Isabelle stood atop the adult golden dragon’s head, forcibly stabilized by her combat mode and activated combat lock, which acted as a sort of gyroscope and kept her from falling off. She watched her two party members down on the ground, scurrying around frantically as the dragon stomped towards them. Surely, it would be breathing fire at them soon, and who knew how long it would be until they were both burnt to death.
Isabelle cursed herself for not thinking of taking her last endless stamina potion before leveraging her stm for str! If she had, she probably would’ve been able to hit this dragon right on top of the head with one of the Overlord’s super powerful weapons. At least the dragon couldn’t see her, or attack her directly from this position.
Wait a second. Isabelle racked her mind, suddenly getting a great idea. Could the dragon really not see her? How could she be sure? Maybe dragons had a third semi-eye on top of their head that helped them sense things above them. Some lizards had those back in Isabelle’s past life. Fortunately, Isabelle could check with her system. She crouched.
[Current visibility: 350/350]
Damn. Wait, that was her overall visibility. Isabelle still had a chance at taking some action, she just needed to focus on the dragon. She thought, ‘Show Current Visibility Adult Golden Dragon.’
[Current visibility (Adult Golden Dragon): 0/350]
Hell yes! That meant that Isabelle could use a very special item on this monstrous thing that might just make the whole ordeal solve itself rather quickly. Isabelle opened her inventory.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 251.9/282
Item
Traits
Stealth Drainer (enchanted)
+5 stealth, +10 damage, +1 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
Yes. There it was. Time to see if this stealth drainer really was all it was talked up to be.
[Stealth Drainer (enchanted) equipped]
[+5 stealth]
[+10 damage]
[Current visibility (Adult Golden Dragon): 0/350]
Perfect. Isabelle focused on the top of the adult golden dragon’s head, raised the dagger, and thrusted it downward into the beast’s scaly hide.
[Sneak attack]
[Critical hit]
Fuck yes! Isabelle smiled with satisfaction.
[50833 damage dealt]
[Stamina 100%]
Isabelle’s eyes went wide. That was a hell of a lot of damage. The dragon wailed out in agony, thrashing its head to and fro. Isabelle almost felt herself lose her footing, even with all her system’s benefits this was getting more than precarious. She had to strike fast, and she had to strike now, before either the dragon wised up and knocked her off its head or one of her party members struck the beast. She wouldn’t get the benefit of the stealth drainer if she didn’t kill the dragon with it! Isabelle raised the dagger and jabbed it into the dragon’s skull yet again.
[Sneak attack]
[Critical hit]
[9033 damage dealt]
[‘Adult Golden Dragon’ is dead]
[Stamina 100%]
Isabelle gasped as the dagger shot out of the dragon’s head and out of her grasp. It vibrated and glowed with power. Then, in a flash, it exploded in a ball of light. That light zoomed and swirled around Isabelle, enveloping her in its hue, and then it faded into the ari as if nothing had been there.
[Stealth Drainer (enchanted) has been used]
[Stealth Drainer (enchanted) has granted you a permanent hp increase of 267]
Isabelle’s eyes went wide. That was a shitton of hp! Now she’d finally have more than Tahsi.
[+267 hp]
[Combat mode deactivated]
[Achievement unlocked: kill an adult dragon]
[Achievement unlocked: kill a golden dragon]
[Achievement unlocked: stealth kill a dragon]
[Achievement unlocked: use a stealth drainer on a dragon]
[Achievement unlocked: survive a fight with the Overlord]
[Achievement unlocked: disgrace the Overlord]
[Achievement unlocked: fight the Overlord’s second form]
[Achievement unlocked: fight the Overlord’s third form]
[Achievement unlocked: weild a weapon with a higher str rating than yourself]
[Achievement unlocked: use a potion of giant strength]
[Achievement unlocked: leverage your stm for str]
[Achievement unlocked: use minor illusion to subdue an enemy]
[Achievement unlocked: give up all your gold]
[Armed combat increased to level 12]
[Armed combat increased to level 13]
[Armed combat increased to level 14]
[Armed combat increased to level 15]
[Armed combat increased to level 16]
[Heal increased to level 1]
[Heal increased to level 2]
[Heal increased to level 3]
[Archery increased to level 9]
[Archery increased to level 10]
[Archery increased to level 11]
[Sneak increased to level 9]
[Sneak increased to level 10]
[Sneak increased to level 11]
[Sneak increased to level 12]
[Destroy increased to level 10]
[Destroy increased to level 11]
[Destroy increased to level 12]
[Destroy increased to level 13]
[Notice: you’re ready to level up]
Holy shit. Yea, no shit Isabelle was ready to level up. She was probably ready to level up many times over, after that crazy barrage of notifications. However, Isabelle was also standing on top of a dragon’s head that was quickly tumbling to the ground. Worse, combat mode was disabled now, so before she had a chance to shrug, Isabelle lost her footing and slammed back-first into the hard courtyard ground.
