[Congratulations! You lived a total of 32 years, 9 months, 23 days, 4 hours, 12 minutes, and 53 seconds! You have been randomly chosen to be the next Gamer! Please press start to begin!]

A blue box floated in front of me, a massive start button visible just underneath the text. The fuck? I died? I remember basic info but nothing concrete about who my friends or family were… the small bit I do remember makes me think that may be for the best, I’m a shut in if I’ve ever seen one.

I should probably feel sad about my death and loss, yet I can only bring myself to feel unbridled excitement! I remember reading some stories that had this exact same start! Who cares about how I lived? I can’t wait to see how far I can take this new opportunity!

[Are you-]

I immediately thought about pressing start once I thought about the potential benefit.

…+1 Int (For figuring it out without assistance)

Aaaand bonus get! Let’s do this!

[Please Enter a Name]

What should I pick? I don’t want some cringy anime-esque name, but I also want something memorable! Should I wait to see my race?

…Nah, I’ll just pick a name that I’d like regardless of what I become! Sam Cole. If I’m male I’ll change it to Samuel, If I’m female, I’ll make it Samus.

[Your name will be Sam Cole?]

[Yes/No]

Yeah I’ll take it. Though can you change it depending on what gender I become?

[That can be done]

Thanks.

[I’m just glad you didn’t choose Megatron or something]

+1 Rep with system (1/100) for being (relatively) reasonable.

[Now let’s hope your next choice is as wise as your last. Please select your race.]

{Human}{?}{?}{?}

I’ve got a fair idea… but what are the question marks

[The question marks represent a chance at any race across the multiverse. You could get an ant, or a dragon, or perhaps even an eldritch being of untold power. The options are endless, yet also extremely risky… I even heard of one unfortunate player who became a facehugger.]

I mean I’ve come this far… and I’m not too attached to my human body… and the skill I get should negate anything affecting my mind. It would still really suck if I became a slug or mosquito. Maybe I should pick human?

+1 Int (For considering the intelligent option)

…But I can’t resist the chance presented to me, lady luck watch over me! I choose random!

…-1 to Wis (For ignoring rationality)

Oh come on, you can’t offer a lucky draw and expect someone not to pick it! Besides, I could get something worse than humanity, yet if we’re drawing from the infinite, my chances at being better than human are incredibly high!

…+1 to Wis (For using flawed yet understandable logic)

…Just… just do the draw.

[Race selected. Anodite (Ben 10)!]

Sounds vaguely familiar…

[Race-Bound Class Unlocked: Pure Mage (1/100) Grants +6 Int and Wis per level]

Perk Gained - True Form, EX Rank. While in your true form, MP is used as a substitute for HP. While in your true form, double HP before converting it into MP. While in your true form, MP recovery speed triples. While in your true form, mana manipulation can be used with far greater ease.

Perk Gained - Malleable Mana, EX Rank. As an Anodite, you are composed of pure mana, and can therefore convert it into, and do, almost anything, with the only limitation being your skill and imagination. Grants Skill - [Mana Manipulation (1/100)]

Perk Gained - False Form, A Rank. Assuming you have sufficient mana and skill, you are able to create a ‘vessel’ for yourself based on another species. The stronger the race you are attempting to copy, the harder it is to do. Additionally, while in the form of another race, temporarily disables the Perk - [True Form]. Additionally gain the weakness of whichever race you assume the form of - (Eg - Mortality, hunger, oxygen dependency), though these can be mitigated with good enough mana manipulation.

Perk Gained - Immortal, B Rank. As an Anodite, you lack both DNA and biology, you are a being of pure energy (mana in this case), as such you are immune to mortality so long as you have access to mana and are in your true form.

Perk Gained - Child of the Arcane, A Rank. You are an Anodite, you have no need for big muscles or a strong body! When you have mana, what else could you possibly need? Grants +10 to INT and WIS per level.

Perk Gained - Mana Thief, A Rank. Assuming your mana manipulation is higher than that of an opposing caster, gain the ability to absorb their mana. Amount absorbed increases depending on how much higher your mana manipulation is. Grants Skill [Mana Siphon (1/100)].

Perk Gained - Magic Instinct, A Rank. While others spend years learning mana, for you it’s akin to controlling your own body, because, in a way… it is. When it comes to learning magic, by other races' standards you would be a prodigy, by Anodite standards you’re fairly average.

Well holy shit… what were you saying about not choosing random again? Cos I think I just hit the jackpot!

[...]

You there?

[...Yes. I’m sorry, I was just making sure you weren’t a leprechaun before your death]

…I’m not right?

[Indeed not… Even they’re not this lucky]

Huh… awesome.

so… Do you have a name for yourself in mind? Or would you rather I choose?

[What makes you think I want a name?]

You’d rather I just call you system forever?

[...]

[On second thought, a name sounds appealing.]

Male or Female?

[Whichever is fine]

Alrighty then… How about Ridley?

-1 Rep with System (0/100)

What! Why don’t you like Ridley?! I was naming you after the most badass woman in film!

[You are naming me Ridley… while calling yourself Samus]

What are- oh. Yeah okay, that’s fair. But I will say, it didn’t occur to me until just now. Please don’t be mad, I promise I was comparing you to Ridley Scott.

[...]

.....+3 Rep with Ridley (3/100) For being sincere.

See! I knew you’d love it.

