*Ding* As said in the benefits you are given the choice between three randomly selected elements but before that can happen we must know are you a physical or mental fighter? Physical Mental
I stare at the boxes trying to understand them before realizing its similar to the games my father always tried to get me to play. I would always wonder at what he sees in those games because to me it just seemed to distract than help. After realizing what they are I try to decide if they are a hallucination or not but quickly shake my head as I know that voice was really who they said they are. I can feel it the way I can feel my pulse if I pay attention long enough.
So I choose Mental.
Its the most logical to play to my strengths than to shore up a weakness. quickly after another box appears.
*Ding* You have chosen Mental so now you must choose an element. As you have chosen Mental please note that after choosing an element you will get a class and three abilities either active or passive and another every ten levels. Fire Dark Light
Without even looking at the choices I study the info given by the "System". I realize that more likely than not the element I choose could either save my life or get me killed quickly. If I choose an element with good offensive skills I will be able to survive much longer, and so after looking at the choices, I eliminate Light. While I may not have played the games as he wanted I did learn some from watching him. In almost every game Light deals with healing and buffing a team which isn't very useful whereas fire and dark tend to have many more choices offensively. But in the end, I went with Dark. Fire may be useful offensively but the problem is exactly because of that. The fire would definitely be powerful but it would lack almost any defense.
Soon after choosing Dark I receive two alerts one after the other that led to a choice that would change my life forever.
*Ding* You have chosen Dark as your element!
*Ding* Due to surroundings and your past you have received the chance to change your element yo a secondary element "Death". Change Keep
Without even thinking I chose to change. Out of all the games I've seen and from what I've heard my father say although Dark is powerful and multi-purposed, Death is even more so. From what I've heard my father say there is a class related to death that if I can receive it will help me tremendously.
*Ding*
Due to the change in element the abilities originally chosen have been overwritten.
Gained skill Deaths Touch.
Gained skill Summon Undead.
Gained skill Walk of Death.
Please see the Status screen: Skills for more information.
I scan the screen for a bit then open the other screen as it suggested.
Status: Skills Name Description Level Mastery Deaths Touch(UC) Passive/active: In its active mode you have a 5% chance to weaken a person for a few seconds. Can become permanent if your Int is 100x the target In its passive state your very touch can weaken a person to a lesser degree (.25% chance to activate in passive mode). 10 MP to activate. 0 0% Summon Undead© Active: At level 0 allows you to summon 1 Undead Rat. The stats of the Undead rat will be randomized the first time it is created. All Undead starts with 3 skills: Infect, Pack mentality, and Increased intelligence. 100MP 0 0% Walk of Death® Passive: When in the vicinity of the Undead you cannot be found using tracking spells and any sounds/smells you make will be muffled depending on the number of undead and skill level. Undead with Intelligence lower than your own will not attack unless attacked first or commanded by another with higher Intelligence than yourself. (Please note: higher-tiered skills not affected) 0 0%
Spoiler: Spoiler
For the different chances I plan to use a 20 sided die to decide if a skill works or not.
After reading the skills I'm not sure if I should be happy or not. While I have two skills that are very useful no matter what the summon undead one... I'm not sure how I should feel. But before I decide anything I should summon the rat there may just be something about it that can help me in the long run.
"Summon Undead: Rat."
Before I appear a rippling circle of ground, I watch as a small hand of a rat slowly breaks the surface and oh so slowly it pulls itself out of the ground with a (puny) roar. I realize quickly that this rat is most definitely a zombie. Its head looks fine except its eyes are a dark grey however as you get to the neck the body takes a turn for the worst. Its neck is missing chunks of hair and skin that loos as though someone pulled on it till it ripped, I can see the muscles pushing through the shredded skin. Even among the muscles, I could see it looked as though something tried to rip the muscles using serrated teeth. Its tail looks as though it was cut off and surprising enough it still has all of its nails and teeth but from what I can see they look like it could cut through my skin and muscles like a hot knife through butter.
After appraising the Rat I finally notice something unusual. I can feel the rat similar to how one can feel their arms or legs. It feels like its a part of me so I try something out.
"Status: Undead Rat."