[-25 hp]
Damn, minus 25 hp? Then again, Isabelle had so much hp now that it wasn’t even that big of a deal.
[Notice: you’re ready to level up]
Isabelle climbed to her feet.
“Wow, Isabelle, you took that thing out fast!” said Tahsi. “You’re a bona fide dragon slayer now.”
“Now?” asked Isabelle. “Tahsi, I’ve been a bona fide dragon slayer!”
“Yea, but last time you kind of just took all the credit instead of doing all the slaying,” said Tahsi. “This time, any credit you get is definitely deserved.”
“Now, wait a second,” said Sir Jingles. “Tahsi, you realize that I hit that dragon a couple times with some poisoning arrows, right? I poisoned that thing! That has to count for something. Just saying.”
Isabelle and Tahsi both rolled their eyes.
“What? It does!” said Jingles with a huff. “Plus, who knows if we would’ve even survived that first dragon encounter without me becoming a mega puma.”
Isabelle and Tahsi had to agree that Jingles was right there, the mega puma confusion ability had definitely done in the first dragon they fought.
“But enough of this arguing and bickering,” said Isabelle. “I’m ready to level up, god damn it!”
“Which god?” asked Tahsi.
Isabelle shrugged.
[Notice: You’ve reached level 25!]
[hp restored to 347]
[Notice: You have attribute and skill points to spend]
[Would you like to spend your points now?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
Attribute Points to Spend: 16
Hp:
347
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
70
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
63
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Sixteen points! Now that was nice. Isabelle decided ten would go to her mana, and six to her stm. There was no reason to worry about adding points to her hp!
Skill Points to Spend: 16
Str:
60
Int:
43
Dx:
50
Wis:
36
Const:
35
Char:
27
Okay, now for some choices. Isabelle put ten to str, five to dx, and one to int.
[Congratulations, you’ve finished leveling up!]
Character Status
Name:
Isabelle
Gender:
Female
Level:
25
Class:
Undefined
Race:
Human
Alignment:
Neutral-Neutral
Attributes
Hp:
347
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
80
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
69
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Skill Points
Str:
70
Int:
44
Dx:
55
Wis:
36
Const:
35
Char:
27
Magic Ability Levels
Enchant:
3
Summon:
2
Heal:
3
Destroy:
13
Transmute:
2
Confuse:
3
Normal Ability Levels
Crafting:
7
Sneak:
12
Archery:
11
Lockpick:
3
Armed Combat:
16
Melee Combat:
4
Speechcraft:
10
Sleight Of Hand:
6
Isabelle had leveled up all magic abilities and normal abilities to the point that there were no empty values! Now that was nice.
[Notice: You’ve reached level 26!]
[Notice: You have attribute and skill points to spend]
[Would you like to spend your points now?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle almost felt surprised, even though really there was no reason to feel such a way. After all, she’d fought Maviel, the Overlord, and a damned adult dragon, and in the process she’d leveled up so many abilities and earned so many achievements that of course she was ready to level up again!
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
Attribute Points to Spend: 16
Hp:
347
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
80
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
69
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Hmmm. What to do? Isabelle figured she’d put ten to stm and six to mana this time.
Skill Points to Spend: 16
Str:
70
Int:
44
Dx:
55
Wis:
36
Const:
35
Char:
27
Isabelle thought that her int, wis, and even her char could use a bit of a boost this time. She put six to int, four to wis, and six to char.
[Congratulations, you’ve finished leveling up!]
Character Status
Name:
Isabelle
Gender:
Female
Level:
26
Class:
Undefined
Race:
Human
Alignment:
Neutral-Neutral
Attributes
Hp:
347
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
86
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
79
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Skill Points
Str:
70
Int:
50
Dx:
55
Wis:
40
Const:
35
Char:
33
Magic Ability Levels
Enchant:
3
Summon:
2
Heal:
3
Destroy:
13
Transmute:
2
Confuse:
3
Normal Ability Levels
Crafting:
7
Sneak:
12
Archery:
11
Lockpick:
3
Armed Combat:
16
Melee Combat:
4
Speechcraft:
10
Sleight Of Hand:
6
Great! Isabelle was feeling better and better about her stats and character sheet overall. Maybe she’d even get better stats than Tahsi, at this rate. Well, at least her hp was bound to be better than his after absorbing all the hp from that dragon!
[Notice: You’ve reached level 27!]
[Notice: You have attribute and skill points to spend]
[Would you like to spend your points now?]
[Y/N]
Another level up? How about a hell yes!
