaneously while using a spear they would each get queued for activation. Then if he stabbed Quickstab would get used, and if he bashed then Bash would get used. They could be used sequentially as well, so he could perform a Quickstab and a Bash afterward in quick succession after activating them both at the same time.
How fun, that something so easy for others to do requires so much forethought for me.
He could also stack different skills and activate them simultaneously so long as he used the right weapon type. Sever and Split were essentially derivatives, so stacking them just made the effect compound. Shatter and Bash worked the same way.
Devon did notice that he had only gained 2 levels, despite slaughtering thousands. He assumed that the system simply stopped giving exp if something was too far below a user's level. He also didn't gain a single talon from them, though he assumed that part was to maintain balance in the tutorial.
He closed out of the window, feeling even emptier than he had when he opened it.
He stared up at the huge moon in the sky, wishing he could sleep but knowing he wouldn't be able to get any. Instead, he relied upon Respite for as close an imitation as he could get.
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As expected, the onslaught resumed the second that all three suns broke over the horizon. However, instead of citizens the system threw rank and file guards at him.
[Town Guard - Level 12]
[Town Guard - Level 11]
[Town Guard - Level 13]
[Town Guard - Level 13]
[Town Guard - Level 12]
[Town Guard - Level 11]
[Town Guard - Level 10]
[Town Guard - Level 11]
[Town Guard - Level 12]
They were stronger this time, but there were less of them. And Devon didn't feel as though he could truly be compared to an ordinary level 12 or 13. His titles simply provided too much power.
Still, the guardsmen were an improvement in that they were somewhat trained and well equipped. Though Devon assumed whatever race these people were was a much more magically inclined species, as there were far more mages than soldiers.
It made it hard to focus on improving his techniques when he was busy dodging a fireball or magic missile every other second.
Devon actually found the day to be far easier than the first, on both his body and his mind. The first day's need for crowd control was something he did not have an answer for yet, and the guardsmen could actually defend themselves, so they weren't just sheep to the slaughter. They also had a fair bit of resolve in their eyes. Devon wondered if the system had created them with the knowledge of what had happened in this square the day before, just to give them that extra bit of motivation.
And so Devon danced. The dance of combat without meaning was akin to a puppet show where there was simply a bad puppeteer practicing his skills without dialogue or story, but Devon danced all the same.
He stole weapons off the soldiers to use as replacements for his own, though they had a habit of disappearing from his hands when the system decided to clean up the piles of corpses. Evidently the system wasn't keen on letting him keep anything from this realm other than exp and trauma.
----------------------------------------
[Notice]
Seek conflict. When you have found a suitable challenge, the System will issue an ascension quest. Until then, all exp gained will be negated and you will not be allowed to advance to level 21.
True to the system's word, Devon had been stuck at level 20 for most of the day. He didn't know what the system would qualify as a suitable challenge, but Devon sure hoped that the dungeon he was currently locked in would be considered enough.
Val Kazar was above level 60. If he got stuck at level 20 then he was basically screwed in the long run. That, or he'd have to rely on Trey, Eve, and whoever else was high on the ladder to save them.
The thought of that possibility pissed him off royally, but he was certain there would be opportunities so long as the system didn't actively start depriving him of core functions.
Ladder.
[Level Ladder]
1. Eve - Level 22
2. Zane - Level 21
3. Ray - Level 21
4. Nix - Level 20
5. Stein - Level 20
6. Ingrid - Level 20
7. Trey - Level 20
8. Ash - Level 20
9. Licht - Level 20
10. Kyle - Level 20
There were a bunch of people stuck at level 20, enough that he still didn't even show on the ladder. This did prove that time was moving around the same pace on the outside of the dungeon, so he wasn't in some quantum locked space like the void the system had created for the tethering process.
----------------------------------------
[Ascension Quest]
Survive until the end of the third day.
Well at least that solves that, though I can see why this would be considered an appropriate challenge!
The third day sent what seemed to be either adventurers or mercenaries after him, he couldn't tell which they were in truth. Though it really didn't matter in the end.
[Wandering Warrior - Level 20]
[Wandering Warrior - Level 19]
[Wandering Warrior - Level 18]
[Wandering Warrior - Level 19]
He was extraordinarily thankful that the number of enemies on the third day was so much lower than the other two, because even just the waves of four that the wandering warriors came in pushed him to his limits.
It was also good that the system stopped adding mages to the mix, because the warriors took his full attention. They wielded a variety of weapon types, from two-sided battleaxes to halberds and zweihanders, but all of them were extremely lethal.
If Devon had to guess, they were almost as powerful as the stronger apes, but that was only because they were each well trained with their respective weapon. The apes used primitive weapons at best, or no weapons at all more often than not. The strong apes still would have overpowered them in a slugfest, most likely.
Either way, Devon found himself having to use one of his healing items around the halfway point in the day. He had misjudged the distance on a dodge and taken a nasty wound to the stomach.
Dammit, if I'm being forced to use these things up on day three, then am I even going to be able to complete day four?
Devon ended the day with wounds all over his body, but he had made it through the day.
[Ascension Quest Complete]
Welcome to the path of ascendancy.
[Level up. Level 21 obtained.]
Naturally it wouldn't bother stockpiling the exp from the waves of enemies I killed today. I mean, why would it?
He knew the system had told him it would do that beforehand, but it still peeved him. At least it was probably the same for everyone else if it was specified in the seek conflict notice.
He looked at one of his last few healing items wistfully before putting it back in his inventory. He could survive his current wounds with Respite alone.
Even so, it was a long and uncomfortable night.