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Tom found himself floating in a familiar void with dozens of icons in front of him. After selecting the Noralon icon, the other icons disappeared.
In front of Tom, the familiar logo of Noralon online expanded into the size of a house, along with multiple options. Moving his digital body, he clicked on the new expansion.
"Welcome to the Noralon Online Frontier Titan Expansion," the epic voice-over guy's voice echoed in the void. "In this expansion, you will build a brand new character before you are unleashed on Noralon. The great goblin hordes, under the instructions of the great titans, have taken over the southern continent, and the northern kingdoms need your help to survive the oncoming storm. Crush your Enemies, and Honor your Allies!!!"
That never got old, no matter how many times he heard it. Tom was just about to get started when an unexpected notification appeared in front of him instead of the character creation.
DING!!!
Welcome to the Final Expansion of The Legend of Noralon.
All of us within Discordia INC. and the team behind the Legend of Noralon would like to thank you for your loyalty over seven years of adventures. Unfortunately, due to foreseen events, the Legend of Noralon Titan Expansion will be the last update. We want to thank all of our loyal fans for their years of dedication. As such, we have prepared a one-time special event for our long-term fans before they embark on their final adventure.
Calculating Premium Rewards, please wait …
"What?!" Tom muttered as he reread the message. "Last update?! What the hell, Discordia?! You can't just shove Premium rewards in my face and gloss over the fact that this is the last expansion. What the hell?!"
DING!!!
Congratulations!!!
We felt terrible about giving premium rewards only to our long-term customers, so for every Player, old and new, who wishes to join the Legend of Noralon, we offer a [Reroll Scroll]. If you feel uncomfortable with your body, you can use this scroll at any time to go back to character creation with no loss in levels.
Okay, this wasn't that great. It was clearly aimed more at the new players, and Tom would probably just sell it. But hey, free money.
DING!!!
Congratulations!!!
You defeated the Eels of the Deep with the Iron Bay Pirates, Defended the Skylords of Lysander from the Dragon Emperor Ter'nok, and rescued all of Noralon from the Apocalypse Monks.
You received the following rewards for completing all of the main storylines of the Legend of Noralon.
You have gained the [Mapping], [Storage], and [System Wiki] personal skills.
[Mapping] - Rare: You have an internal map. It automatically and permanently records details of the terrain you travel over. New information is displayed in full color. Areas of the map lose color as time goes by, indicating that the information portrayed may be outdated. Areas that appear completely black have not yet been explored. The area of the map highlighted by exploration and its detail is increased by 1% per skill level.
[Storage] - Uncommon: You can store items in an extradimensional space. Space equal to your skill level multiplied by 1 meter cubed.
[System Wiki] - Common: Here, you can access basic information about classes, the system, skills, skills, titles, and other system-related information. Increase the amount of information you can access based on skill level.
This was more like it. [Storage] and [Mapping] were cornerstones of any adventurer's kit. Everyone had some variation of those skills. And even if he hadn't picked up, he would have gotten item equivalents of both.
[System Wiki] On the other hand … that one was just garbage despite its rarity. The [System Wiki] skill did offer information, but the Noralon Wiki online contained everything the [System Wiki] did, as well as information on monsters, items, quests, and dozens of subjects. Compared to that, [System Wiki] was just weak. He would probably just sunder it or combine it with something else later on for something better, but it would be no big deal.
DING!!!
Congratulations!!!
You and your guild formed a coalition with twelve other guilds to defeat The Whisper in the Sand. You marched an army through the Sand Sea and slew a Superboss of Noralon, a Titan of old. Based on your deeds, you have been awarded a personalized bonus skill.
You have gained the [Party Leader] personal skill.
[Party Leader] - Rare: You may create a party-sharing experience and be treated as one person for the sake of rewards and events. You may add one person per skill level of this skill.
