With the firewood replaced and the campfire once more lit, Pier, Ser, Lyos, and Gourd enjoyed some bread that Ser and Gourd had brought over from the nearby town. As they ate, Lyos remembered something.
“Oh, we haven’t finalized our leveling yet.”
“You're right,” Ser responded, “I’m pretty sure those slimes gave me just enough experience.” Leveling? Experience? Is this a game? I already confirmed that this world is a fantasy setting, but does it also have RPG elements? I quite like RPG games, though I never really got invested in the LitRPG genre–Pier thought.
“I’ll start after we finish eating,” Lyos said before taking a bite out of her bread.
“Oh, Pier, are you familiar with leveling?” Gourd asked as he swallowed a piece of bread.
“No, not really,” Pier said, though it wasn’t entirely true.
“Well you see, for some reason when you defeat a monster some of its data is transferred from it to you through Beelze Particles,” Despite not knowing what Beelze Particles were, Pier still intently listened to Gourd’s explanation, “While normally this wouldn’t do anything, by using magic this information can be used to enhance an individual. This allows people to gradually become more and more powerful, letting them defeat even greater foes. However, this process called ‘leveling up’ does have its flaws. First, the amount of information, or experience if you prefer that, increases exponentially every time you level up. Second, when you level up you won’t know how it affects you and it's not possible to focus the effect of leveling up onto individual attributes. Third, some people can’t increase their level past a certain point, this ‘level cap’ is random and you can cap at either level 9 or level 150, it’s all based on the person.” What? This is literally just a RPG. Though the fact that I won’t be able to distribute my stats will be a bit annoying, and that level cap is definitely a bug. Wait, this isn’t a game–Pier thought as Gourd finished his explanation.
“So what level are you guys?”
“Well I’m level 19, Ser is level 24, and Lyos is level 22. Our missing party member Reice was the highest level at 29, but you’re already aware of that situation. Luckily, none of us have hit a level cap yet.”
“So does everyone start at level 1 then?”
“Sometimes, usually people start at the single digits, the most common levels for people to start on are levels 4, 5, and 6.”
“How do you know what level someone is at?” This question prompted Lyos to interject herself into the conversation.
“There’s actually a spell that's commonly used by the Adventurers’ Guild at monthly intervals to check Adventurers’ levels. The spell communicates with surrounding Beelze Particles and it's actually the Beelzes that will assess someone's strength and the caster will just simply record the number given by the particles. It’s actually quite-” Gourd coughed loudly, interrupting Lyos before she could start a long rant about magic and spells.
“Anyway, we’ll be able to check your level when we get into town, however we still need to figure out how we’re going to get you registered with the Adventurers’ Guild.” All four of them sat in silence as they each thought of their own ways to get Pier registered.
“Sometimes the Guild will register people without identification if they have proof of their achievements. It’s one of their more recent policy changes since some people might not want others knowing who they are.” Ser said as he fiddled with a small chunk of bread.
“Why did they even make that policy?” Lyos questioned.
“Not sure, might have to do with the fact that the Guildmaster is supposedly part of the first Guildmaster’s bloodline.”
“Is that so?” Gourd said before eating the last of his bread.
“We might be able to take advantage of that if we can get Pier to clear some dungeons. We’ll start tomorrow but for today we’ll be returning to town with Pier.”
“Could you finally be realizing that Pier isn’t some kind of dangerous monster?” Lyos teased. Ser chose to not respond to Lyos’s remarks and instead turned his attention to Pier.
“Pier, the town we’re heading to is called Ivell. It’s a hotspot for Adventurers since it's located west of Metridium where all of the borders to the other big countries are. Since so many Adventurers pass through here, the Adventurers’ Guild has a lot of influence and funds here making it a pretty nice spot for Adventurers new and old to relax in while waiting for more requests. It’ll be pretty easy to get you set up with some gear so you can start to take on some weaker monsters. You’ll be joining me taking on monsters head-on while Gourd and Lyos provide rear support.”
“A-Alright.” Pier hesitantly said, overwhelmed with the amount of things Ser was telling him about in such a short amount of time.
“Also, I don’t think you’re a dangerous monster,” Ser whispered.
“Hehe, thanks, I guess.” As everyone finished eating their bread, the Sun began to sink below the horizon, and the campfire’s flames began to wither away, Lyos began checking everyone’s eligibility to level up.
“It would seem that you were right Ser, those small slimes really did give you enough experience to level up. I’ll start now,” Lyos explained.
“Alright.” Lyos summoned forth her staff and began the spell. Her staff was made up of a faded gold wood adorned with rings of light blue metals. The head of the staff had a large orange jewel surrounded with two rings of metal that connected to the rest of the staff.
“Ah yes, Pier you probably don’t fully understand how magic even works, do you?” Gourd asked in an offering tone.
“No, I don’t know anything about how magic works here, Lyos used a spell when we first met but the incantation seemed a bit short.”