[Error: no command ‘hell yes’ found in system]
[Y/N]
Isabelle rolled her eyes and thought yes.
Attribute Points to Spend: 17
Hp:
347
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
86
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M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
79
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Seventeen points to spend? This just kept getting better and better. Isabelle figured she’d throw them all into mana this time so that she could bring her mana over three digits.
Skill Points to Spend: 17
Str:
70
Int:
50
Dx:
55
Wis:
40
Const:
35
Char:
33
Isabelle was having a grand time with this. It just felt so good to keep adding to her skills. Each str point, for instance, made her feel more fit and muscular. The higher hp actually made her feel more alive, somehow. And of course upping her wis and int just made her feel more smart and thoughtful. What an ego stroke! Isabelle decided to add five to her const, five to her dx, and seven to her str.
[Congratulations, you’ve finished leveling up!]
Character Status
Name:
Isabelle
Gender:
Female
Level:
27
Class:
Undefined
Race:
Human
Alignment:
Neutral-Neutral
Attributes
Hp:
347
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
103
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
79
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Skill Points
Str:
77
Int:
50
Dx:
60
Wis:
40
Const:
40
Char:
33
Magic Ability Levels
Enchant:
3
Summon:
2
Heal:
3
Destroy:
13
Transmute:
2
Confuse:
3
Normal Ability Levels
Crafting:
7
Sneak:
12
Archery:
11
Lockpick:
3
Armed Combat:
16
Melee Combat:
4
Speechcraft:
10
Sleight Of Hand:
6
Now she was really moving up in the world of leveling, Isabelle thought. She was really excited to see how these increased levels translated to her own abilities in the system.
[Notice: You’ve reached level 28!]
[Notice: You have attribute and skill points to spend]
[Would you like to spend your points now?]
[Y/N]
Fuck’s sake. Again? Isabelle did love to level, but even she felt like this was getting a little out of hand.
[Clarification: You are welcome to opt not to spend your points, if you would prefer.]
There was no way Isabelle was going to pull a Sir Jingles and hoard all her unspent points! Why, that would’ve been incredibly stupid and wasteful.
[Would you like to spend your points now?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
Attribute Points to Spend: 17
Hp:
347
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
103
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
79
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Could Isabelle pour all her points into stm and bring it over three digits? Unfortunately, no, but she could put it pretty close, so that’s what she did.
Skill Points to Spend: 17
Str:
77
Int:
50
Dx:
60
Wis:
40
Const:
40
Char:
33
Isabelle wanted to boost her dx, const, and wis. So, she gave dx five points, const five points, and wis seven points.
[Notice: Please pick a special ability from the list]
Holy shit. A second special ability?
[Clarification: Yes.]
Good, Isabelle thought.
[Error: no command ‘good’ found in system]
Isabelle rolled her eyes.
[Notice: Please pick a special ability from the list]
Special Abilities
Ability
Breathe Underwater
Type
Continuous
Description
You can breathe underwater, allowing you to swim for long distances without resurfacing
Critical Hitter
Cast during combat for 5 stm
Cast this during combat to increase chances of landing a critical hit by 70 percent for thirty seconds
Breath Weapon
Static/Spell-like
You gain a special spellcasting ability to use your breath as a weapon, similar to the abilities of dragons.
Um, what was that last one again? Breath weapon? Did that mean it would give Isabelle the ability to breath fire?
[Clarification: Breath weapon is a static special ability, once learned, you can use it like any normal attack. However, like learning magic, you have to learn how to use different breath weapons. By choosing this special ability, you will unlock the ability to learn different breath weapon techniques by reading dragon scrolls. This will only apply to dragon scrolls that you haven’t already looted. So, if you choose it, you will not immediately get a breath weapon, but if you read dragon scrolls, the possibilities are fairly endless.]
Okay, even if Isabelle would have to read an obnoxious dragon scroll or two, that ability seemed more than well worth it. So, she chose the ‘Breath Weapon’ special ability.
[Congratulations, you’ve finished leveling up!]
Character Status
Name:
Isabelle
Gender:
Female
Level:
28
Class:
Undefined
Race:
Human
Alignment:
Neutral-Neutral
Attributes
Hp:
347
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
103
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
96
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Skill Points
Str:
77
Int:
50
Dx:
65
Wis:
47
Const:
45
Char:
33
Magic Ability Levels
Enchant:
3
Summon:
2
Heal:
3
Destroy:
13
Transmute:
2
Confuse:
3
Normal Ability Levels
Crafting:
7
Sneak:
12
Archery:
11
Lockpick:
3
Armed Combat:
16
Melee Combat:
4
Speechcraft:
10
Sleight Of Hand:
6
Yes, Isabelle’s sheet was looking quite good.
