Liam’s eyes widened. Like most things lately, he had forgotten about that place. It was the place Nabal had told him to look for to help grow and master techniques. He could also buy or sell materials as well as products there as well. An association like this one could have things he couldn’t find in the markets or at the Crafters Association on this island.
“Maybe I can get some materials to make Chemicalized Creations?” Liam quietly muttered as he started thinking about a list of things he wanted to get.
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“Hold your horses there. I don't think you'll be able to purchase anything right off the bat. – Eri.”
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Liam frowned as he questioned, Why not?
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“Because you’ll need to pass a test and gain a Web Name before they accept you into their Association. Without passing the test you won’t have access to any of the resources they have. Unless they allow you to be able to. Just don't get your hopes up in case they don't allow you. – Eri.”
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Liam’s frown deepened as he grumbled. That’s stupid. What kind of test would I need to do, do you know?
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“*Shakes head* No. Each branch is different so the test here will be different than if you take one in a different one. So be ready when you go. – Eri.”
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Okay. Liam responded as he started closing his notifications. He was about to close out the Mystical Landscape menu, but then stopped as a thought popped in his mind.
He shifted the view he had on his Seed of the Arcana to the left and brought up the mysterious ghastly green seed. He remembered that the seed stated that it needed to progress in order to plant. The method he needed to do was Devour more souls. Since he was using the ability to devour Flawed Soul Orbs that should have counted in raising his progression right?
He had devoured and processed ten Flawed Soul Orbs during his Knowledge Theory study session. If the Soul Orbs devoured and process did work, then he needed to know how much it helped progress him.
He assessed the mysterious seed and waited for the notification to appear.
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“Seed of ?????? (Information Sealed). Progression to fully planting Seed of ????? (Information Sealed): 10.5%.”
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Liam’s brows scrunched as he stared at the progression. It had only raised by point five which meant that each Soul Orb he had devoured and processed gained him a worth of point zero five.
“The amount I gain from devouring these Flawed Soul Orbs isn’t a lot. If I continue using only Flawed Soul Orbs I would need about…,” Liam muttered to himself before trying to do the math. After wracking his brain on it he finished, “One thousand seven hundred and ninety. That’s a lot of Flawed Soul Orbs.”
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“That’s also if the amount of progression you gain doesn’t change as you devour more of the same tiered level Soul Orbs. – Eri.”
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What do you mean? Liam questioned as he stared at the text. Would the value I gain diminish the more Flawed Soul Orbs I devour?
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“*Shrugs* I don’t know. I’m saying it’s a possibility. We won’t know till we get to that point. For now, we know that devouring Flawed Soul Orbs gives you this much each time. You’re going to have to see how much that Minor Soul Orb gives and when you get higher tiered level Soul Orbs you’ll have to test them out as well. – Eri.”
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Liam nodded in agreement with her. Alright. We’ll just have to wait and see how it goes. I would like to get this done as soon as possible, but I guess I’ll just have to go at it slowly. Liam closed out his Mystical Landscape and then asked, What should I do now?
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“Do your stretches then pack up and find a place to take a shower. After that head to the Fidler’s Spider Web. – Eri.”
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Liam stood up and looked around. Alright sounds like a plan.
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Liam stood against the wall in an alleyway between a couple of buildings staring at the building across the street. It was a plain building with a green door, a Window large enough for people to peer inside and a sign with a Violin on it was the words Rhythmic Strings.
Groups of people walked by him, but none noticed he was there since his Veil of Shadows was activated, shrouding him in shadows. Usually, the ability would make him look like a shadow on a wall or on the ground depending on where he stood or his environment. However, he didn’t need to worry since there alleyway was full of shadows thanks to the buildings.
As he stared at the building, he tried to remember what he was supposed to do in order to get inside the Association. He faintly remembered the note from Nabal saying something about a picture of a web. However, he couldn’t remember exactly where it was supposed to be.
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“You have to go around to the back of the building. – Eri.”
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Are you sure? Liam asked as he tried to remember if that was true.
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“Yes. You have to go around the back and find a sign with a picture of a spider web on it. You then knock and say Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly. Also remember not to give them your name. If those earrings are supposed to work like they are supposed to just show them one. – Eri.”
