It took about a week for an answer to his insult to come to the imperial palace.
The dragon was incredibly noticeable even as it made it's way through towns and cities, so the palace had a ten minute warning to send him out to deal with it, closing the capital and palace under a series of ancient barriers and sealing them from the old dragon' wrath.
For a while at least. Not that he'd need much time to end this.
Really, the whole waiting around, floating at the height of the city wall parapets, was a bit hard overall, what with him not having made a full recovery yet, so long periods of spellcasting would not be good for his health.
It was hard to tell whether he would have recovered faster or slower without his power up due to the sheer amount of enchanting he had done to prepare for exactly this kind of scenario, but as it stood, such questions could not be answered by the current him, nor were they much relevant.
When the giant lizard finally came into view, Aki finally started on his part.
"Oi! To any old idiots watching and thinking this is some kind of threat, learn now that this Empire is under my protection. This is what will happen to any who truly attack." He shouted into the air with a big sound/wind spell raising and spreading his voice.
Taking out a small black pebble, smaller than his pinky's nail, he floated the deceptively heavy bone structure in front of himself, space bending until gravity was pulling the thing both 'up' and 'down'.
Then the bubble of manipulated space was 'flung' forward, accelerating unreasonably fast as space collapsed exponentially over a line until it hit a stable impediment, namely the dragon’s aura, dispersing it’s force onto the thing and allowing the projectile in question to come into contact with said aura for long enough for Aki to attack from a distance.
With the suddenness of a truly uncaring god, reality started to scream right above the flying not-a-reptile, the flying body unable to deny reality’s physics due to it’s disappeared metaphysicality, showing the entire world what a ragdoll effect looked like when applied to a body bigger than buildings as a rapidly darkening sphere of gravitational force flickered into existence right at the top of the giant beast's head for little more than a moment, killing it as several things inside it's currently cursed skull suffered different types of trauma in far too small an amount of time.
With it flying so fast and with the wind pressure already fucked with by it’s new parabole, the dragon corpse with a half torn cranium and a mushed brain flew slightly to the left of the demon kin capital as it spun like a pancake fliping several times over in the air over. Despite the sudden pressure practically mushing the thing’s nervous system being unreasonably powerful due to Aki preparing the spell for a while, it still could not send the several tons heavy weight of his kill over the stratosphere, meaning it would eventually fall to the ground like a meteor, likely causing a localized earthquake near the millions of people who the dragon intended to attack to begin with.
Or it would, if the dragon hadn’t been so high up into the sky that it’s corpse now took far too long to impact the ground, leaving time for even more average magicians to soften the impact, nevermind Aki.
…………………..
"What in the gods damned hells was that!" Exclaimed a hulking red shape inside a caldera, the magma coating it's scales moving as if water despite the death of several creatures that'd built a home in its generally unmoving scales.
'Calm down, I am reasserting the scrying. This was most likely an interference aimed at either that child's draconic aura or at our scrying to begin with. Whatever trick the spirit had done to get rid of our presence near our messager I am sure that…' There was silence in the ancient forest as the wind slowed down and stilled, a lazy giant opening her eyes.
"My progeny is dead." Hissed a colossus, his breath lifting up sandstorms. "His soul is wounded, but it has indeed reached to me before departing. How do you intend to pay for this, Raznagoth?!"
"What do you mean I have to pay for it?! Your progeny died because they were weak enough to fall for tricks! YOU embarrass all of us by failing so spectacularly in our ancient pact!"
"YOU!"
……………..
[You have defeated Warrior Lv 70 (The dragon prince of the western dunes). Due to killing an enemy four life levels above you, sixteen times bonus XP multiplier. Due to killing an enemy three class advancements above you, eight times bonus XP multiplier. Due to killing an elite archetype, two times bonus XP multiplier. Due to partial soul destruction, 1.5 XP multiplier. 929.280.000 XP awarded.]
Looking at his gains, Aki couldn't help but guess at what it actually meant.
Not the information on the dragon, that was pretty much useless. Rather, the fact that his XP pool doubled plus some change from one enemy raised a lot of red flags for him. No matter how precocious he was with his crosrank killing, that it was even possible made it so this was either bad game design or meaningless in the long run.