[Just get on with it]

Yeah yeah, love you too.

[Welcome to the Character Creation Menu]

A screen showing a floating body appeared before me- a dark purple female body with lighter purple around the edges and glowing pink hair, eyes and mouth. I had no ears, no nose, no nipples and no genitalia. All of this being expected after what my perks were.

I see a massive list of sliders and options to change my soon-to-be appearance, and I know I could use my perks to assume the form of another species… but realistically I have the option in front of me to make myself look rather close to human, and honestly? Why would I not take the chance to stay in the stronger form all the time? I quickly begin a frantic session of sculpting my body to look as close to human as I can… with limited success. I now have a body that looks like a normal human woman… if she had gray skin, glowing tattoos on her arms and legs, and bright neon pink hair and eyes. The nose, ears and naughty bits are purely cosmetic… real shame about the glowy parts though. I start shifting through the color options, I try a bunch of different colors to look as close to normal hair as I can… which all fail. The tattoo-looking marks can be covered by clothing but I’ll never be able to enter a regular city so long as my hair continues to look like a giant neon sign!

[I was going to let you figure this out, but we have things to do so I’ll just tell you that as a natural born mage you’ll be able to cast glamors so long as you put in a little effort]

…

Couldn’t have said that earlier?

[It was funny watching you go through the rainbow]

…understandable. With that tidbit of info I settle on a more subdued scarlet color for my hair, eyes and mouth. I’m not ashamed to say I give myself a little extra boing… but sue me! It’s gonna be me and I’m gonna look damn good!

[Please select a Primary Class]

[Fighter] [Archer] [Mage] [Rogue]

Oh maybe I should pick fig- NOT! I CHOOSE MAGE!

[Please select a Specialization]

[Battlemage] [Healer] [Warlock] [Druid] [Necromancer] [Summoner] [Elementalist]

I think… These are all viable. Hmm… I’m not into the minion playstyle, so no Necromancer or Summoner. Maybe druid too? Battlemage is a maybe, as is Healer and Elementalist, I’ll remove warlock if only due to the possibility I’d need to make a contract with an otherworldly being.

So… I’ll basically be sentient magic, so I should be able to convert it to whatever element I want, right? I remove Elementalist. Conversion means I theoretically can unlock every application regardless of class… so I’ll just take the one I want to learn immediately.

[Class Gained, Healer (1/100) Gain 5 INT, WIS and LUK per level]

Now lets see those juicy stats!

Samus Cole

Level 1

Class - Healer, lvl 1/100 (0%)

Unique Class - Pure Mage lvl 1/100 (0%)

Race - Anodite (True Form)

Alignment- True Neutral

HP- 100 [20 per minute]

MP - 530 [62 (186) per 30 seconds]

SP - 100 [20 per 30 seconds]

STR - 10

DEX - 10

END - 10

INT - 33

WIS - 31

CHA - 10

LUK - 15

Mana Regen = WIS X 2

MP = INT X 10

SP/Health Regen = END X 2

HEALTH = END X 10

SP = END X 10

True Form = HP x 2 / Convert HP to Mana / MP regen x 3

Very juicy indeed. Might need more endurance and dexterity though, power is good but means jack without being able to sustain or if your enemy is ten times faster than you.

…

[I’ve already granted an extra Int for common sense earlier, stop trying to get another]

Tch. Well moving on, can I see my skills?

Skills Gained

[Mana Manipulation] (1/100)

Denotes how good a being is at manipulating mana. The higher the level, the greater the control.

[Mana Siphon] (1/100)

Assuming your mana manipulation is higher than that of an opposing caster, gain the ability to absorb their mana. Amount absorbed increases depending on how much higher your mana manipulation is.

[Gamers Mind] (MAX)

Allows the Player to think things through calmly, additionally grants immunity to psychological status effects.

[Gamers Body] (MAX)

Grants the Player a body akin to that of a video game character. All status effects and injuries will be healed after 8 hours of rest in a bed.

[Observe] (1/100)

Upon use, tell the Player what they are looking at.

What? No medical training?

[Nope]

Well bugger. Can you tell me where I’ll end up?

[Borderlands]

…Siren cover?

[Yep]

1, 2, 3, presequel or tales?

[I gotta leave some mystery, besides… aren’t you jumping the gun a bit]

What do you mean?

[Initiating Instance Dungeon Tutorial]

[3]

Oh

[2]

Right

[1]

Fuck

[Initializing!]

I felt myself slip downward through a blinding white portal beneath me. My body… or soul I guess? Felt as if it was stretched and squeezed before being snugly inserted into my new body. I opened my new eyes to find myself lying down on some grass and looking above at a canopy of green. I sit up and spot some more green a few feet in front of me… a goblin.

(-5 MP)

A rock bounced off of my chest as the goblin started coming closer.

It’s wearing a dirty brown loincloth, has a few wooden ear piercings and is holding a small wooden spear. It’s also currently looking at me with a greedy and lust-filled expression. Little fucker’s even licking his lips…

Quest Added!

(The Beginning)

Objective 1 - Observe the Goblin

Objective 2 - Kill the goblin

Objective 3 - Clear the dungeon

Bonus (?)

Reward - ID create, ID escape, 500xp, $500, ?

Kill the goblin? Hmmm…

[Observe] (1/100) -> (2/100)

Goblin Scout, lvl 5

HP 200

Thoughts- Happy, Horny. “What luck! A toy and a meal!”