“I suppose. Some believe that magic comes from the gods like those heathens up in Ankyr, but the truth of it is that magic comes from these tiny things we call Beelze Particles or Beelzes for short. These particles hold information in the form of energy, and when a mage uses a spell they are effectively ordering the Beelzes to do as they command with said energy. This takes the form of incantations as that’s the easiest way of using spells, though some special mages can communicate with Beelzes subconsciously,” As Gourd gave Pier a lesson in magic and spells, Lyos continued with her incantation.
“Reward Strength. Reward Gluttony. Reward Conquest. Usurpation!” An odd, spontaneous blue luminescence surrounded both Lyos and Ser as Lyos finished the incantation. Following the luminescence, floating balls of light of the same blue hue began to circle Ser. The light orbs soon had ethereal tendrils reaching out for Ser, the ends of the tendrils running across Ser’s body as though it was feeling him. The tendrils began to slow their movement before pulling back and stabbing into his body. The ends of the tendrils resonated with Ser, fluctuating with magic and glowing brighter and brighter. The glow of the light orbs slowly lessened the longer the tendrils stayed connected to Ser until the orbs fully dissipated.
“Welp, that's that. I’ll be taking over your magic lecture now, Gourd,” Lyos said as she walked over with her staff resting over her shoulder, “Pier, the first thing you need to understand about mages is how we actually become mages in the first place.”
“Is there a process for becoming a mage?” Pier asked.
“Of course there is! Afterall, not everybody can just talk to miniscule particles that have the capacity to use magic. In order to use magic and be formally recognized as a mage, you have to undergo a procedure called ‘Beelze Infecting.’ The procedure uses this thing called a syringe to inject a Beelze Particle into the back of your neck. When the Beezle is injected into your neck, it mutates and slowly expands as your body assimilates it. If your body accepts the Beelze after a few days, then you’ll be able to communicate with Beelze Particles letting you use spells. One of the signs of someone being an advanced mage is if they have a staff or some form of a magical foci. The process of making a foci is fairly simple, but difficult to complete. In order to make one you have to pull a small portion of the Beezle Particle in you, or as a lot of people call it a ‘Nerve’ Beezle, and conduct a spell to create it a shell to exist in. The shell will often choose its form based on who the caster is. If done right, then you’ll have a tool to enhance your magic’s efficiency and potency. Having a foci also helps with ranged magic that you need to manually aim.”
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“I see. Not what I expected, that’s for sure.”
“If you want to become a mage, I know a facility in Metridium that can do an Infecting with a lesser amount of pain than usual. They were a godsend for me,” Lyos said in a lustful tone, as though she was excited by the prospect of turning Pier into a mage. Ser gently bonked Lyos on the head before speaking.
“Alright then, we’re to leave for Ivell now, we should be in town before midnight. Once we’re there we’ll spend the night at an inn and start building up Pier’s rep tomorrow.” As all four of them left the campsite, Ser whispered something to Pier.
“By the way, I wouldn’t recommend getting an Infecting done, supposedly it feels like a sword going through your neck. That was according to Reice though, so don’t quote me on that.” Upon hearing this, Pier decided against becoming a mage, even if it meant he wouldn’t be able to use magic.
----------------------------------------
Pier woke up in a place that was neither Ivell nor even the forest that he, Lyos, Ser, and Gourd were walking through. He stood up from the floor only to find that there was seemingly no floor. Below him was a pitch black darkness that seemed endless, but he was standing on it perfectly fine without any form of resistance or feeling of falling into the abyss. Looking up, the sky was a muddle of grays that seemingly never changed except for the pillars of darkness off in the horizon that seemed to go as high as the sky itself, though there was no discernible end to both the far-off pillars and the gray sky.
“Hello! Is anybody there?!” Pier called out, confused as to where he was. First, I got isekai’d, and now I’m in purgatory. Great–Pier thought to himself as he observed the empty horizon. A quiet clicking sound caught the attention of Pier, he turned behind him to find nothing. The clicking noise moved to his right, then to his left, and then it was surrounding him. Slowly, a darkness began to enclose onto Pier, the clicking sound only becoming more apparent. The clicks began to reverberate as the dark mass closed the distance between Pier and it. As well, thin lanes of purple luminescence would appear and disappear in sync with the clicks, as though it was breathing. As the mass ceased its advance, Pier began to be able to make out what the mass as the purple luminescence revealed its body. The clicking sounds were being produced by loose scales that would lift upwards and fall back down onto each other with every breath. The purple light was actually the skin of the mass, only being revealed when its scales were lifted by its breathing. This poses a question that Pier was going to have answered very soon: Where’s the head that it’s breathing from? Pier followed its snaky body, searching for the end of its body. His search stopped when he came across an area on its vantablack body where no purple luminescence was being produced. He took a hesitant step forward, and a burst of purple light greeted him in return. Once his eyesight returned, he found himself staring down a single purple eye whose pupil was oddly shaped like a hexagon with one of its vertices pointed straight down. The creature blinked and suddenly there was text in the center of its pupil. Colored the same as its eye, it read:
[WELCOME, HOMUNCULUS]
It blinked again and the text changed once more.