And considering the overall narrative genre, making grinding XP on the higher levels be ridiculously hard sounded right up the system's alley.
After all, it was perfectly normal for there to be some kind of hidden level counter in the system following some kind of Kardashev scale for individuals (i.e Lv1s destroy planets, Lv2s destroy planetary systems, Lv3s destroy galaxies and so on.) and people that would even register to the damn thing were on an absolutely different level than the current him.
He himself tried to operate his thinking on that level, so maybe he was biased, but it was better to be prepared then not, and to begin with there was little he could do about such scenarios coming true but speculate.
All this consideration was made on the time it took for him to lower the dragon corpse however, so perhaps he was just overthinking.
Despite getting through levels 11 through 20 having taken double as much as he'd used to get through levels 1 through 10, there was only so much he could freak out at the incoming grind fest that was his future.
His three digit charisma stat probably helped with dropping the matter, all that he'd seen pointing to it helping with emotional control.
Rather than such pitiful thoughts, he tried to focus on how many dragon-killing enchanted items he could make with an intact carcass and what ridiculous powerup he could get from the emergency quest he'd received.
It was nice to see that his actions could also generate quests even if indirectly, but such things were far too niche for him to bother with considering his existing plans and the ever increasing amount of zeroes necessary for each level.
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He knew for a fact that the effects of significance were only so great due to the increase being big compared to his standing pool, so at max, farming quests through some summoning loophole would only be useful for potential trait shards and random rewards.
Allowing himself to so thoroughly gamefy reality around him was no good though. That was a slippery slope he was not going to try to trail, especially with a egocentric Path as his own. Sure, he could get behind doing some Deus ex Machina here and there, but unless it was fairly out of the way of his immediate surroundings, just poofing other people's problems was absolutely not a good idea if he wanted to maintain any semblance of proper sanity (his own version of it at least).
'Oh, there's the first response team. Took them what, ten minutes of me shamelessly carving up this shit?' Aki thought, not for a moment stopping the heated metal blades he was manipulating with his mind to pick up dragon flesh and bone, a few liquid containers holding the overflowing cerebral juice and blood he'd already started draining.
………………..
'Enough! You two bicker like younglings chasing the same tail, and that does nothing but waste everybody's time while wearing at my mind! Speak plainly, was anybody able to figure out what just happened?' Chastised the ice matriarch, a mental blow knocking the wind from the two dragons cursing out so she would be properly understood. Both hissed and growled at the blatant disrespect and hostility, but decided to shut up.
'I can only say that if there was some kind of bane weaponry involved, then it is as developed or even more advanced than what we know the elves to have my love, for I can detect only trace amounts of the fowl thing before or at the moment the connection was cut, and if Selestrix has yet to exclaim about a wasteland drained of life...' The bronze wyrm sent a mental shrug through the connection.
'It is as brother says, all I see are mortals harvesting the fallen and barely damaged youngling.' There was a growl at that declaration, but the Monarch of the Dunes did not say anything, awaiting more information. 'Of what damage is notably not post mortem, it seems like his scalp is barely hanging onto his skull, bones broken, cranial organs mushed, hide distended and scales missing or almost ripped out. I have absolutely no idea what kind of attack could even do this, but it seems to me he was taken down immediately after our connection was cut.'
"You mean to say the welp was taken out in one hit? Without one of those thrice cursed spears?" Asked the Fire Lord, suddenly acting calm and rational without a hint of disdain for his hated nemesis.
'If I had to guess I would say it was a ritual using some obscure school of magic and killing off one or more cabals of mages.' Confirmed the Wind Seer.
'We cannot assume it was the only one they had prepared.' Echoed the voice of the booming mind of the last Ancient dragons almost immediately after such a notice was delivered, the ocean moving as he shifted positions.
"Neither can we allow them to ready more. These are not those ridiculous elves with their puny reproduction and hard headed ways, but battle thirsty demon spawn, they may very well come after us in a few measly decades if they think it will help them war better." Refuted the one whose direct descendent had just been slain, fearing sympathetic components of this new dragon slaying ritual could be turned towards him.