Name None Level 0 Gender N/A Race Undead Rat Health(HP) 49/49 Mana(MP) 72/72 Strength 7 Dexterity 2 Vitality 2 Agility 3 Endurance 3 Intelligence* 5(6) Luck 8 Wisdom 6
Skills Name Description Level Mastery Infect© Active: Allows Undead to Infect living creatures depending on the difference between the user and targets intelligence. Increases chance with each level up. It doesn't require MP because it is an innate ability of the undead group Zombie. 0 0% Pack Mentality (UC) Passive: Allows Undead Rat to control creatures turned Undead due to Infect. Higher levels allow for better control. The difference in Intelligence may result in a lack of control. MP not required. 0 0% Increased Intelligence®* Passive: Increases Intelligence of Undead rat by 20% of its base stats. Higher levels give better percentages. 0 N/A
After looking at the skills of the Rat a plan starts to form in my head. I glance at the time and notice there is still 30 minutes left before the creatures the Voice talked about are released. With that in mind, I command the Rat to enter the sewers and to infect other rats that the town has been trying to get rid of for years While I go inside to get ready.
I go inside and quickly take note of the house before grabbing the shotgun my father left me as well as the bullets. I then set the temperature the lowest degree I can to keep the food cold, because I very much doubt the power will be able to last long after what can only be called the Gates of Hell opens. I then look through the kitchen and grab every knife I can and set it on the counter so I can easily grab one should I need it. I spend most of the next 15 minutes figuring out how much food I have and how long it can last me. Once I'm done counting the food and preparing for the worst I notice that its 5 minutes till they are released so I finally pay attention to the blinking windows that have been in the corner of my eye.
*Ding* Your Summoned Creature Undead Rat has killed 247 Rats giving 247 experience split between you and your summons.
*Ding* Your Summoned Creature Undead Rat has Infected 438 rats and turned 13 giving you 173 experience
*Ding* You are now level 1 and have 804 experience until the next level.
*Ding* Your Undead Rat is now Level 1 and needs 4 experience till the next level.
I see. They really made it hard for us because if my Rat is any indication most Creatures only needs 100 to get to level 1 200 to level 2 and so on whereas humans need 10x the experience of level 1 to reach level 2. Hopefully, the amount of experience gained scales up as well, or humans will never be able to keep up. I quickly order the Rat back before looking at the last notification.
*Ding* Due to leveling up you have received 10 status points. Because this is your first level up you also receive a Skill point that allows you to level up a skill. Please note after this you will only receive one skill point when you gain a new skill.
After reading it I realize why Humans are at such a disadvantage when it comes to leveling combined with the fact we can gain stat points from eating different animals we also gain the ability to level any skill we want every 10 levels so I decided to quickly place 7 points into Intelligence and 3 into wisdom. Which gives me 17 intelligence, 12 wisdom and 194 Mana. I also note that my mana is all the way up which makes me wonder if I wait to place stat points till him in battle will I be able to suddenly give myself more Mana? I'll have to test that one day.
While I was in my head the Rat and the rats he turned scurry to me from the doggy door that was made when my father planned to get one. I look at the Rat and realize something I missed on the screens. It infected many more rats that never turned and so far no more have died so maybe I could get more Undead when other creatures eat or getting bitten by those rats. I also notice that the Rat is about fifty percent bigger than it originally was. I look at the Rat one more time before deciding to upgrade Summon Undead. Even if it gives only 1 more Rat it'll be a good trade.
*Ding* You have upgraded Summon Undead to Level 1. You are now able to summon 10 Undead Rats and 1 Undead Dog. Undead dog still possesses the same three skills but will now be summoned with 1 random skill. All skills of the Undead rat moved up 1 level. Due to leveling up this skill with a skill point you must now only use skill points to level this skill up, because of this you have received the stronger version of the skill.
"Shit! Who would have thought it would do that?!"
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
I stare at the screen for a moment pretty pissed till another notification pops up in front of my eyes.
*Ding* The Creatures designed by the Creator have been released. Good luck humans. Youll need it.
At that same moment, I hear a roar from the forest and a scratching sound followed by groans and falling dirt coming from the graveyard.
*Ding* Due to your past career choice, the way you treated your clients, your family's past actions and owning land upon which the dead have been buried you have been granted the title Friend of the Dead.
Friend of the Dead Because of you and your family's care of the dead, the Undead within your graveyard now sees you as an ally and will not only not attack you but they will also assist should you be attacked nearby. Sentient Undead will not attack you without reason and are more likely to give system acknowledged quests. However, every other race including regular animals will see you as one of the Undead and attack on site. Sentient races are exempt from that rule however all Sentient races will feel uneasy around you and should any find out about your alignment they will attack.