Tom paused at the words Whisper in the Sand. He still remembered that nightmare well. This whole premium thing was a bit of a walk down memory lane, but the Whisper in the Sand was special. It was one of Noralon's Superbosses. It was famously unbalanced.
It was no Hakkar, the soulflayer, but more along the lines of people assuming the boss was an immortal object unbalanced. That was the raid boss that made him famous as the Death Sovereign. He had lost thousands of undead in that fight, hundreds of hours of work down the drain, not to mention all the money he had spent.
It took the thirty-six top guilds burning hundreds of real-world dollars, billions of in-game currency, two weeks of planning, and more than a few in-game exploits just to put the stupid thing down. His job had been mainly to stall the super boss with a literal army of undeath while everyone else took a break, which was probably why he got [Party Leader]. It was a support skill. It was meaningless on its own, but once he got more skills, that would change.
He opened the following notification, trying to forget about how much money he had wasted on that boss.
DING!!!
Congratulations!!!
You have received a [SystemToken] for playing The Legend of Noralon since the game's initial release.
[SystemToken]: This item allows the user to bypass the requirements for any class, race, skill, or bloodline requirement during character creation.
Ok, that was just bullshit. He could get a legendary class right out of the gate, but he couldn't use it. Tom had already been dubbed the healer, and as much as he wanted to ditch the role, he wouldn't do so at the expense of his friends.
Tom thought back to the class options, running through his memories of legendary classes, hoping there was something healer-ish. But he got nothing. There were some mythic classes, but nothing worth the token.
He looked over the notification again, and a thought occurred to him. He could get a Bloodline.
Typically, if he wanted a bloodline, he would have to roll for it in character creation for a 1 in 20 chance at having a random bloodline, or he would have to go through multiple dangerous, complex, and potentially expensive rituals in order to obtain something halfway useful. Honestly, he preferred the second option, as that gave him a choice instead of locking him into a pre-existing role.
But if he could pick and choose a bloodline. That could work. If he was going to be stuck grabbing support classes, a good bloodline could mitigate the problem. And if he could pick and choose at the start of the game … that was a game-changer.
Oh, this was going to be fun. With this mind made up, he dove into the character creation. The first part was his first choice of race and gender. He picked male without a second thought. He wasn't like Alex, switching genders for fun, nor was he transgender, and he had already tried being a girl once to satisfy his curiosity, not that he would tell anyone that. As such, he stuck with being a male, as that was what he was comfortable with. His choice of race was a much more difficult one.
There were elves, dwarves, orcs, amazons, beast-kin, and on and on. The list went on and on. Before long, Tom's eyes started to glaze over as he tried to look at his options. Finally, he picked one at random to see its stats.
Race: Orc
Description: Orcs sit at the crossroads between two species, eternally at war: the [Humanoids] and the [Goblinoids]. Orcs have been raiders, traders, and poets, but above all, Orcs are nomadic, never settling in one area for too long, lest they become unwelcome. They are often forced to wander, not at home in any location, due to their heritage.
Racial Skill: [Tireless] - Lesser: Reduce all active stamina costs by 0.5% per skill level
Racial Skill: [Brutal] - Common: When your target is at 25% hp, you can [Execute] them. Killing the target instantly. When you do [Execute] them, all enemies around you have a chance to be afflicted with [Terror] equal to your skill level.
Racial Type: [Humanoid]: you count as a [Humanoid] with all of the strengths and weaknesses
Racial Type: [Goblinoid]: you count as a [Goblinoid] with all of the strengths and weaknesses
As an Orc, you receive a bonus to your attributes per skill level: +3 to Strength, +2 to Constitution, +2 to Spirit, and +1 to Ego.
Tom ignored the Orc while it was interesting. It was geared towards a [Warrior] build with no magical potential, which was not what he was looking for. What he wanted was a healer. He wanted a bonus for intelligence, perception, will, or maybe charisma stats.