'Then we make sure they are too occupied to do so.' Decided Leviathan, the eldest.
………………….
[Name: Aki
Race: Human/carbon based fae (Life level 0)
Level: 20
XP: 1.5B
Main class: Apprentice mage Lv 10
Sub-class:
Stats:
STR 5 [x1.04] (5)
DEX 5 [x1.04] (5)
END 10 [x1.04] (10)
VIT 23 [x1.01] (23)
INT 62 [x1.10] (68)
WIS 49 [x1.01] (49)
CHA 116 [x1.04] (120)
LUCK 141 [x1.01] (142)
Free points: 122
Talent points: 156
RR: 8*
Legacy: 1
HP: 90/90
SP: 185/185
EP: 3.038/3.038
Traits:
Concentrated fancies: +10% learning and crafting speed to projects which catch your fancy.
Madness of the intermediary human: Grants a varying (between 0.75 to 2) modifier to mental resistance depending on the nature of the check. Grants a varying (between -50 to +200) psychical resistance bonus depending on the nature of the check. Grants a varying (between -50 to +200) aural resistance bonus depending on the nature of the check.
Fae blood: Slight increase in magical affinity. Slight resistance to non-energy infused weaponry. Increased vulnerability to significance fueled damage. Your potential is naturally unlocked.
Faery narrative: Your life, your story, your power. Current benefits: Slight increase in magical affinity, +10 VIT. +20 WIS. +140 LUCK. +10 CHA, +1% to all stats, +3% CHA, +9% INT.
Firebrand: Slight increase in magical affinity. Slight increase to fire affinity. Slight increase in efficiency to burning matter and vitality.
Dedicated doctor: When healing, you naturally find calm and focus. During long treatments, you receive a slight increase in mana regeneration.
Chosen enemy - humanoids: When fighting those of human descent, bonus relevant bane essence generation.
Chosen enemy - Elemental: When fighting those risen from pure essence, bonus relevant bane essence generation.
True bane: Whenever your production of bane essence passes a certain threshold, it is naturally integrated into your actions. Increased bane essence generation.
One against the world: When fighting alone, your resource and essence generation increase by 5%.
Legendary underdog: For every Class advancement and Life level your enemy has over you, your stats are multiplied by 1.05.
Army killer: When outnumbered, receive a corresponding amount of Bane essence generation depending on the odds of enemies to allies. +When fighting sworn enemies, the increase becomes exponential.
Chosen enemy - Dragons: When fighting those of dragonic descent, bonus relevant bane essence generation.
Chosen enemy - Traitors: When fighting those who have broken their oaths, bonus relevant bane essence generation.
War machine: The longer you fight the more your perception and flexibility are honed, effect lasts for one second for every hundred of battle when not actively in combat. +Increased soul vessels’ toughness.
True killer: You absorb significance better.
Golden ratio: +3% STR, DEX and END, + 100 CHA.
Advanced magic affinity (III/VIII): Total magical affinity multiplied by 1.3. When infusing magic items, a temporary increase of one grade may happen up to Rare grade. +3 levels to all Mage class abilities. This effect can exceed the level limit.
Abilities:
Basic arcane affinity Lv 10 (+3): Slight increase in magical affinity.
Intermediary Arcane affinity Lv 10 (+3): Slight increase in magical affinity.
Infuse Lv 10 (+3): Infuse your energy into a target.
Refine Lv 1 (+3): Use infused energy to separate substances.
Detect magic Lv 10 (+3): Focus on the energy around you.
Focus Lv 3 (+3): Focus your magical perception.
Skills:
Intermediary power strike Lv 10
Intermediary enhancement Lv 10
Intermediary sharpening Lv 10
Intermediary weight modification Lv 10
Intermediary imbue fire Lv 10
Intermediary confuse Lv 10
ETC spells
Talents:
Meta: 10 out of 10 (Intermediary) Lv 1
Essence: 10 out of 10 (Intermediary) Lv 1
Connection: 10 out of 10 (Intermediary) Lv 1