Ooh… you’re dead greeny! I felt the power that composed my form, the raw mana just waiting to follow my command… and I gave it one. It took some effort and visualization, but right when the goblin was less than a meter away, scarlet whips burst from around me, before then grabbing and constricting it as I heard bones snap and blood vessels burst.

(-80 HP)

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Mana Whips] - Active (2/100)

A bit more than I expected… The goblin was crippled but not too close to death, which was good. How else was I gonna learn how to heal? I next tried to command my mana to fix the injuries of the goblin before me and ever so slowly, I began to see some of its wounds clot over as a red glow suffused its body.

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Lesser Heal] - Active (2/100)

(+1 hp)

(+1 hp)

(+1 hp)

(+1 hp)

(+1 hp)

Fascinating! Am I accelerating time in the wounded areas? Or maybe creating the needed nutrients and healing structures out of mana? Wouldn’t anything boosting the healing rate to such a degree be very susceptible to becoming cancerous? Or violently combust?

There's only one way to find out! I don a wide smile as I look into the eyes of my terrified test subject.

20 Minutes later~

Well damn. I don’t think I can use any more heals on this… thing. The pulsing form of what used to be a goblin lay in front of me… over half of its body mass having been violently converted into a tumor upon me dropping half of my mana pool into healing it from the loss of every appendage other than its head.

Still…

[Mana Manipulation] (3/100) -> (6/100)

[Mana Whips] (2/100) -> (13/100)

[Lesser Heal] (2/100) -> (34/100)

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Corrupted Heal] - Active (2/100)

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Scan] - Active (1/100) -> (3/100)

Worth it. Scan in particular is incredibly handy with letting me know when I should be healing, and for giving me some clues on how my heal actually functions. Corrupted heal was what led to my subject's current… condition. It requires quite a bit of mana but I seem to have invented cancer magic?

[Horrifying]

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

I know, right? Might leave that one on the shelf unless necessary…

But I’m not done yet! I now have a living dummy that I can create a bunch more skills on! I have a ton more abilities I want to create before I inevitably have to face a boss, and getting my heal ranked up is vital!

2 Hours later~

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Mana Constructs] - Active (1/100) -> (15/100)

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Glamor] - Active (1/100) -> (12/100)

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Physical Enhancement] - Active (1/100) -> (7/100)

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Combustion] - Active (1/100) -> (3/100)

[Mana Manipulation] (6/100) -> (22/100)

[Mana Whips] (13/100) -> (15/100)

[Lesser Heal] -> [Heal] (3/100)

[Corrupted Heal] (2/100) -> (3/100)

[Scan] (3/100) -> (26/100)

[Observe] (2/100) -> (5/100)

That should be enough for now. I’ve gotten some offensive options and can shift my hair to look less like plasma and more like, well… hair. Normal enough I guess. My test dummy no longer resembled a goblin, I now had a giant pulsating fleshy mass about the size of a car in front of me, even its status was screwed up.

[Observe] (5/100) -> (6/100)

G0bl!n $coVt, lvl 5

HP 1426

Thoughts- N/A

Its HP was also automatically increasing without the need for healing anymore… I think I’ve learned enough, I don't want to accidentally create a mini Shin Godzilla.

[Mana Constructs]

I created a small round dome around the goblin before skewering it from all sides with spikes.

[Critical Hit!]

(-2000 HP)

[Due to an action, a Perk has been Unlocked]

[Anodite Callousness] - Passive

Mildly Alarming.

[Level Up]

HP, MP, and SP restored.

Samus Cole

Level 2

Class - Healer, lvl 2/100 (81%)

Unique Class - Pure Mage lvl 2/100 (37%)

Race - Anodite (True Form)

Alignment- True Neutral

HP- 100 [20 per minute]

MP - 950 [146 (438) per 30 seconds]

SP - 100 [20 per 30 seconds]

STR - 10

DEX - 10

END - 10

INT - 75

WIS - 73

CHA - 10

LUK - 25

Stat Points - 10

Mana Regen = WIS X 2

MP = INT X 10

SP/Health Regen = END X 2

HEALTH = END X 10

SP = END X 10

True Form = HP x 2 / Convert HP to Mana / MP regen x 3

I quickly assigned all of my stat points to Luk-

LUK - 25 -> 35

-Before the… thing in front of me faded away and was replaced by some loot.

1x Goblin Femur (Uncommon)

1x Soiled Loincloth (Trash)

1x Wooden Spear (Poor)

$12

I’ll just take the money…

[Luck event triggered]

(-10 MP)

A little rock bounces off of my head as I turn around and see another group of very happy goblins emerge from some bushes. Their grins morph into confused looks as I maniacally smile straight back at them while hitting them with an observe.

[Observe] (6/100) -> (7/100)

Goblin Scout Lvl 5

Goblin Scout lvl 7

Goblin Scout lvl 4

Goblin Scout Leader lvl 10

Goblin Scout lvl 6

Goblin Scout lvl 9

Thoughts- Happiness, Confusion.

They all begin pelting me with rocks and spears… which do absolutely nothing as a scarlet barrier pops up between us and a wave of whips leave its surface to acquire my new test subjects.

