The very moment I felt that, an intense urge, akin to the one that usually suggests me to acquire my invader's G.P, but this was easily three times the impulse. So, I knew, this time, just like last time, I'd be dealing with another Authority-wielder, but I didn't expect to see this.
Eh?
Actually, what the actual fuck?
_____________________________
Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 31
Race: HighBreed
Class: Swashbuckler
Title: Master Duelist / Blade Dancer / Champion
Experience: 28947 / 2850000
[Status]
- H.P: 620 / 620
- M.P: 450 / 450
- S.P: 1650 / 2000
- Fatigue: 8%
- Defense: 460
- Offense: 1100
[Skills]
- Acrobatics: Level 12
- Blade Mastery: Level 13
- Counter-Attack: Level 11
- Dueling Stance: Level 10
- Evasion: Level 12
- Shadowstep: Level 10
- Parry: Level 11
- Quickdraw: Level 11
- Swordplay: Level 13
- Holy Enhancement: Level 6
- Tactical Awareness: Level 10
[Abilities]
- Blade Dance: Unlocked
- Elusive Shadows: Unlocked
- Precision Strikes: Unlocked
- Swift Reflexes: Unlocked
- Regeneration: Unlocked
- Dungeon Lore: Unlocked
『Expand』
_____________________________
At that moment, many things demanded my attention. First, there was the fact that I was finally dealing with my first HighBreed, one of the two sub-races of the race this world considers "humans." Then there's the blatant title of "champion," which I instinctively knew meant something to most, like a dungeon core and dungeon master. The title implied that the person wielding it had once defeated a dungeon like the one I'm running. To be honest, I never considered the idea that there could be more of me out there, but right now, I guess I'm left with no other choice but to confront it—or not. After all, at this moment, I couldn't care less about all that. Me being not the single dungeon master alone? Who cares. Him being a champion? Meh, still don't care. Him being my first Highbreed invader? I still didn't care, but something about this stat of his left me on high alert.
As I was informed of the invasion, I felt and was shown something that I couldn't help but be aware of. I saw a reward of 27,082 G.P and two authorities: "Authority Gathering" and "Ethereal Echo." Yet, here all I'm seeing are the stats of a normal level 31 Swashbuckler, with no sign of the said two authorities on him, unlike the lone invader from back then who had the "Otherworldly Synergy" listed in his status.
I've never been fond of unexpected surprises. So basically, it's the concept of surprise that I don't like. However, since I've been turned into this form, that's all I've been confronted with—one surprise after another. I won't go to the blasphemous extent of complaining, as I'm still very grateful to exist in this state instead of being in hell. But this one surprise, I wasn't very fond of, if not outright annoyed.
"Come on, where are your authorities? Didn't you, like, have two of them somehow?"
I still don't know for sure what authorities are, but there are instinctive things that "I" know and feel toward them. I know that beyond the threshold of my domain, there are more of them. I also know that, much like G.P, I want to harvest and hoard them.
“Ah, crap it’s beginning.”
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 20, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 20, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
The moment I felt the involvement of authority, or to be exact in this case, I, remembering what happened last time with the lone invader, knew it would come to this. I knew this sight would be one that I would have to bear. At least this time the "lone" invader didn't come just after another invasion; I'm fresh as a fish out of the water.
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 20, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 20, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
Actually, never mind. I'm not so fresh anymore.
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 20, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 20, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
"Sigh... this is a really depressing sight. I guess I've reached a threshold where Spectral Reaver doesn't cut it anymore," I sighed as I watched the level 31 Swashbuckler cut through my level 20 spectral reavers. It wasn't like I didn't know that already. I've always had the motto to always level up after each invasion. In the very beginning, most of the said level-up involved only my spawn. Then, as I acquired a dungeon guardian, it became both about leveling the average level of my spawns and that of my dungeon guardian. This way, I won't ever get overleveled and overwhelmed by an unexpected threat.
One of the things I dread the most is literally what I think happens most often to my unfortunate invaders: being overwhelmed quantitatively and qualitatively. After all, that's what I believe is every mortal's weakness.
The worst part about it is how unexpectedly it can happen. And when not expected, one can also naturally think of not being prepared. No one is immune to that, not even the one that I was in my past life. In this one, I did my best to not ever see myself in that position, and luckily, it hasn't happened yet. Most of my invaders were thus far weaker than my spawns as a collective, but I know it can happen anytime. So the best I can do is get myself ready to handle it.
Looking, I made a mental note to replace 92% of my spectral reavers with something else. I intend to keep 8% of them, as they make a very warm and baiting welcome to invaders. But I plan to fully replace the rest with something else. "What will it be? Another type of specter? Or not. Anyway, my focus right now should be on this bastard." As I redirected my attention back to my second lone invader, I rolled my eyes. "Oh crap, now you're going after my death paladins?"
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, dropped “???”]
『Expand』
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Death (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
“Tsk.”