Race: Human
Description: Humans are one of the most numerous races on Noralon. They are among the shortest-lived, but they make up for it in their ability to survive nearly anything. Some humans have had holes punched through their brains and have survived. Despite being nearly unkillable, humans are highly social creatures and breed like rabbits.
Racial Skill: [Pursuit Hunter] - Lesser: Reduce passive Stamina costs, such as running and working out, by 0.99% per skill level
Racial Skill: [Storyteller] - Inferior: +10% to your Charisma stat
Racial Type: [Humanoid]: you count as a [Humanoid] with all of the strengths and weaknesses
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As a human, you receive a bonus to your attributes per skill level: +3 Constitution +2 Endurance +2 Spirit +1 Ego.
Race: High Elf - Alfar
High elves are the longest-lived of all [Humanoids]. Unfortunately, while their long lives have granted them great wisdom, it has also led to a certain degree of arrogance and scorn for the shorter-lived races.
Racial skill: [Manipulator] - Common: you are better able to spot tells and manipulate people's actions by 1% per skill level.
Racial skill: [Mana Stability] - Lesser: Your spells are more stable, reducing the WILL requirement for all spells by 0.5% per skill level
Racial skill: [Humanoid]: you count as a [Humanoid] with all of the strengths and weaknesses
As a High Elf, you receive a bonus to your attributes per skill level: +3 to Charisma, +2 to Intelligence, +2 to Will, and +1 to Constitution.
Race: Halfling
Description: Halflings are a small, nimble, and clever race. They live in tightly-knit communities and value family, friendships, and a simple, comfortable life. They are also considered fat, short, hairy-footed vermin who do nothing but eat.
Racial skill: [Lionheart] - Inferior: you have a 1% chance per skill level to ignore any [Terror] based effect.
Racial skill: [Eat, Drink, and be Merry] - Common: The effects and flavor of all food and drink you produce through cooking, farming, brewing, or hunting increase by 3% per skill level.
Racial skill: [Humanoid]: you count as a [Humanoid] with all of the strengths and weaknesses
As a Halfling, you receive a bonus to your attributes per skill level: +3 to Dexterity, +2 to Agility, +2 to Luck, and +1 to Constitution.
"[Lionhearts] is pretty good, and [Eat, Drink and Be Merry] is useful if I want to go the [Beast Tamer] or [Druid] route," Tom mumbled to himself. "Human and High Elf are good if I'm going to be the face of the party. High Elf gives a bonus to Charisma, too. But it leaves me a bit too squishy."
In the end, he didn't go with any of them. While many races were an okay fit, he was trying to min max. That just meant he was going to have to go for a hybrid. Some Hybrids, like half-orcs, could give higher-tier skills. In this case, he would combine [Human] and [High Elf] to combine [Storyteller] and [Manipulator] into something better.
Race: Half-Elf
Description: Hybrid races are often a mix of their partage races, including the stats; however, the child will often favor the mother.
Racial skill: [Analyze Person] - Uncommon: By combining the [Storyteller] and [Manipulator] skills, you have become a student of the human condition, able to read how people tick, see through their lies, and anticipate their behavior. Increase the effectiveness of this skill by 3% per skill level.
Racial skill: [Best of Both Worlds] - Uncommon: You have the benefits of both humans and elves gaining a human's temperament with an elven lifespan. Increase all XP gains by 1% per skill level.
Racial Type: [Humanoid]: you count as a [Humanoid] with all of the strengths and weaknesses
As a hybrid race, your Racial bonuses will be split between [Human] and [High Elf] Options. As you are still in character creation, you may choose your Racial Bonus.
Make your choices: --
Please select four Racial Stats from the eight options below. You must select two from each, and one of them must be Constitution or Endurance.
* [Human]: +3 Constitution +2 Endurance +2 Spirit +1 Ego
* [High Elf]: +3 Charisma +2 Intelligence +2 Will +1 Constitution
Bonus selected: +3 to Will, +2 to Constitution, +2 to Charisma, and +1 to Spirit per skill level.