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Liam nodded, trusting her on this. He then slowly stepped out of the shadow while keeping his ability activated. He was able to make his way through the sea of people and across the road. He looked left and then right before entering the alleyway that brought his towards the back of the building.
After he reached the end of the alleyway, he looked around to see if there was any openings, windows, or holes for people to look through. To his amazement, the positioning of the buildings made it so the alleyway looped around with the other buildings surrounding it blocking the view from prying eyes.
As he turned down the way and started looking for the sign. After a few minutes had passed and he couldn’t find it, he asked Eri, Are you sure this is the right place? I don’t see that sign anywhere.
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“That’s because you’re not looking for it right. Do you think it would be in plain sight for just anyone to find? – Eri.”
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Liam’s brows scrunched. I didn’t think it would, but I don’t understand what you mean by I’m not looking for it right?
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“*Rolls eyes* I meant what I meant. – Eri.”
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Liam frowned and raised a brow as he stared at the text, still not sure what he need to do in order to find the sign.
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“*Sighs disappointedly* I’ll give you a hint. If you want something to hide in plain sight, what would you use? – Eri.”
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Liam thought about what she said. There were plenty of ways to hide something in plain sight. However, all the methods he could think of were from his home world. This wasn’t his home world. This world had many different ways to hide things. Things like…
Liam took a deep breath in and closed his eyes as the answer dawned on him. The answer was magic. You’d use some kind of magic to hide things. And what did magic need in order to stay active? Mana. And what was the best way to find mana?
I have to use Mana Sight, don’t I? Liam asked as he realized how stupid he was.
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“Mhm. – Eri.”
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Liam activated his Mana Sight and started looking at the wall as he opened his eyes. It didn’t take long to find what he was looking for. Sitting in the middle of the building about chest height, from where he stood, was a realistically and carefully drawn spider web the size of his chest. A blackish purple color with white specks that pulsed lightly around the outside of the webbing. The color of this unknown mana spread out about arms lengths on both sides as well as above the picture.
Liam wasn’t sure why, but the white specks reminded him of stars that shined in the night sky. The way they twinkled in and out all through the strings made Liam feel amazed and curious. He had never seen any mana do that before.
Liam went to reach out and touch it, but stopped as Eri sent a message.
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“Before you look for the sign, you need to change into your armor set and activate your Spirit Weave ability to help hide your facial features. – Eri.”
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That’s right. I remember you saying that you wanted me to use this armor set for this place. Liam said as he did as she said while deactivating his Veil of Shadows. After he activated his Spirit Weave ability on his twin daggers, he felt the shadowy cloak against his arms, back, chest and the top of his head. He then felt the mask that covered his mouth and nose form. He then reached for his goggles and pulled then down over his eyes and asked, How’s this?
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“That should do for now. Now knock on the middle of that web and say what I told – Eri.”
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Liam reached out and knocked on the middle of the spider web. He then leaned in as close as he could and said in a whisper, “Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.”
After he said this, the mana filled web picture on the back of the wall hummed. Starting from the middle where Liam had knocked and whispered to, the web strings vibrated. The white specks that filled the blackish purple mana around the picture suddenly pulsed in his Mana sight.
To Liam’s amazement he watched the star-like specks start to swirl around the web. He then watched as they started making their way towards the edges of the web until the closest one touched it. As soon as the specks made contact, the edges of the spider web started to swirl as well.
This didn’t stop here as the white specks continued to make its way towards the center of the web, spinning the entire picture in a slow like motion. The blackish purple color of the mana then glowed along the outline of the spinning strings.
As soon as the outline of the center webbing gained the same hue as the outer parts, Liam watched the web start to warp. The edges of the webbing expanded out about an arms length while the center started to shift downward at an angle. To Liam it looked like someone clicked on the center of the web and dragged it down to the ground. After it touched down, the entire picture stopped expanding, and the web strings stopped spinning.
Um Eri? What am I supposed to do now? Liam questioned as he started at the phenomenon before him.
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“Go down the stairs. – Eri.”
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Liam stared blankly at the text notification Eri had sent. He the looked around then back at the wall. What stairs?
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“The stairs that are right in front of you. – Eri.”
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Liam stared at the wall once more. No matter where he looked, he didn’t see any stairs. It was just a messed up looking spider web. He leaned in forward to try and get a better look and noticed something strange.