I make sure to capture, cripple and restrain all but one of the regular goblins. The one that got away having an anklet made of mana which I use to trace its movement. I could probably follow it by moving a mana platform all magic carpet style, but now seems like the perfect time to create one of the Anodites signature abilities.

I try to imagine what I’m after, of soaring through the clouds using nothing but my own body. It takes a while, during which I feel that the goblin I’m tracking stops frantically running and begins to move within a specific zone… bingo!

I determine the location of their camp at the same time I start shakily floating off of the ground.

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Levitation] - Active 20 MP/p Second (1/100)

“HahahaHAHAHAHA! I CAN FLY BITCHES!”

I take some time just floating around for a bit before I remember that I currently have an audience of captive goblins. I turn and see that they’re just quietly watching me… even the ones with twisted limbs or bleeding wounds. Now that won’t do at all!

I don’t need to use them for another grind session… but a few quick tests should be fine, right?

The first goblins head exploded upon me trying to tamper with its brain… as did the second and third. The fourth succeeded before I got excited and it also exploded. It’d make for a good attack if it didn’t need so much focus and time… but I got my original goal anyway so no sweat.

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Mental Enhancement] - Active (1/100)

The scout leader was the recipient of my final test- that being to use mana siphon… which worked if a little slow. It eventually sapped the fucker dry, which did have an interesting change-

[Observe] (7/100) -> (8/100)

Goblin Scout Leader, Lvl 10 (Crippled, Mana Exhaustion)

Hp 400

Thoughts- Scared, Angry. “What did I do to deserve this monster?”

Aside from the debuff it applied, it also had an unexpected if very welcome side effect- It felt like having a cool drink on a hot day! I’m starting to really look forward to the prospect of entering a magic world, my perception of one just changed from fun adventures in dungeons to fun adventures around a candy store.

I killed off the goblin and grabbed the loot before some notifications popped up-

[Level Up x 2]

HP, MP, and SP restored.

Samus Cole

Level 4

Class - Healer, lvl 4/100 (35%)

Unique Class - Pure Mage lvl 4/100 (72%)

Race - Anodite (True Form)

Alignment- True Neutral

HP- 100 [20 per minute]

MP - 1370 [230 (690) per 30 seconds]

SP - 100 [20 per 30 seconds]

STR - 10

DEX - 10

END - 10

INT - 117

WIS - 115

CHA - 10

LUK - 45

Stat Points - 20

Money - $98

[Levitation] Active (1/100) -> (3/100)

[Heal] Active (3/100) -> (7/100)

[Mana Manipulation] Passive (22/100) -> (24/100)

[Scan] Active (26/100) -> (27/100)

[Mana Siphon] Active (1/100) -> (3/100)

My mana is getting up there… nice.

Due to Intelligence reaching 100, a Perk was earned

[Clever Girl] (Passive)

-Grants the ability to think twice as fast

Due to Wisdom reaching 100, a Perk was earned

[Sage] (Passive)

-Increase Mp regen by 50%

MP - 1370 [230 (690) per 30 seconds] -> 1370 [345 (1035) per 30 seconds]

I simultaneously felt as my mind gained far more clarity and my ‘body’ felt a lot healthier. Intoxicating… Hey Ridley, any chance you could change the MP regen to per second instead of per 30 seconds?

[That can be done]

MP - 1370 [345 (1035) per 30 seconds] -> 1370 [11.5 (34.5) per second]

Much better. I’ll save the stat points for now… but they’re definitely going into DEX or END when I use em. With that out of the way I start floating my way toward where I felt the goblin escape to, and the best part is? I have enough mana to keep it up forever!

I can see a clearing ahead- with wooden walls, small watchtowers, mud and thatch huts… and the very human looking remains cooking over a fire. I confirmed earlier that I’m capable of acts that once would have disgusted me… but seeing human remains with nary a twitch really makes it set in.

I could hear some of the goblins start screeching to each other upon me entering their sightline. The scouts up in the towers even started hooting in excitement as they began gesturing to the rest down below. They’re not gonna shoot me or throw stones?

Apparently not as a few goblins emerged from their huts carrying a large net, dried blood and thorns scattered all over it. They throw open the gates as a small crowd of the little buggers advances to presumably catch me. I raise a brow as they advance, I could just float a bit higher and be out of range… but why bother?

I cast Physical enhancement on myself a few times and created a large wall covered in spikes. I then pushed it forward while sprinting right behind.

[Physical Enhancement] Active 100 MP (7/100) -> (8/100)

STR - 10 -> 50

DEX - 10 -> 50

END - 10 -> 50

[Mana Constructs] Active, Cost Varies (15/100)

The horde of goblins quickly changed from excited and confident to confused and terrified as I got closer. They dropped the net (Yoink!) and started running back towards the camp… just to find one of the few who hadn’t come outside had shut and barred the gate. I resolved to kill that one last.

With my increase in speed the goblins had a single moment to look back in terror before they were compressed against the gate for a moment right before it collapsed inwards with a loud CRACK.

I floated over the remains of the gate and bloodied stains of the goblins, the rest that remained looked on in horror as I emerged from a cloud of dust with a smile. The mop up from there didn’t take very long. Aside from getting hit with a few stones and arrows, I just had to use Scan to send out a pulse and systematically kill every signal I found… mostly. There was a much stronger response from a hut near the center composed of rock and wood.

On a hunch I kept a single other goblin alive, they were currently restrained at my feet and I was 50% sure they were the one who left the rest outside. Now unless I’m wrong… that big signal is the boss right?

