“My father?” Silver said, alarmed. “What?”
I nodded weakly, “Right as I was going to leave the club, he came in with a minion of his. Beat the shit out of me.”
Silver’s hands started trembling, and she turned around, walking out of the room without a second word. Zuri looked at her retreating back, concerned.
“Go, make sure she’s okay,” I grunted.
“Are you sure?” Zuri turned to me.
“Yeah,” I nodded weakly. “I’m alright... I’ll be alright. Go check in with Silver. She knows her father is a monster, but still, that reaction is weird. See if she knows something.”
Zuri hesitated and placed her hand on mine. She was warm. She leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Okay, but can we get a party up so I can be a thought away?” She paused before saying quickly, “Just in case you need me.”
I turned to look at her, her face less than an inch away from mine. I could feel her breath on my lips. Her scent filled my head. I grimaced and shook my head. “Sorry. I have some things to discuss with Hob. Private things that I can’t talk about while in a party until we figure out how to filter party chat and individual chat.”
She huffed and leaned back, crossing her arms. “Very well. I’ll try to stay within text message range, but I’ll come to check in on you in a few minutes either way, alright?”
“Alright,” I replied and gave her a smile. She sniffed imperiously and smiled back before shaking her head and leaving the room.
My sleepy, tired expression faded as soon as the door closed.
“Hob, you alright?” I asked.
The window at the corner of my vision had been empty since I woke up, but the little pangolin appeared at my words. Hob was wearing a bowtie. It was adorable. “Indeed, sir!” he gave me a little wave.
“Where you been, bud?”
Hob scratched his chin. “I have been working on a… personal project, sir. Whenever you don’t need me, I dedicate all my resources, including those of the user interaction interface, to said task. No, I won’t say what it is. It’s a surprise.” he added with a cheeky smirk.
"Fair enough," I said with a mental shrug and smiled faintly. "Let's do some housekeeping, shall we? It's been long overdue, and I go mad if I don’t get any answers."
"Very well, Sir," Hob replied. "I suggest we begin with your notifications. They have been piling up for some time now."
"Alright," I agreed, "Can you condense them so they can be as brief as possible?"
"I can try, Sir, but it's a lot, so no promises," he replied.
"Just your best will be enough, bud," I reassured him and turned my attention to the blinking notification alert in the corner of my vision.
----------------------------------------
[COMBAT LOG]
Your Party has Defeated:
[Ignateous Toriklas - Omega Shard 1.86.11.5 - Level 4] x1
[Human (Name Unknown) - Average Level: 9] x 12
[Fluxborn Ringshaper (Name Unknown) - Level 12] x1
[Sothog Lakona - Omega 3.244.9 - Level 10] x1
[Janice (Last Name Unkown) - Level 13] x1
[Varhas Corax - Level ???] x1
Calculating Bonuses…
Allocating XP based on Contribution…
XP Earned: 1094
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I gaped at the amount. That was more than double what I’d earned up until now.
----------------------------------------
[Level up!] x4
Congratulations. You are level 11.
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[ATTRIBUTE POINTS EARNED]
Strength: +8 | Dexterity: +12
Perception: +4 | Endurance: +4
Intelligence: +4 | Wisdom: +4
Unallocated Attribute Points: 14
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Ah, shit. I forgot to allocate my points last time I leveled up. I looked at my stats and tossed all of them into Wisdom. It was still my lowest statistic, but the gap between it and my second lowest statistic, Endurance, had decreased from the initial 30 points at level 1 to only 7.
The surge of strength made me gasp, my injured body protesting at the changes, yet that pain slowly faded to be replaced with a feeling of power.
“Mmm... Much better…” I sighed in contentment and opened the next notification.
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[Skill Level up!]
[Lucky Shot] Level 5 to Level 7
[Tight Grip] Level 2 to Level 4
[Pain Tolerance] Level 1 to Level 6
[Magma Bullet] Level 4 to Level 5
[Apostate’s Blade] Level 1 to Level 4
[Sothog’s Lament] Level 1 to Level 3
[Uncanny Dodge] Level 1 to Level 4
----------------------------------------
I snorted at [Pain Tolerance] jumping up 5 whole levels. Considering the amount of pain I went through and was currently going through, it felt appropriate. I just wish it had a greater effect.
I couldn’t help but feel satisfaction at nearly all of my skills growing. With a smile on my face and giddy with anticipation, I continued looking through my notifications.
The next set of windows did not disappoint.
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[NEW PASSIVE SKILL ACQUIRED]
[Eternal Warrior]
Rank: Epic | Level: 1/50
Effect: For every 5% of HP lost, gain a 2% increase in all damage output and a 1% speed boost. Reduces the cooldown of all active skills by 0.5% for every 10% of HP lost.
Effects scale with Endurance, Strength, and Skill Level.
“In the face of death, Harden your resolve. Turn desperation into power.”
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[NEW STANCE ACQUIRED]
[Unflinching Fortitude]
Rank: Rare | Level: 1/30
Cost: 3 Mana per Second
Effect: Focus your gem’s processing power on enhancing your Strength and Endurance by 10% at the cost of 10% Wisdom and 10% Dexterity.