"Alright," Tom began, "Okay, I just need to alter my appearance." Tom smiled as he accepted the half-elf race as his race.
His avatar appeared before him, and Tom just stared in stunned silence. What the fuck was he looking at? He stared at the near-perfect copy of himself staring back at him blankly, the only difference being he had slightly pointed ears and he was in his underwear.
“I can’t tell if this is an amazing update or just outright creepy,” Tom muttered.
He had to admit he wasn't what anyone would call handsome. His hair was a mop of curly straw, his eyes were a bit too bright a shade of blue, his waistline sported a third tire, and an unhealthy amount of teenage ache covered his face.
"Thank you, Mom and Dad, for feeding me nothing but McDonald's," Tom muttered.
He absently wondered if he should change his appearance or just randomize it into something else. Nah.
He immediately got to work making his ideal version of himself. He trimmed off his fat and removed the ache. He gave himself enough muscle to look good, but he didn't want to look too buff. He altered his hair color, changing the limp straw hair with what looked like locks of spun gold. He turned his eyes into sapphires. He gave himself an extra foot of height, bringing him to a little over 6 feet tall. And finally, he gave himself a twelve-inch penis because he was an immature teenager, and the idea of having a massive shlong appealed to him. Finally, he accepted his choices and moved on to his magic.
Please select your Magic Affinities --- You have 400% to distribute
Fire - 10%
Water - 10%
Earth - 0%
Air - 0%
Light - 10%
Dark - 0%
Life - 10%
Death - 5%
Honestly, it was unimportant in the long run. A person could just pick up any classes they wanted with enough hard work. In the short term, it would allow him to pick up some specific mage classes early on. He had been thinking about this all day, and he had figured out the perfect combination of affinities for him as a healer.
Please select your Magic Affinities ---
Fire - 30%
Water - 100%
Earth - 100%
Air - 30%
Light - 80%
Dark - 10%
Life - 90%
Death - 45%
Now, he could pick up Water, Earth, Light, and Life magic right off the bat. He could still pick up the other magics, but he would have to find spells or a source for the affinities he had below 50. Finally, he moved on to the last part of character creation.
Please Roll for Bloodlines and Mutations
ROLL
Tom pressed the button, not expecting much. There was only a 1 in 20 chance for him to get a bloodline.
DING!!!
You have inherited no Bloodline
Would you like to use a System Token to grant you a bloodline heritage
Y/N
Well, that was to be expected. He hadn’t really expected to get a good bloodline. He mainly had just been hoping against hope that he wouldn’t need to spend the system token. But he wasn’t that lucky.
You have used System Token to unlock a Bloodline
Please select the Bloodline of your choice
Bloodline of Vainqueur the Dragon (Rarity - Legendary)
Bloodline of the Storm King (Rarity - Legendary)
Bloodline of the Azerinth Healer (Rarity - Legendary)
Bloodline of the Chaotic Craftsman (Rarity - Legendary)
Bloodline of the Primal Hunter (Rarity - Legendary)
Bloodline of the Tunnel Rat (Rarity - Legendary)
Bloodline of The Apocalypse Redux (Rarity - Legendary)
Bloodline of the Tree of Aeon (Rarity - Legendary)
Bloodline of the Jackal Among Snakes (Rarity - Legendary)
Bloodline of the Chrysalis (Rarity - Legendary)
….
Tom stared at all the options. He was going to kill his friends for making him the healer. Unfortunately, despite his desire to do so, he couldn't take any of the blatantly awesome choices. He scrolled down and down until he found what he wanted.
Congratulations!!! You have retroactively Awakened The Bloodline of the Inkheart.
[Bloodline of the Inkheart] - (Rarity - Ancient)
Harness the power of words as your essence intertwines with ink and paper. With this bloodline, your mastery over written and spoken language is unparalleled.