[...]

I’ll take that as a yes. I spend a few minutes creating the constructs of several giant needles directly above, to the side and in front of the entrance to the stone hut, I then reach down and quickly kill the goblin at my feet.

Warning!

Boss Incoming!

Hope it likes acupuncture!

A bodybuilder looking goblin emerges from the stone hut, roaring a challenge as he does so.

[Observe]

Hobgoblin Chief, lvl 25

HP- 2500

Thoughts- Anger, Wariness “What's that damn racket?!”

He doesn’t even catch sight of me before over 16 giant scarlet needles pierce it from every angle.

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

(-200 HP)

The hobgoblin has a moment to look down at his chest full of spikes, look up at me with confusion, then collapse forward while vomiting blood. Hell yeah! Now let's see those sweet levels!

[Loot Gained]

5x Soiled Loincloth (Trash)

3x Loincloth (Poor)

5x Rusty Sword (Poor)

6x Gacha token (Common)

3x Gacha token (Rare)

1x Chiefs club (Uncommon)

12x Human skull (Common)

The fuck? Where's my restore and level ups?

[Due to meeting the hidden requirement of losing 0 HP during the tutorial, you are eligible to summon the hidden boss!]

The double fuck?

[Would you like to face the hidden boss?]

Ridley?

[Sorry, no spoilers]

Uh… sure? I quickly stuff all the loot into my inventory, and not a second too soon as I hear a dull scraping from behind me. Turning around I see that the hut the boss was living in… rearranges itself and stands up.

[Observe] (7/100) -> (8/100)

Runic Golem, lvl 40

HP- 20000

Thoughts- N/A

What.The.FFFFUUUUCCCCKKKK! Nope nope nope nope nope. I try to escape as fast as I can in the other direction and run directly into a suddenly visible transparent blue shield- knocking me on my ass.

(-20 MP)

What?! I see the ripples from where I impacted travel up the dome… where it shows the source as the golem behind me, before once again going invisible. Oh god damn it!

“CHALLENGER IDENTIFIED!”

And of course it has a super intimidating gravelly voice! The area I was confined to was barely enough to dodge an attack if it went for a swing… speaking of which. I hastily conjured a barrier in front of me as a giant stony fist crashed into it a moment later.

The barrier held… barely. It cost over 300 mana to cast and I could tell it was a hair away from shattering. I ran around it as I glanced at my mana-

MP- 955 [11.5 (34.5) per second]

-and considered how I was gonna crack this thing open. It was easily 6 times my height, covered in glowing blue runes that did god knows what, and was likely throwing cars worth of weight at me with every swing.

First up-

[Mana Siphon]

[Attempt to drain opponents mana failed]

What?! That can happen?! I noticed while doing so that the runes covering its body flared when my attempt was rebuffed. My thoughts were cut short when I had to barely block another swing by erecting a barrier.

MP- 724 [11.5 (34.5) per second]

Ok. I need to step it up before I’m whittled down to nothing. Think damnit!

[Physical Enhancement] x 5

[Mental Enhancement] x 5

It felt like time slowed around me as I tried to think up a counter. It’s made of stone which I don’t think I’m capable of getting through using regular methods… at least not without getting squished. Levitation would just slow me down, not to mention with that barrier up I couldn’t escape its reach…

The eyes are nonexistent, the throat and balls much the same. The joints that connect its limbs and head are swivel ball joints… but the force needed to affect them…

It’s worth a shot.

Being carried by my new perception speed, I was able to keep dodging for long enough to produce a rather ugly looking giant mallet. A few seconds more and I had a giant nail to go with it. It was scratching the limits of what I could do, and my mana was getting dangerously low-

MP- 209 [11.5 (34.5) per second]

-But it was done. Now for the really dangerous part…

During the golems next swing, I quickly jammed the nail with all my boosted strength into the ball joint of its wrist. It barely got a few centimeters in… but it proved that my plan was feasible!

I didn’t get the time to use my mallet as it lifted the arm back up. I spent about 20 seconds just dodging the next swings- waiting for a good opportunity while regenerating my mana.

It did a double fisted slam into the dirt, sending pieces of wood and rock flying while leaving a pit where it impacted. Perfect.

I slammed my mallet into the nail… driving it maybe an inch deeper. The golem was still recovering so-

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! THUNK!

Runic Golem

HP- 19000

The golems left hand fell to the dirt right as it was lifting its arms. Success! I just need to do it… I glanced at the golem… about 13 more times. I’d go for the legs to limit its mobility but without making it lose at least a single arm, it’ll be able to reach and strike with decent accuracy anywhere around them… and I was on a time limit-

[Physical Enhancement] 40 Sec

[Mental Enhancement] 40 Sec

With the mallet and nail being so heavily strengthened, their cost was proportionally that much more expensive than anything I’d ever made with the Mana Constructs Skill. My mana regen was barely in the positives with an effective rate of 2 per second currently.

So that meant I had no barriers, no rebuffing myself, and all of my damage was effectively forced to come from melee… my complete opposite.

…

BRING IT ON!

I ducked under a swing and followed up by grabbing the nail to haul myself onto its arm, scrambling as best I could, I yanked it free to get further up its arm- using levitation sparingly to avoid being thrown off or swatted away.