Effect scales with Intelligence and Skill Level. Cost decreases with Skill Level.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
“It doesn’t matter how strong an attack is if you are stronger.”
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[NEW ACTIVE SKILL ACQUIRED]
[Metal Storm]
Rank: Uncommon | Level: 1/20
Cost: 25 Mana
Effect: Shatter your next shot, increasing its damage and spread at the cost of penetration and individual projectile damage.
Effects Scale with Skill Level.
"Dodge this!"
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[NEW ACTIVE SKILL ACQUIRED]
[Razor Tempest]
Rank: Epic | Level: 1/50
Cost: 60 Mana
Effect: Unleash a flurry of rapid, precision strikes within 3 seconds, each hit landing with 50% effectiveness and inflicting a stack of [Razor Bomb] on your target.
Once the effect ends, your next strike will detonate all stacks of [Razor Bomb].
High chance of inflicting Bleeding.
Effect scales with Skill Level.
Cooldown: 4 Minutes
"Dance with the fury of the tempest."
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I opened and closed my mouth several times without making a sound.
“Sir, is everything alright?” Hob asked, his voice tinged with concern.
I was still stunned. “I.. uh. Yeah. Everything is alright. Better than alright.” I said, reading the notifications over and over again. “Two epic-ranked skills. That’s insane. Not that [Unflinching Fortitude] and [Metal Storm] aren’t impressive, mind you.”
I mentally selected [Razor Bomb], eager to learn more.
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[Razor Bomb]
Effect: Each strike during [Razor Tempest] inflicts a stack of [Razor Bomb] on the target. Each stack stores energy equivalent to 50% of the hit's effectiveness (scales with [Razor Tempest] level).
Upon the conclusion of [Razor Tempest], the next successful hit detonates all accumulated stacks, releasing their stored energy as additional slashing damage.
Stacks of [Razor Bomb] begin to decay 5 seconds after no more stacks are applied, losing one stack per second.
"Each slice is a promise for an explosive crescendo."
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“Wow,” I breathed. “Now that’s a skill. No wonder it has a cooldown.”
Hob nodded sagely. “At this point, even if you had the MP for it, using it any quicker would cause damage to the gem. As you get stronger, the cooldown should reduce.”
“Fair enough,” I said, nodding with a grin. Getting stronger sounded good. Speaking of which…
----------------------------------------
[NEW ACHIEVEMENT]
[Iconoclast’s Stand]
You fought a Faithful 25 levels or higher above you and survived.
Reward: Title - [Defier of the Faithful]
----------------------------------------
[Defier of the Faithful]: Embodying defiance, this title marks your survival over the Faithful's daunting might. It sharpens your perception and will, fueling your resolve against the Ecclesiarchy's tyranny. +10% resistance to Faithful abilities. +5 to Perception and Wisdom. +10% to all statistics when fighting members of the Ecclisiarchy.
----------------------------------------
[NEW ACHIEVEMENT]
[Against All Odds]
You sustained critical injuries on 0 HP from a vastly superior foe, fought on, and lived.
Reward: Title - [Resolute Survivor]
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[Resolute Survivor]: This title is a testament to your unyielding determination, a symbol of your ability to stand firm in the direst of circumstances. It reflects your capacity to endure and rally, even when teetering on the edge of defeat. +3 to Endurance. +10% HP Recovery Speed. +10% Pain Resistance.
----------------------------------------
[NEW TITLE]
[Omega Slayer - 1]: You have killed [1] Omega Class Individual. +1% Synchronization Bonus.
----------------------------------------
My elation at the new titles turned sour when I looked at the last notification. My thoughts turned towards Sothog and Farrah. What a mess. How could I explain things to Farrah? Would she even let me explain?
Hob came to the rescue, pulling me out of my spiraling thoughts.
“Ah, sir, I am sure you are wondering where your loot is.”
Hearing that snapped me out of my thoughts and back to the present. “Loot? But I didn’t connect to their wristwatches to grab their assets.”
Hob smiled mischievously. “Under normal circumstances, yes. But you just so happen to be lucky enough to have me.”
My eyes lit up at that. “Did you manage to loot them? They must have been carrying valuable stuff, right?”
Hob shook his head from side to side, sounding hesitant. “Yes and no.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”
“Well, without you actually connecting to their wrist terminals, I was only able to grab a fraction of their assets. Most of it was their armor and weapons.”
“Ooh,” I said, rubbing my hands. “Anything good?”
He shook his head again. “Again, yes and no. The armor and the weapons were of high quality, but their subroutines were nearly exclusively about enhancing the power of identical gear worn by allies. That is fine even if it doesn’t quite suit your fighting style, but the equipment permissions were also locked to the security company Toriklas hired.”
“So… It was all junk?” I said, feeling slightly deflated.
Hob shrugged non-commitally. “To us, yes. To individuals who can jailbreak the equipment and the manpower required to make the most of it, no.”