[YOU HAVE BEEN DEEMED ELIGIBLE TO USE THE SCALING SYSTEM]
[CLASSIFICATION: INTELLIGENT HOMUNCULUS]
[SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES: GHOST & SLIME]
[USER’S VESSEL IS INCAPABLE OF USING SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES, PLEASE INCREASE YOUR LEVEL SO THAT YOU MAY PROPERLY UTILIZE THESE ABILITIES]
[USER’S LEVEL IS CURRENTLY 10]
[THE USER WILL HAVE THEIR STAT POINTS AUTOMATICALLY ASSIGNED FOR THESE LEVELS. HOWEVER, FUTURE STAT POINTS WILL HAVE TO BE ASSIGNED MANUALLY BY THE USER]
[EXTENDING SCALING SYSTEM PERMISSIONS TO USER]
[PLEASE ENTER A NAME FOR THE SYSTEM TO RECOGNIZE YOU AS]
Reading the text as it appeared and disappeared, Pier was both confused and excited by the possible prospects offered by this supposed Scaling System. Gourd said that you couldn’t level up individual attributes, but it would seem that with this System I can. Interesting, but what’s this about my classification as a homunculus? I guess I can figure that out later–Pier thought as he entered his name.
[WELCOME, PIER. THE SCALING SYSTEM IS YOURS TO USE]
– –STATUS– –
HP: 200/200 SP: 50/50
PHY. ATK: 100 MAG. ATK: 100 DEF: 10
VIT: 10 AGI: 10
STR: 10 INT: 10
END: 10
PASSIVE EFFECTS: GHOST FACTOR, SLIME FACTOR
AVAILABLE STAT POINTS: 0
Pier rested his chin in his hand as he thought–I mean, this is cool and all, but I don’t even know what half of these stats are. Suddenly, the eye blinked and an additional window opened to the right of the Status screen.
– – GLOSSARY – –
HP: HP stands for Hitpoints. The Hitpoints of the User is a numerical evaluation of how far or close the User is from death. 100% indicates a fully healthy User. 0% indicates that the User has died. Dropping below 50% HP will begin to hinder the User’s ability to live. The severity of this hindering will increase at a regular interval if the User continues to drop in Hitpoints. The higher this number, the more damage the User can take before dying.
SP: SP stands for Stamina Points. The Stamina Points of the User is a numerical evaluation of how energetic or tired the User is. 100% indicates a fully active User. 0% indicates an over-exerted User. Staying at 0% SP for too long will result in the User losing HP. This effect will not end until the User is dead. The higher this number, the longer the User can stay active for.
PHY. ATK: PHY. ATK stands for Physical Attack. Physical Attack is a numerical evaluation of the User’s ability to damage opponents using physical attacks. The higher this number, the more damage physical attacks will do.
MAG. ATK: MAG. ATK stands for Magical Attack. Magical Attack is a numerical evaluation of the User’s ability to damage opponents using magical attacks. The higher this number, the more damage magical attacks will do.
DEF: DEF stands for Defense. Defense is a numerical evaluation of the User’s resistance to attacks. The higher this number, the less damage the User will take from attacks.
VIT: VIT stands for Vitality. Vitality is a stat that dictates the User’s maximum HP. For every stat point given to Vitality, 20 HP will be added to the User’s maximum HP.
AGI: AGI stands for Agility. Agility is a stat that dictates the User’s maximum SP. For every stat point given to Agility, 5 SP will be added to the User’s maximum SP.
STR: STR stands for Strength. Strength is a stat that dictates the User’s PHY. ATK. For every stat point given to Strength, 10 PHY. ATK will be added to the User’s maximum PHY. ATK.
INT: INT stands for Intelligence. Intelligence is a stat that dictates the User’s MAG. ATK. For every stat point given to Intelligence, 10 MAG. ATK will be added to the User’s maximum MAG. ATK.
END: END stands for Endurance. Endurance is a stat that dictates the User’s Defense. For every stat point given to Endurance, 1 Defense will be added to the User’s maximum Defense.
GHOST FACTOR: The Ghost Factor is a special attribute given to homunculi that have had a ghost or other related undead monster fused with them during their creation. This factor will passively decrease the User’s maximum Physical Attack and Defense, and increase the User’s maximum Magical Attack. This attribute will grant the User additional abilities as they level up.
SLIME FACTOR: The Slime Factor is a special attribute given to homunculi that have had a slime monster fused with them during their creation. This factor will passively decrease the User’s maximum Magical Attack and Defense, and increase the User’s maximum Physical Attack. This attribute will grant the User additional abilities as they level up.
“That’s a lot of stuff,” Pier remarked as he scanned the Glossary window, “Seems like these Ghost and Slime Factors are canceling each other out in the attack department, but both of them are lowering my overall defense. Honestly, it’ll probably be best if I avoid increasing my Defense seeing as how it only gives 1 point per. In that case, it looks like a glass cannon build will probably be my only option.” As Pier began to step away from the purple eye, one last message appeared.
[RECOMMENDATION: RESCUE REICE]
Before Pier could even make a response, the purple eye disappeared, leaving Pier alone in the dark once more.