I got to its right side- I was betting on the slightly crippled left arm to be its only option of removing me. With that hope in mind, I once again jammed the nail into the top of its ball joint, before hammering away.

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!

Before I could continue I was forced to leap away as its left arm stump slammed my previous position.

Runic Golem

HP- 14000

By dumb luck it had pushed the nail further into the joint and broken off its own arm. By equally dumb misfortune it had also broken the nail. I got my mana regen somewhat back in line… but of course things got worse.

I watched as the barrier which was previously invisible flashed into sight and visibly lessened in radius. Fuck! I was gonna reapply my buffs and wear it down, but now unless I kill it fast enough it could force me into an unwinnable position.

Reapply Buffs or make a new nail? I was currently holding onto the golems back spamming Scan to find its weak spots thinking it was safe, something that I knew was the wrong assumption as its upper torso started spinning in place before sending me flying into the barrier.

(-100 MP)

Ugh!

Shit! Risky stupid(er) plan it is! I buffed myself again while shifting the mallet into a large flat bottomed circular cone the size of my torso. I dodged the expected slam before running between its legs and using my mana whips and the goblin net to briefly tangle its legs while pulling on its upper torso.

The expected happened when it began tilting backward. I spent a moment to place and reinforce the cone before thinning it down and anchoring it into the ground. I then barely managed to leap out of the way as over 30 tons of stone slammed down.

The golem landed directly onto the cone and I heard a slight cracking as it made a small divot into its back… now for the stupid risky part. I made sure to be lying on the ground before a loud THUMP was heard from beneath the golem.

My latest plan was a three parter, the first part involved causing the golem to fall onto the cone, the second part involved causing that cone to then explode using all my mana on the combustion skill I learned earlier…

MP- 35 [11.5 (34.5) per second]

The golem shakily managed to get to its feet with a 4 foot wide hole on its back.

…And the third part was latching on and digging my way into it!

Before it could regain itself, I was already latching onto the hole in its back- ultra hardened mole claws made of mana already on my hands as I started scraping away. The golem was missing an arm, and the other arm just barely lacked enough reach to get me. If it tried that spinny move again I’d have to hold on for dear life, yet even while on the edge of death and feeling horrible pain I grinned savagely!

“I’VE GOT YOU NOW YOU OVERSIZED PEBBLE!”

I saw the only remaining handless arm try to reach for me and fail. It tried the spin move again which forced me to dig the claws in while I felt like vomiting…

[You are physically incapable of such while in your true form]

Oh good, you’re still here. Any tips or advice?

[Don’t die]

Gee thanks…

[Anytime]

So while I’m hanging on for dear life…

[Yes?]

I’m pretty sure this boss could mop the floor with several goblin chiefs… So why is it even an option to fight at all?

[Well… anyone who manages to get through the tutorial with 0 HP damage taken is usually brokenly strong to such a point that the golem is considered a fun challenge. Think about how easy it would be if the person were to start as a Kaiju or Kryptonian]

But I did take damage before then!

[Correction. You took MP damage]

And that doesn’t count?!

[Indeed it does not… on the bright side you seem to be handling it rather well]

The rewards better be worth it!

From there the golems' health kept getting lower, the rotation speed kept getting faster and the dome kept getting smaller- I felt incredibly sick the entire time, and I’m sure it's only due to my race that I wasn’t knocked unconscious. Still, I’d managed to whittle it down.

Runic Golem

HP- 1281

I’d managed to hollow out a decent portion of the golems insides, but I had my MP back so I decided it was time to put this rock down for good. I scraped a little more rock away while aiming for where I felt its mana flow was heaviest, and suddenly the entire golem went stiff.

I was worried it was gonna enter enraged mode or something else ridiculous, but my worry was unfounded as from above, a glowing blue sphere the size of a softball dropped into my lap.

[Runic Golem Core]

State: Idle

…Did I win?

[Level Up x 12!]

HP, MP and SP restored.

I pocket the golem core as a wave of notifications blocks my sight.

Quest (The Beginning) Complete!

Objective 1 - Observe the goblin [x]

Objective 2 - Kill the goblin [x]

Objective 3 - Clear the Dungeon [x]

Bonus- Kill the Hobgoblin Chieftain [x]

Bonus- Defeat the Runic Golem [x]

Reward- ID create, ID escape, 2000xp, $2000, Random Skill Book (Epic)

Samus Cole

Level 16

Class - Healer, lvl 16/100 (12%)

Unique Class - Pure Mage lvl 16/100 (42%)

Race - Anodite (True Form)

Alignment- True Neutral

HP- 100 [20 per minute]

MP - 3890 [36.7 (110.1) per second]

SP - 100 [20 per 30 seconds]

STR - 10

DEX - 10

END - 10

INT - 369

WIS - 367

CHA - 10

LUK - 105

Stat Points - 140

Money - $2368

[Mana Manipulation] (24/100) -> (39/100)

[Mana Whips] (15/100) -> (22/100)

[Scan] (27/100) -> (31/100)

[Mana Constructs] (15/100) -> (24/100)

[Mental Enhancement] (4/100) -> (12/100)

[Physical Enhancement] (8/100) -> (15/100)

[Combustion] (3/100) -> (6/100)

[Levitation] (3/100) -> (5/100)

[Observe] (8/100) -> (12/100)

I drop 90 stat points into DEX, and the rest into END. If I’d had more speed the fight would’ve been so much easier.