1. [The Pen is Mightier than the Sword]: Harness the power of the written word to create magical literature. Write with any medium. With increased quality and accuracy, you can produce books, skill books, spellbooks, scrolls, and talismans. Gain +1.25% Scribing Mastery, +5% to writing speed, and reduce errors in your writing by 1% per skill level.
2. [Words of Power]: Master the arcane language of runes, glyphs, rituals, magic circles, and formations. Your comprehension of these words of power is profound, allowing you to read and write them with ease. Increase your comprehension of magical inscriptions and symbols by 5% per skill level.
3. [Knowledge]: Your mind functions as an impeccable archive, retaining every piece of information you've ever encountered. With this skill, your ability to organize and recall knowledge improves by 1% per skill level, ensuring that no detail escapes your memory.
4. [Gift of Tongues]: Your natural understanding of language has allowed you to quickly learn and speak foreign languages, even ancient and forbidden tongues. Increase your knowledge of all languages by 1% per skill level. Increase your Speech Mastery by 1.25% per skill level.
5. [Wordsmith]: Words hold immense power, and the right words can shake the world. With this skill, you gain perfect command over language, allowing you to correct and refine written or spoken words to align with your intentions. Enhance your ability to choose the right words to achieve desired outcomes, improving clarity and impact by 5% per skill level. Increase your Speech and Scribe Mastery by 1.25% per skill level. For a small mana cost, you can correct any writing to reflect your intentions.
6. [My Mind is My Temple]: Fortify your mental defenses and guard your thoughts. Gain a +1% resistance to all mental effects per skill level while simultaneously shrouding your thoughts from others, making it difficult for them to read or influence your mind.
7. +5 INT per skill level
It wasn't even close to a top-tier bloodline with only six skills and one stat booster, but it would become utterly overpowered when combined with the right classes. Also, it saved him six skills he would have otherwise had to buy to make the combat portion of his class work.
Once he was done, he checked over his character one more time. All he had left to do was to pick his name. For some odd reason, he decided to use his real name. Tomus Bruner
DING!!!
Welcome to Noralon Player
We wish you a happy new life and a happy apocalypse.
"What's up with the happy apocalypse part?" Tom asked. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't there befo--"
Tom was cut off as he fell into the void.
You may skip to the next chapter.
Name: Tom Bruner
Race: Half-Elf ()
Type: Humanoid
LVL: 0
SubRace: High Elf / Caucasian
Age 18
Health: 1
Stamina: 0
Mana: 0
Health Regen: 0 per hour
Stamina Regen: 0 per min
Mana Regen: 0 per min
Immune
None
Resistances
Mental 1%
Weakness
None
Bane
Manslayer
Classes: None
Total
STR: 0
AGIL: 0
DEX: 0
CON: 0
END: 0
PER: 0
INT: 0
WILL: 0
SPIRIT: 0
EGO: 0
CHA: 0
LCK: 0
Base
STR: 0
AGIL: 0
DEX: 0
CON: 0
END: 0
PER: 0
INT: 0
WILL: 0
SPIRIT: 0
EGO: 0
CHA: 0
LCK: 0
Personal:
Racial:
Bloodline: +5 INT
Bloodline
[Bloodline of Inkheart] - Ancient: Your blood has turned into ink as the sum total of written wisdom has coalesced within your veins.
- [The Pen is Mightier than the Sword] - Level 1
- [Words of Power] - Level 1
- [Knowledge] - Level 1
- [Gift of Tounges] - Level 1
- [Wordsmith] - Level 1
- [My Mind is My Temple] - Level 1
- +5 INT per Level
Skill Slots: 06/60: Skill Points: 0
Personal Skills
- [Party Leader] - Level 1
- [Analyze Person] - Level 1
- [Best of Both Worlds] - Level 1
- [Storage] - Level 1
- [Mapping] - Level 1
- [System Wiki] - Level 1