After the peon incident and its aftermath, I had to go through a complete dungeon re-arrangement. Well, I did call it an arrangement, but there isn't much that I changed except that I positioned my spawn in a way where the deeper an invader got into my domain, the stronger my spawns would be. At the same time, I installed more seemingly external chambers to the side. In those chambers, I made sure there were spawns, and I made that compared to the depth the invader is in my domain, these would at least be stronger than the one in plain view. This way, if the invader considered fleeing upon stumbling upon one of my spawns that he deemed too strong, he would see the close strength-equivalent of that spawn he'd just run away from seeping through the walls.
All in all, the whole arrangement thing consisted mostly of focusing all my effort as a dungeon master on luring invaders in and making sure they never make it out. Evil, isn't it? But that's how this existence is. I had to lure them in to get that sweet G.P.
Anyway, while I could already have some of my spawns make their grand entrance through the wall of my domain, I didn't do it yet. That was for when he'll make his retreat, something which he's clearly not doing anytime soon.
So, I let him make his rampage. At the rate at which he was grinding through my spawn and depleting his S.P, which is what he, as a Swashbuckler, a class that relies more on S.P than M.P, was most dependent on, I knew that as long as I allowed him to go through his rampage, he'd eventually get through to that one spot, and it would be my win. While level 31 was slightly above my spawn's average level, with only the Dungeon Guardian and around two dozen units of my Death Paladins averaging and above that level, he wouldn't survive a literal tsunami of them attacking from both the back and the front.
So yeah, what I had to do was look away. What was the saying again, a watched pot never boils? So yeah, looking away I did.
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 27, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, dropped “Starlight”]
『Expand』
_____________________________
I waited.
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 28, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
Waited.
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 28, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
And Waited.
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 28, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 28, dropped “SkullBasher”]
『Expand』
_____________________________
But when he got there, to that sweet tight spot, it was him that became the aggroing target for all my spawns in the vicinity.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawn: Shadow Specter Level 25
Health: 100%
Status: En guarde, Enhanced
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Spawn: Shadow Specter Level 25
Health: 100%
Status: En guarde, Enhanced
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawn: Shadow Specter Level 25
Health: 100%
Status: En guarde, Enhanced
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawn: Shadow Specter Level 25
Health: 100%
Status: En guarde, Enhanced
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawn: Shadow Specter Level 25
Health: 100%
Status: En guarde, Enhanced
_____________________________
“Get that bastard, boys.”
I watched as the red dot representing my new lone invader was swarmed amidst blue dots representing my Shadow Specters.
_____________________________
Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 31
Race: HighBreed
Class: Swashbuckler
Health: 71%
Status: In Combat
『Expand』
_____________________________
On top of outnumbering him, each Shadow Specter averaged around level 25. Individually, they would be the invader's victims, but together in this ratio, the roles were inverted. I watched as the invader's health plummeted, but as it did, I also winced.
"What's wrong with that guy?"
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
Amidst the plummeting of his health, the invader still slew my Shadow Specters one after the other. The last time I lured someone here, that someone being the last lone invader, he, upon realizing the trap he fell into, desperately tried to make his way toward the entrance of my domain in an attempt to run away. Naturally, neither I nor my spawn allowed that. This lone invader, however, didn't seem to even try to hack his way toward the exit. Instead, he seemed to focus on taking down my spawn. "That's a dedicated fella we have here," I couldn't help but praise. "But it's all for nothing."
_____________________________
Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 31
Race: HighBreed
Class: Swashbuckler
Health: 37%
Status: In Combat
『Expand』
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 31
Race: HighBreed
Class: Swashbuckler
Health: 37%
Status: In Combat
『Expand』
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 31
Race: HighBreed
Class: Swashbuckler
Health: 22%
Status: In Combat
『Expand』
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 31]
_____________________________
_____________________________
Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 31
Race: HighBreed
Class: Swashbuckler
Health: 6%
Status: In Combat
『Expand』
_____________________________
I silently watched as his health plummeted, closing in closer and closer to 0. It could happen, but just as it reached 6%, a critical juncture that I believed a blow or perhaps just a second would bring him to defeat, something happened.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification
Intrusion Report:
One entity has invaded your dungeon domain. G.P safety compromised.
Suggestion:
Secure G.P, put an end to the invasion.
Intercept and Slay the invaders
Estimated Reward:
- 27082 G.P
- Authorities: Authority Gathering
/ Ethereal Echo
_____________________________
"What the hell?"
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification
Intrusion Report:
One entity has invaded your dungeon domain. G.P safety compromised.
Suggestion:
Secure G.P, put an end to the invasion.
Intercept and Slay the invaders
Estimated Reward:
- 27084 G.P
- Authorities: Authority Gathering
/ Ethereal Echo
_____________________________
Before me stood a notification announcing the invasion of my domain, a sight I had grown quite used to. However, there were a few issues. First, I was already mid-invasion, and while I was on the verge of ending it, I was still nonetheless in the midst of an ongoing invasion. Second, it was the same notification I was greeted with earlier, G.P and Authorities included. And third, the said notification was followed by an interface that left me even more perplexed.