DEX - 10 -> 100

END - 10 -> 60

Stat Points - 140 -> 0

Due to Intelligence reaching 200, a Perk was earned

[Mind Partition] Passive

-Can focus on two subjects at the same time.

Due to Intelligence reaching 300, a Perk was earned

[Advanced Mind Partition] Passive

-Can focus on three subjects at the same time.

Due to Wisdom reaching 200, a Perk was earned

[Great Sage] Passive

-Increase XP gain by 25%

Due to Wisdom reaching 300, a Perk was earned

[Been There, Done That] Passive

-You’ve been around the block before. 50% lower chance to make bad decisions.

Due to Luck reaching 100, a Perk was earned

[Lucky Punk] Passive

-Increased money drop chance.

Due to Dexterity reaching 100, a Perk was earned

[Need For Speed] Passive

-Doubles Reaction Speed

[Loot Gained]

6x Polished Rock (Poor)

1x Shiny Stone (Uncommon)

1x Longsword (Uncommon)

1x Summoners Robes (Uncommon)

I equip the robe straight away, the thing looks dope.

3x Medium health potion (Rare)

8x Gacha token (Uncommon)

2x Gacha token (Rare)

1x Gacha token (Epic)

1x Skill book: Golem Creation for dummies (Rare)

Learn [Golem Creation for Dummies]?

[Confirm] [Deny]

I click confirm as a wave of info about how to make some rather basic golems enters my mind. Charmcaster eat your heart out!

You have learned the Skill - [Golem Creation] Active (1/100)

Phew, that should be a-

[Level 5 Milestone Achieved]

[Please choose a production class]

[Alchemist] [Runesmith] [Blacksmith] [Engineer] [Artificer] [Sculptor] [Defiler]

…I’m not taking that last one… Though you’ve made me curious, what does it do?

[Creates abominations… you should realize why it’s an option]

…Fair. Still not picking it though.

[Tch]

Oi! I’m not that bad!

[...]

It was one time!

[Please choose a production class]

…

…Engineer.

[Class Gained! Engineer (1/100)]

+3 Wis and Int per level

Skills Gained

[Create Device]

-Creates basic device, requires materials

[Create Machine]

-Creates machine to serve you, requires materials

[Disassemble Machine]

-Provides an integral understanding of how a machine works after disassembly. Additionally adds the blueprint of any machine you disassemble to your collection.

[Upgrade Machine]

-Spend Mana to improve aspects of a machine or device.

[Blueprint packs added] x 3

-Packs contain 5 random blueprints of machines or devices

Woah… that's a lot of info. Yet just enough to let me know I have a hell of a lot to learn.

[Gamer Shop Unlocked]

As I bring up the shop I’m quickly interrupted by Ridley-

[You can continue browsing after you’re outta here. Get ready]

[Initiating World Jump]

Not even a moment's rest eh?

[3]

[No loitering]

[2]

Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, Jesus Christ?

[1]

[And no soliciting!]

[Initializing]

Holy- where the hell am I? I look around to see I’m sitting by the shuttered window of an extremely fast moving train. With me in the room are a bunch of characters I recognize… Gaige, Salvador, Krieg, Maya, Axton, Zero… and Handsome Jack's face on a welcoming sign overhead.

[Observe]

Maya, lvl 170

Siren, Free canary

Thoughts- Bored, Happy. “Kriegs muscles look nice…”

Krieg, lvl 90

Psycho, Subject 38-751B

Thoughts- Happy. “MEAT PIES MADE OF RUST AND ORPHAN DUST!”

Gaige, lvl 40

Mechromancer, Science fair runner up, Genius

Thoughts- Bored, Tired. “I wonder if I should add more lasers to deathtrap?”

Salvador, lvl 120

Gunzerker, Arsonist, Cannibal, Lunatic, Tax Evader, Threat to civilized society

Thoughts- Bored, Hungry. “I knew I should have cooked up that rat earlier… I wonder what I can scrounge up…”

Zer0, lvl 260

Number, Assassin, Anomaly

Thoughts- Curious, Alert. “That woman in the corner / She scans the perimeter / Is she assessing me?”

Axton, lvl 60

Commando, Bounty hunter

Thoughts- Bored, Alert. “The small hairy guy looks like he wants to eat me…”

I’m at the start of Borderlands 2… which means this train is gonna be attacked before blowing up soon. Luckily I’m wearing my new casters robes which obscure most of my appearance. I go to cast my glamor only to find it already active, thank you Ridley.

[You’re welcome]

I need to ask, can I use my free skill book without drawing attention? On that note, can I use my Gacha Tokens and Blueprint packs without drawing attention?

[They can be taken out of the inventory and used manually, or highlighted in the inventory before use to instantly deposit any loot received straight into the inventory]

So no shiny lights or conspicuous noises if I open them through the inventory?

[None]

Great! I select the skill book and use it with glee.

Learn [Random Skill Book (Epic)]?

[Confirm] [Deny]

Confirm!

You have learned the Skill - [Telekinesis] Active (1/100)

Score! Gonna pull some Vader shit with it for sure. Next up, Blueprint Packs!