As he leaned forward the angle and view of the spider web had changed. What looked like a warped web from his perspective had slowly changed to look like a normal one as he angled his eyes to look down at a forty five degree angle.
He straightened his posture and saw it had returned back to the warped web again.
“Hm,” Liam muttered as he reached forward to try and touch the wall. As soon as his hand reached the edge of the wall, he felt nothing but air. “What? What the hell?”
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“Trippy isn’t it? This magic is a spell that creates an entrance to a subspace. It’s a highly advanced type of magic and I won’t go into the details right now since it’s currently out of your reach right now. For now just go down the steps and enter the room at the bottom of the web. Ah, the web strings are the steps so use them to judge where to step down. – Eri.”
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Liam was amazed by this. He didn’t know what to expect when he was told to find the web and say that phrase. He had imagined a door with a peephole that someone would look out of, but this…this had exceeded his expectations.
He took the first step inside the strange staircase. His depth perception was working overtime as he stepped inside. The web he now stood on felt solid. It different feel like it was loose or rope like, but rather like it was strong like concrete.
He slowly took his time making his way down. With each step he took he started to feel slightly dizzy, lightheaded, and even his stomach felt like it was starting to feel squeamish.
It took him a good minute before he finally reached the bottom. He felt out of breath and wanted to vomit, but forced himself to stop as he stared at a door that stood in front of him. The door was black with the symbol of the Fiddler’s Spider in white that rested in the center top section of the door.
He turned around to look up at where he started and noticed the length he had walked was farther than he felt it was. He could see the alleyway he came from in a small square section. Everything in here felt off to him. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
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“Don’t worry. Just like portals, you’ll get used to this eventually. The more times you visit the more you’ll build up a resistance. – Eri.”
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Portals? Liam thought as he started to straighten his posture. The more he thought about it the more he felt that what he was feeling was just like when he stepped through a portal. The only difference was… An chime suddenly echoed in his mind as a notification suddenly appeared.
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“Warning! Mind Attribute Fortitude Sub-stat Mental Resilience can not level up until Debuff Stat Shatter has disappeared!”
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Liam stared at the notification mouth agape. He knew that his sub-stats wouldn’t level up until that stupid Debuff went away, but he also knew that the Mental Resilience Sub-stat worked differently than almost all the other sub-stats. Just like Ailment Resistance, Mental Resilience leveled up when his highest one reached a higher level. To his knowledge he only had three that were tied for the highest. They were Divine Eye, Whispers from the Beyond, and Teleportation sickness.
Since he knew that Divine Eye and Whispers from the Beyond had nothing to do with this place, that left Teleportation Sickness. If that was the case then his earlier feeling might be on the mark. However, that was something he’d have to figure out later since the door in front of him was starting to slowly open.
Liam straightened his posture and was ready to meet with whoever was at the door, but then grew confused as no one stepped out. Instead, the door was opened to a room.
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“Hurry up and get in there. This area is growing unstable. – Eri.”
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Liam could feel Eri was right. The area around him started to ripple as the mana started to disperse. Without waiting a second longer, Liam stepped inside.
The size of the room wasn’t really big, but at the same time it wasn’t really small. It looked like the size of a normal reception room. The flooring looked like it was made from a red colored wood while the walls were black. Yooperlite stones were spaced out throughout the walls, but the lighting coming from them was dim giving the room a certain creepy vibe.
Along the wall on Liam’s left were four doors. Five more doors lined up the wall on Liam’s right. A couch rested up against the wall near the door Liam was standing in front of. Directly in front of him near the wall on the other side of the room was a wooden L shaped desk that stood up to Liam’s chest and two more doors.
A figure leaned over the desk with their elbow on the desk and their head against their hand. They looked bored as they used their free hand writing on a piece of paper. From what Liam was able to see, they had some slick black long sleeved shirt and sleeveless vest. On their shoulders were the skulls of some weird looking creature Liam couldn’t identify. They had short spiky blond hair.
Over their face was a blackish green gas mask that covered their mouth and nose. The two filter cartridge canister sections of the mask were shaped into the skulls of a fanged beast. The top and bottom fangs were still intact. Even the color of the two skulls matched the gas mask.
Not too sure what to do, Liam approached the desk. He waited for the person to stop doing what they were doing, but when it looked like they weren’t going to address him, he made a coughing noise to get their attention.