I smile very slowly then start laughing.
I can definitely use this to my advantage; however, I must be careful to keep this to myself.
I go out to the Graveyard and watch as the undead shamble around while thinking up a plan with a small smile on my face. After a few minutes I start summoning the Rats and during the wait, which I found was 17 a minute the same as my wisdom though I wonder if that might change one day, I would walk among and study the undead. The Undead are a curious bunch. The skeletons have a crystal either in their chest cavity or their skulls whereas the zombies seem to have a bug of some type in the base of their neck controlling their movements neither have shown any type of intelligence then comes the only ghoul in the horde. He(?) seems to have an almost animalistic feel to him, as I walk around he follows just on my heel the way I imagine a trained dog might and unlike his ugly cousins the only thing off about him is his grey eyes and the rotten flesh smell coming from his mouth. I finally summon the last Rat then prepare for the Dog, unlike the rats, it takes 175 mana to summon him but after doing so I don't regret choosing Summon Undead for the upgrade.
Although the spell says Dog he is more like a wolf with the top of his back reaching almost two and a half feet high. His shoulders about a foot wide and paws as big or bigger than my hand. The body is full of patchy fur and open wounds his eyes are mix-matched with one being bright red and the other pure white. His teeth and nails shine almost like its made of diamonds. As I bring up his stat screen and that of the first Rat I compare their stats with a small grin.
Name None (Rat) Level 1 Gender N/A Race Undead Rat Health(HP) 66/66 Mana(MP) 84/84 Strength 8 Dexterity 3 Vitality 3 Agility 4 Endurance 4 Intelligence* 6(7) Luck 9 Wisdom 7
Skills Name Description Level Mastery Infect© Active: Allows Undead to Infect living creatures depending on the difference between the user and targets intelligence. Increases chance with each level up. It doesn't require MP because it is an innate ability of the undead group Zombie. 1 43% Pack Mentality (UC) Passive: Allows Undead Rat to control creatures turned Undead due to Infect. Higher levels allow for better control. The difference in Intelligence may result in a lack of control. When controlling undead Intelligence read as 1.1x current Intelligence. MP not required. 1 23% Increased Intelligence®* Passive: Increases Intelligence of Undead rat by 21% of its base stats. Higher levels give better percentages. 1 N/A
Name None Level 0 Gender Male Race Undead Dog Health(HP) 113/113 Mana(MP) 204/204 Strength 14 Dexterity 8 Vitality 4 Agility 12 Endurance 9 Intelligence* 15(18) Luck 7 Wisdom 12
Skills Name Description Level Mastery Infect© Active: Allows Undead to Infect living creatures depending on the difference between the user and targets intelligence. Increases chance with each level up. It doesn't require MP because it is an innate ability of the undead group Zombie. 0 0% Pack Mentality(UC) Passive: Allows Undead Rat to control creatures turned Undead due to Infect. Higher levels allow for better control. The difference in Intelligence may result in a lack of control. MP not required. 0 0% Increased Intelligence®* Passive: Increases Intelligence of Undead rat by 20% of its base stats. Higher levels give better percentages. 0 0% Spectral Pack® Summons a Pack of Ghost Dogs to fight along with the Undead Dog. Allows for 5 Spectral Dogs at level 0. Costs 200 MP 0 0%
I nod at the screen quietly while adjusting my plans before hearing the growls from the forest I've been paying attention to get closer; then everything goes to hell.
I look at the forest just as what seems to be thousands of regular looking animals run from wolves as big as most humans chase behind them. Almost as soon as I see the animals the Undead make their move. All of the undead not under my control charge forth tearing apart any animal that comes within reach, I watch as some undead are killed but they always take at least 10 others with them. Then the wolves hit. It quickly becomes apparent that they are at a disadvantage so I order my undead to fight as well for I know that if they were to lose it would be all over for me. Me and my Undead charge into the battle, I quickly find myself fighting next to the ghoul however due to my lack of experience the most I can do is hinder them using the broomstick I grabbed.