Machine Pack Opened x 3

Spidertron (Factorio)

All-Terrain Assault Vehicle

Shard Diffractor (Deep Rock Galactic)

Portable Heavy Weapon

Assaultron (Fallout 4)

Bipedal Robotic Killing Machine

Glaive Beam (FTL)

Anti-Ship Beam Weapon

Fancy Pocket Watch (Mundane)

Time Teller

Omnic Titan (Overwatch)

Mechanized Heavy-Weapon Platform

Caduceus Blaster (Overwatch)

Sci fi pistol

M314 Motion Tracker (Aliens)

Handheld Motion Detector

Hécate II Anti-Material Rifle (Fallout: New Vegas)

Head Remover

Anskum-Pattern Firebomb (Halo)

Classic Sticky Grenade

Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X (Cyberpunk 2077)

Sexiest Motorcycle Known to Man

Broadsider (Fallout 4)

Portable Naval Cannon, Wrist Breaker

211-V Plasma Cutter (Dead Space)

Portable Mining Laser

Stock Tumbler (The Dark Knight Rises)

The more lethal version of Batman's Car

Exosuit (District 9)

Bipedal Repair/Assault Vehicle

Well holy shit… I can immediately see a whole lotta combinations- Glaive beam combined with the Shard Diffractor mounted on an Assaultron, Omnic Titan upgraded using the Exosuit tech… maybe I’ll even make a Broadsider that fires Sticky grenades… I thought the Shard Diffractor needed parts of an alien crystal?

[Certain blueprints will be modified so that you can build them without requiring specific materials]

So if I get, say, Captain America’s shield, I won’t need vibranium?

[It depends, Captain America’s shield would be classified as a Unique or Iconic item depending on the version. Either way would require the base material… though you could just as easily make it from a different material while following the blueprint]

Fair enough… looking at everything makes me instantly wanna get a workshop up and running, I wonder if Gaige would be willing to teach me? Question for after the crash, I’ll roll some Gacha before shit hits the fan-

[Helltaker Music Album] (Uncommon)

[Gray’s Anatomy] (Common)

[A single Earpod] (Trash)

[Snickle] (Trash)

[Packet of Skittles] (Common)

[Companion Summon Token: Trusty Patches (Dark Souls)]

Excuse me what the fuck? I actually stopped for a second at the sheer absurdity of getting the little weasel known as patches for a companion. His middle name may as well be backstab! If anything I’ll feed him to Salvador! Well there goes all my commons… Time for uncommon-

[Bottomless Water Bucket] Epic

[The Big Dwarven Book of Insults] (Legendary)

[27 Tons of Firecrackers] (Uncommon)

[Block of Meteorite Ore] (Rare)

[Mimic Egg] (Rare)

[Particle Beam Rifle] (Uncommon)

[Quad-Barrelled Blunderbuss] (Uncommon)

[Companion Summon Token: Saxton Hale (Team Fortress 2)]

Now that’s more like it! Saxton would absolutely love this crazy dangerous world, deadly wildlife everywhere and giant mega monsters in the vaults! Why he’d probably never want to leave this universe even. Also, that water bucket has enough uses that I can’t even mention it all. Same goes for the beam rifle…

Which universe's meteorite is that by the way? I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that touching it without a clue is a bad idea.

[It’s the one from Terraria. If it were something extremely harmful like what you imagine, it’d be labeled as cursed or possibly biohazard]

Good to know. That wouldn’t happen to be the same meteorite ore capable of making an infinitely firing magic ray gun would it?

[What do you think?]

I think I just found what I’m gonna make the Assaultron out of.

[Your hypothetical death machine grows ever more powerful]

Just as intended… How much time do you reckon I have left?

[About 47 seconds]

…

[Make that 43]

I guess I’ll do one more draw. I’ll save the rares for later… let's see what that Epic Gacha gets me-

[Covenant Spire] (Legendary)

I know I said this before… but holy shit! This item alone gives me weapon blueprints, shielding, anti-gravity, hardlight and reactor tech! Fuck yeah! I can also drop it down and basically have a safe base ready to go! SO MANY OPTIONS!

[So little time]

*Clang*

I turn around to see the sign welcoming us to Pandora has dropped off to reveal another sign welcoming us to our doom (nothing personal). That and loader bots begin appearing and unfolding from the end of the room.

[Observe] (8/100) -> (9/100)

Loader Bot, lvl 25

HP- 1500

Thoughts- N/A

Well… guess it’s showtime. I ‘pull’ the beam rifle from under my cloak and send a shot towards the bots… I’m luckily close enough for it to actually hit too.

(-739 HP)

I hit the bot around its lower torso, which leaves a molten hole behind. I also get-

[Due to an action, a Skill has been generated]

[Shooting] - Passive (1/100)

Should be handy! My next shot goes wide, as does the next 4. …or not. I instead resort to trying out telekinesis- pulling on the bots feet. I succeed and it faceplants on the ground just as Krieg slams his buzz-axe into its back. From there I mainly stay behind the rest with the rifle as we advance through the train.

After killing several bots and Hyperion engineers, We get to the front. Axton kicks in the door leading to drivers cabin, where we’re greeted by a creepy doll with Handsome Jack's mask swivelling in a chair to face us… surrounded by about a ton of explosives. A speaker with Handsome Jack's voice echoes from the doll-

“It’s cute that ya’ll think you’re the heroes of this little adventure, but you’re not. Welcome to Pandora kiddos!”

Really hope I survive this… I surround our group with a round shield a moment before the explosives go off.

*BOOM*