The person stopped writing and slowly looked up to stare at Liam. Their venomous green eyes thinned and locked onto Liam’s eyes. The way he stared at him gave him the impression he was staring into a reptile’s eyes and not a normal human’s.
“How can I help you?” the male questioned as he held his gaze on to him.
Liam felt the stare was sizing him up. Not in a way that told him he was trying to get a good read on him, but rather in a predatory way. Like if Liam responded in a way the man didn’t like, he would be struck down no questions asked.
Liam gulped. He wasn’t entirely sure what he should say. The only reason why he even came here was because both his mentor and Eri suggested he should. He thought about what he should say. Deciding on what he would go with he finally replied, “My mentor suggested that I should come here and join.”
“Oh?” the man drew out. “Pray tell, who is your master.”
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“Don’t give him his name. Just show him your earrings. – Eri.”
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Mentally closing out the notification text, Liam brushed his left hand over his ear, pulling the hood back and pushed his earlobe up enough for the man to see the dagger earring hanging from his ear.
The reptilian eyed man shifted his eyes on the dagger earring. He narrowed his eyes after a few second before widening them and standing up. Liam noticed his pupils and irises returned to normal.
“So that crazy ass found himself an apprentice huh?” the man stated before laughing. “I never thought I’d see the day he would have one that wasn’t his nephew. Tell me. Is the Wild Card around?”
Liam looked confused as he heard the name. The Wild Card? Does he mean Nabal? That’s a weird name. Liam thought about it and figured he’d ask Nabal the next time he saw him why he was called that. “No, we were separated after I left the Tutorial Area.”
“Ah a new arrival huh?” the man stated. He then put a hand out and responded, “I’m Tranquil Noxitanous. I specialize in poisons and assassinations. If you’re ever looking to learn how to make a damn good toxin, venom, or any type of poison or if you just want to be supplied any I’m the guy.”
Liam returned the gesture by reaching a hand of his own and shaking it. As he shook the man’s hand he noticed the man had on a very peculiar type of glove. It was a black leather glove with lines of green and purple that spun parallel to each other like a DNA strand.
“It's good to meet you, Tranquil Noxitanous. If what I was told was right, I do not have a name yet,” Liam responded.
“You can call me Noxi for now. You don’t have a Web name yet? A newbie huh?” Noxi stated as he grinned. “Don’t get many of those. Well, we can change that soon enough, but first you’ll need to go through a few tests to see if you are up to our standards.”
“What kind of tests are they?” Liam questioned, curious to know what he would have to do.
“I can’t divulge too much,” Noxi started. “But I can tell you that…”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you Noxi,” an alluring voice stated.
Liam and Noxi turned to see a beautiful young woman wearing a skin tight white pants with shades of light to dark pink running down from the top of her pants to mid-thigh. She wore a white twist front cut out crop halter top with pink orchid flowers resting fully bloomed right where her nipples would be. Covering her mouth and nose was white and pink half mask that resembled the bottom half of some insect creature with mandibles that crossed over where her mouth would be.
Liam looked into her mesmerizing deep sea blue eyes and was almost completely sucked in to them. Her eyes made him feel relaxed and that he just wanted to please her in any way he could.
Before he ended up doing something he would regret, he felt an elbow suddenly nudge right into him from the side making him snap out of whatever trance he was in. He turned to look in the direction the elbow came from and realized Noxi was now by his side.
“Be careful around her. She’ll lure you into that trap she calls a body and then kill you before you even realize what had happened,” Noxi suddenly warned. “Take my advice. The more beautiful they are, the more dangerous. Especially a man eater like her.”
“Now that’s just rude coming from the one touch wonder,” the woman stated as she sashayed over to them. “Let me warn you young man. Don’t ever let him touch you or you’ll die without even a second for the notification to tell you what poisoned you.”
Liam’s eyes widened. Just from that little bit of information that was given from both of these two, Liam was able to find out exactly how dangerous this place really was.
Before the two could continue their arguing, a powerful pressure suddenly washed down on them. Liam could feel his skin start to crawl and itch as a new person opened a door behind the desk and entered the room.
In a commanding yet gentle voice this new person stated, “Stop your bickering this instant. We have a new applicant and you’re setting a bad example.”