I swing and swing attacking every animal that comes close, feel every cut on my body, the slow drain of strength even as I fall into a rhythm with each snap of the jaw either next to me or clamped on my body, each whoosh of air and slash on my body. Soon my makeshift staff cracks and breaks and I'm fighting with tooth and nail I feel the first of my summons die and something within me snaps and I move like in on autopilot summoning a new rat and charging into the horde with everything I have my heart beating slower and slower the more I get injured but with each wound I move faster and strike harder soon my nails break after grappling with an enlarged boar before the Undead help me. My fists are soon bruised and broken but I keep fighting as I notice some of the dead rise to fight once again, then I hear laughter the kind you would hear in a psych ward the kind that makes a shiver flow down your back and your breath quicken in fear. It doesn't take long for me to realize it's me even though I feel such pain I still laugh on and on.
Long after the fight is over I'm still laughing even as my body can barely move. My skin has many crisscrossing cuts and healed scars. The reason I'm still laughing is that after the fight is over, all of the screens I missed in the melee pop up.
*Ding* The first worldwide event and monster wave has commenced! Each village, town, and the city shall receive a monster wave from each of the cardinal directions. As this is an event the Experience gained shall be doubled for all participants. Skills and skill levels will be twice as easy to gain while in battle. For each wave cleared each human participating in said wave shall receive experience doubled again. Good Luck for this is but the beginning.
*Ding* You have gained the skill Staff Mastery due to continuous use. Each Level and rank of mastery shall grant you more movements ingrained into your muscle memory. Staff Mastery also covers your staff with a film of energy to protect it from some of the damage. Reduces damage to any staff you use by 5% at level 0
*Ding* You have fought in a melee battle even though you are a mage. You have been granted a skill to match your element, fighting style, and previous skils. You have gained the skill Undead Mimicry. Undead Mimicry allows for you to fight even after you should have died and last's so long as you fight next to any Undead. Has a 24-hour cooldown and once the fight is over you will be too weak to move.
*Ding* You fought and held off a large force from the western wave allowing many from your town to survive. For your bravery and contribution, you have been granted the title Defender. With the title comes the skill Last Stand which allows you to increase your stats to twice their current amount so long as you are defending against a stronger force.
*Ding* The western wave has been defeated. Due to your hard work, you have gained 5,612 experience before multipliers. You're now level 3 with 88,356 experience left till the next level. Your summons Undead Rat x3 and Undead Dog have reached the max level and await evolution. All experience gained after the max level reached shall be retained till after evolution. Skills Deaths touch and Walk of Death have gained 3 levels and 2 levels respectively. Undead Rat x4 is now level 9, Undead Rat x2 are level 7 and Undead Rat is level 3. The skills of the Undead Rats and Undead Dog have leveled up. see their stat screen for more info
Status: Skills Name Description Level Mastery Deaths Touch(UC) Passive/active: In its active mode you have a 15% chance to weaken a person for a few seconds. Can become permanent if your Int is 70x the target In its passive state your very touch can weaken a person to a lesser degree (5% chance to activate in passive mode). 10 MP to activate. 3 36% Summon Undead© Active: At level 1 allows you to summon 1 Undead Dog and 10 Undead Rats. The stats of the Undead rat will be randomized the first time it is created. All Undead starts with 3 skills: Infect, Pack mentality, and Increased intelligence. 100MP 1 N/A Walk of Death® Passive: When in the vicinity of the Undead you cannot be found using tracking spells and any sounds/smells you make will be muffled depending on the number of undead and skill level. Undead with Intelligence lower than your own will not attack unless attacked first or commanded by another with higher Intelligence than yourself. (Please note: higher-tiered skills not affected) 2 83%
*Ding* You have chosen to evolve Undead Rat x3 and Undead Dog. Undead Rat x3 has become Undead Ratling x3 each at levels 4, 2 and 1. Undead Dog has become Undead Lycanthrope at level 1. Undead Ratling x3 and Undead Lycanthrope are evolved summons they shall be allowed to be resummoned 24 hours after their death.
I look away from the screens and take note of the undead. Of the animals killed all but a few have risen as Undead but only a few of the risen are under the command of my summons but that doesn't matter much after I read the last screen.
*Ding* Due to your fighting side by side with the Undead of the Williams Graveyard, you have gained the recognition and loyalty of their leader the Ghoul Aldo. They will follow you into battle so long as you do not send them towards guaranteed death.
I look at the Ghoul then slowly stand with the help of my ratlings. I stare into his eyes as I open my lips to give my first Order to my Army.