_____________________________
Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 33
Race: HighBreed
Class: Paladin
Title: Holy Champion (Champion / Undead Slaughterer)
Experience: 28947 / 2150000
[Status]
- H.P: 820 / 820
- M.P: 850 / 950
- S.P: 2000 / 2000
- Fatigue: 17%
- Defense: 500
- Offense: 1100
[Skills]
- Acrobatics: Level 12
- Blade Mastery: Level 13
- Counter-Attack: Level 11
- Dueling Stance: Level 10
- Evasion: Level 12
- Shadowstep: Level 10
- Parry: Level 11
- Quickdraw: Level 11
- Swordplay: Level 13
- Holy Enhancement: Level 10
- Divine Shield: Level 8
- Tactical Awareness: Level 10
[Abilities]
- Blade Dance: Unlocked
- Divine Aura: Unlocked
- Precision Strikes: Unlocked
- Swift Reflexes: Unlocked
- Regeneration: Unlocked
- Holy Smite: Unlocked
- Sacred Oath: Unlocked
『Expand』
_____________________________
"What the hell?" Before me was the status of what seemed to be a new invader. However, instead of appearing toward the corner of my domain that I determined to be the entrance, the owner of the status was there, at the spot where just a moment before stood the nearly defeated lone invader.
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 26, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]
_____________________________
Dumbfounded, I found myself zooming away from the interface, attempting to comprehend how and where the lone invader, a Swashbuckler, on the brink of defeat just moments ago, was now replaced by a new adversary, a Paladin. Though I was initially very confused by this sudden transformation, clarity soon washed over me.
It dawned on me. It didn't in a way that was a mere realization unfolding slowly or abruptly but rather a revelation, akin to a divine insight granted by the power of otherworldly synergy.
I wasn't invaded by another individual, and that invader didn’t somehow teleport himself to replace the Swashbuckler, but instead, on the brink of total defeat, a shift occurred, turning the Swashbuckler invader from before into a Paladin. And that shift was the result of an authority. One that I was now abundantly sure was in the man's possession even though it didn't show up anywhere in his stats—that authority being Ethereal Echo.
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 26, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]
_____________________________
"An authority that can do something like that, isn't this too unfair?" I pondered, comparing it to my own authority, which so far only brought strange rune and symbol visions, akin to a language installed and that yet I was still slowly deciphering. His authority seemed vastly different. Although I hadn't yet figured out its potential applications for me, the intense desire to make it mine was growing stronger.
Through the screen, a series of notifications appeared and disappeared.
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 26, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]
_____________________________
The invader, now transformed from a Swashbuckler into a Paladin, began cutting through my spawns with efficiency, unlike his Swashbuckler counterpart who had teetered on the edge of defeat just moments ago. The Paladin swiftly slaughtered my Shadow Specters, and thanks to the authority Otherworldly Synergy, I understood that his titles—Champion and Undead Slaughterer—granted him anti-undead capabilities.
Realizing that the Paladin was about to escape the "corridor of death," I decided to preemptively send my final line of defense to assist the remaining Shadow Specters.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawn: Death Paladin Level 30
Health: 100%
Status: En guarde, Enhanced
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawn: Death Paladin Level 30
Health: 100%
Status: En guarde, Enhanced
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawn: Death Paladin Level 30
Health: 100%
Status: En guarde, Enhanced
_____________________________
At this point, I didn't bother with a cool one-liner as I unleashed my spawn upon him—I just sent them, observing how things would evolve or devolve.
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 30, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]
_____________________________
_____________________________
Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 33
Race: HighBreed
Class: Paladin
Health: 63%
Status: In Combat
『Expand』
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 30, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 30, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]
_____________________________
The countless notifications indicating the death of my spawns popped up one after the other, and I couldn't help but wonder what it looked like—the battlefield, the struggle. Not that I was complaining about not seeing it, but this struggle, this battle, what’s happening right now, was bound to be quite the sight to behold. That being said, if there was one thing I wanted most right now, it would be to witness the demise of this invader, for he was the first to survive this deep into my domain—a domain that I designed not to allow any invader to make it this far.
_____________________________
Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 33
Race: HighBreed
Class: Paladin
Health: 32%
Status: In Combat
『Expand』
_____________________________
As the invader relentlessly hacked through my spawns, I started fearing that he might turn around and run away. While I could have my spawns seep through the walls to block his path, they would be no match for this relentless beast. Fortunately, even as the invader's health plummeted, he showed no sign of considering a retreat. He remained engaged, continuously battling against my spawns. The longer I witnessed this spectacle, the more my initial sense of “good fortune” started to wane. Though his health was dropping rapidly, I had a nagging feeling that things were about to take an unexpected turn.
Sure enough, as the invader's health reached a critical 20%, it happened again.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification
Intrusion Report:
One entity has invaded your dungeon domain. G.P safety compromised.
Suggestion:
Secure G.P, put an end to the invasion.
Intercept and Slay the invaders
Estimated Reward:
- 27085 G.P
- Authorities: Authority Gathering
/ Ethereal Echo
_____________________________
Tsk. Again.