“Right, need to find a buyer then,” I said with a sigh. “The tasks never stop.” The mention of tasks nudged something in my mind, and I opened my quest log. The quest to kill Varhas was still there. Either he was alive, or I would have to find his body to mark the quest as complete. Both options filled me with dread.
I shuddered and turned to my companion. “Hob, what do you make of… all of this?”
He tapped his chin and hummed. “Well, let’s take things one at a time.”
I nodded back. “Toriklas, for a start. From all indications, despite me separating his head from his body, he’ll reappear somehow.”
“Indeed. In addition to his inexplicable survival, he appears to be heavily involved with research regarding the Fluxborn, politics like with the Molten Fist clan, and the Gem.”
“Right,” I replied, running my fingers through the short beard that had covered my jaw and cheeks. “Well, there’s a few things we can infer. The combat log called him an “Omega Shard.” So far, the only two times I’ve seen notifications where “Omega” was mentioned was when I was looking at a Fluxborn with abnormal abilities."
“Sothog and Miralia.” Hob agreed, “Wait… You think Toriklas is Fluxborn too?”
I shrugged helplessly. “It’s the only working theory I can come up with. The mention of “Fragment” implies that Toriklas has, somehow, separated himself into different individuals or…”
“Or there is an original Toriklas somewhere out there.” Hob completed my thought.
“That’s what I’m thinking is going on,” I said, adjusting the pillows behind me to be more comfortable. “I’m just guessing at this point, but with what Zuri, Farrah, and Sothog said, I’m thinking that these fragments have a limited lifespan and degrade quickly.”
“It explains why, despite being a part of so many plots, he is always found in an incoherent state…” Hob said. “But… Why?”
“That, I do not know, my friend,” I said with a dissatisfied grunt. “It’s clear he’s working for someone in the Middle Ring. A supposed ‘good cause’ that is receiving support from the Inner Ring.” I scoffed at how ridiculous that sounded.
“I meant to ask about that, sir. What do you mean that nobody has been able to contact the Inner Ring in centuries?” Hob said, sitting on his little pangolin haunches.
“Just that,” I replied with another shrug. “Nobody knows anything about the Inner Ring. It’s been dead silent for…” I thought back on my education. “Uh… four centuries now?”
Hob’s eyes widened at that. “Did nobody go to check what is going on?”
I smirked at his shocked expression. “Oh, they did. Over the centuries, thousands of people have tried going down the axles to the Inner Ring. Whole expeditions were organized by the Megacorps. Hell, some suicidal madmen even tried to Ringjump to it. Not a single person that entered the atmospheric field of the Inner Ring was ever heard of again.”
“Well, can’t observers see what is going on?”
“Nope,” I replied easily. “There is some sort of holograph on the surface of the Inner Ring’s atmospheric field. If you look at it, the ring appears as a perfectly blank, smooth white ring with a circular cross-section, unlike the Outer and Middle Rings’ rectangular one. The moment someone touches the field, and thus the hologram, they disappear.”
Hob shuddered in his little window. He was getting good at these reactions. “Right, back to Toriklas.”
I blew out my cheeks and stared at the ceiling. “What’s there more to say? If we go by my theory, we have a changed Fluxborn who can send out relatively short-lived clones to… Experiment on other Fluxborn, meddle in clan politics and get involved with Ecclisiarchy stuff. All for a ‘good cause,’ I’m sure.”
“All in all, he’s bad news and will likely come after me again, but until he makes a move, he’ll most likely keep his head down on the Middle Ring, so he’s pretty much out of reach. Best we focus on more immediate issues. If he pops up, we’ll deal with him then.” I glanced down at Hob, seeing his shape glitch for a moment. “You good?”
“Ah, yes. My apologies.” Hob said, looking embarrassed.
I hesitated. “Are you sure? That wasn’t normal.”
“Yes, I’m fine, sir. I just got distracted for a moment,” he smiled as if nothing had happened. “You were saying?”
“Right…” I said, debating whether I should press the point. In the end, I decided to let it be. If Hob wanted to talk to me about it, he’d talk to me about it.
I decided to throw in a joke to help clear the air. “A much more immediate issue is finding a way to hide the glow of that lightbulb you live in! Can’t you turn it down or something?” I said with a cheeky grin.
“Ah, about that, sir,” Hob said in a tone that wiped out my grin.
“What?” I asked flatly.
“You might want to look under your shirt,” Hob said, raising a claw and pointing towards my chest.
“Not again,” I groaned and stretched out my collar, looking down at my chest.
Where I was expecting to see the glow of the gem, there was darkness. At first, I felt relief. Maybe Hob figured out how to turn the glow down after all. My relief lasted a whole two seconds, then I saw the glint of something metallic.
I shifted in the bed, angling myself so the light would shine down my shirt, giving me a clear view of my chest.
Or rather, a clear view of the metallic scar in the middle of my chest, right above where the gem was, radiating out like the roots of a tree made of steel. I poked at it. It felt like flesh.
“Oh, what the fuck?”