[Notice: You’ve reached level 29!]
[Notice: You have attribute and skill points to spend]
[Would you like to spend your points now?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle rolled her eyes. Really? Another level up? Not that she didn’t like leveling up, it’s just, she was also eager to loot the dragon she’d just slain!
[Clarification: This is the last level up you have left to do at the moment]
[Would you like to spend your points now?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
Attribute Points to Spend: 18
Hp:
347
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
103
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
96
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Getting eighteen points to spend did make Isabelle feel a little less frustrated. She decided to put ten to stm and eight to mana.
Skill Points to Spend: 18
Str:
77
Int:
50
Dx:
65
Wis:
47
Const:
45
Char:
33
Isabelle was actually feeling a little bit like allowing her char to get so low was making her uglier, and that made her feel a little insecure, so she decided to throw char some more points this time around. Seven felt appropriately generous to make her feel a little better about herself. Then, she put five to const, five to dx, and one to wis.
[Congratulations, you’ve finished leveling up!]
Character Status
Name:
Isabelle
Gender:
Female
Level:
29
Class:
Undefined
Race:
Human
Alignment:
Neutral-Neutral
Attributes
Hp:
347
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
111
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
106
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Skill Points
Str:
77
Int:
50
Dx:
70
Wis:
48
Const:
50
Char:
40
Magic Ability Levels
Enchant:
3
Summon:
2
Heal:
3
Destroy:
13
Transmute:
2
Confuse:
3
Normal Ability Levels
Crafting:
7
Sneak:
12
Archery:
11
Lockpick:
3
Armed Combat:
16
Melee Combat:
4
Speechcraft:
10
Sleight Of Hand:
6
Nice. The extra bit Isabelle had added to her wis almost made her feel a tinge of regret for putting so much into char specifically because she was feeling bad about her appearance, as she knew that beauty was in the eye of the beholder. Then again, if Isabelle was the one beholding herself, and she didn’t feel like she looked great, then how could anyone else? Plus, there was no point in looking back now. Not when there was an adult golden dragon to loot!
“Wow, Isabelle,” said Tahsi. “I just level up a metric shitton.”
“Oh, really?” asked Isabelle. She found that curious, seeing as he’d done so much less fighting and work compared to herself.
“Oh, yea, big time. I’m level thirty four now! Can you believe that shit? Level thirty four!” said Tahsi.
Isabelle grimaced. That did not seem fair, accurate, or just.
“Nice!” said Sir Jingles. “I’m a solid level 31, nothing to scoff at, I don’t think. I even spent my points this time. Are you proud of me, Isabelle?”
Isabelle’s grimace evolved to a scowl.
“What? What’s wrong, Isabelle?” asked Tahsi. “Would you like some bread in this trying time?”
“No, I don’t want your stupid bread!” said Isabelle.
“Well by the gods, Isabelle, my bread isn’t stupid!” said Tahsi. “Yes, some of my loaves can be a bit slow to rise, or they were back before you got my bakery destroyed by the Ozian Sect, but—”
Isabelle sighed. “Okay, Tahsi, okay. Let’s just… move past it. I have a dragon to loot.”
“Fair enough,” said Tahsi. He took a bite of bread and hummed a tune to himself.
Isabelle regarded the dead dragon. Then again, she had another thought. It would probably be prudent to go ahead and summon Stelas’ severed head, so that she could drop anything she didn’t feel like crafting with immediately into his inventory. So, Isabelle thought, ‘Come here, horses.’
All three horses were suddenly standing right behind her. It made Isabelle jump a little. The ability of the horses to just simply appear so quickly was something that still took some getting used to. Isabelle walked over to Lugano, her beautiful black and white speckled stallion, and stroked his main. Then, she untied the burlap sack that held Stelas’ severed head from the side of her saddle.
“Oh, joy upon joys, it’s you again, isn’t it?” said Stelas with a groan. “Here to assault my inventory with more meaningless garbage, I assume?”
“Get over yourself, Stelas,” said Isabelle.
“How could I?” asked Stelas. “No, I never could. Myself is what is always on my mind. And by myself, I of course mean my body. Oh, my poor, poor body, trapped somewhere all alone in the half-burnt-down wilderness. It’s truly a tragic tale.”
Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Now, are you going to help me loot this dragon, or what?”
“It’s not like I have a choice,” said Stelas. He sighed. “What’s up with you, Stelas?” asked Isabelle. “Usually you’re so spirited, always talking about murdering me and my party and such?”
“Oh, save it for later, Isabelle,” said Stelas. “Go ahead, loot the damned dragon.”
Isabelle smiled. Stelas didn’t have to tell her twice. Isabelle focused on the dragon.
[Loot ‘Adult Golden Dragon’?]
Isabelle thought yes.