-ed up
Name: Sylen
–Champion Rank Novice, 4–
Stage:Novice/pseudogod
Level: S–
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! FUCKING HOLY SHIT! CLOSE STATUS!” I scream.
I’m totally going to fucking die. I thought I would be taken out by a monster or something, but getting KO’d by my OWN baby void monster was not how I thought I would go out. Valin tries to calm me down, but apparently, there’s a limit to his special calming powers, and I am most certainly at that fucking limit. He pulses out a suggestion to try and land on the dungeon, and I know that’s our only real chance of surviving, but I half consider landing on the hard stone out of spite for putting us in this situation.
I spread my arms out. From some long-lost knowledge, I know this is the best way to slow down and gain my bearings. Starting to tilt forward I aim for the dungeon that was right below me, but now that I’m a couple thousand feet down I notice that there are quite a few down here. Luckily most of them are a similar size to the training dungeon. Luckily for someone else that is, because we're heading for the biggest fucking dungeon down here. No wonder I could see it from up there, this thing is fucking huge.
I’m lined up as best as I can so I turn my feet downwards. I have no idea if my momentum is going to carry through so I prepare for the worst. Some part of my subconscious is telling me that staying calm is the most important thing to do in this situation, and I tell that part of my subconscious to fuck off, because I’m falling to my death here, and I’ll damn well scream and panic the whole way down if I want to. Speaking of Which, “FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUCKKING AHHHHHHHHHHHHH—
I rapidly approach the dungeon. My eyes close for potentially the final time.
—HH.” I weakly finished off the scream. Noting that I’m not dead I slowly open my eyes. Stone. All around me, there were marble walls streaked with ash, and is that a broom? Please don’t tell me this is themed around cleaning.
While I waited for my heart to stop beating out of my chest I decided to have a little chat with Valin.
“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!” I whisper-shout, like an angry dad at the supermarket, as I was very aware that there may be enemies listening in.
Valin sent his most complex impression yet, almost bordering on full-blown words. Parsing through it, it seemed that Valin released Void by accident. He was so upset about not getting his way that the energy came out involuntarily. Like a child. The thought rang in my head like a gong 'Oh my god he’s a child’. I am so not ready to be a dad. Valin sent an impression somewhere along the lines of ‘It was just an accident, I’m not a kid’. Even the impression sounded childish, and he’s not even speaking with words yet.
I rubbed my temples, and instead of talking out loud, I spoke in my head. ‘Listen, Valin. I understand you’re new to the whole existence thing, but if you throw me off a cliff again for saying no, I don’t think this is gonna work out.’
Valin sent an embarrassed impression in response, though there is another emotion beyond the first that I can’t quite grasp.
‘I’m going to let this one slide because quite frankly it’s easier not to think about it. This better not happen again though’ I said in my best impression of a stern fatherly voice. Valin knows what I’m trying to do, but he goes with it anyways out of shame. ‘They grow up so fast.’ I think, wiping a fake tear from my eye. Valin sends an impression of a groan.
He really is growing up suspiciously fast. You know what? I don’t want to know right now. Before getting up off my ass, I note the buzzing that’s in the back of my head. When I pay attention to it a notification comes up.
*Ding* Congratulations, You survived a free fall directly into a dungeon. Now that was entertaining! Here is your reward *Fear Resistance* Keep doing things like this, and you might just make it worth the effort of kidnapping you.
‘Status’
Name: Sylen
–Champion Rank Novice, 6–
Stage:Novice/pseudogod
Level: Soul 4 Body 4 → 6
Resources
Health:62/170 → 122/230
Health Regen: 21.6hp/h → 28.8hp/h
Stamina: 160 → 230
Stamina Regen: 120sp/m →163.2sp/m
Void: 300
Void Regen: 3.3mp/s → 4.5mp/s
Attributes
-Vitality 17 → 23
-Endurance: 16 → 22
-Strength 19 → 25
-Dexterity 21 → 27
-Intelligence ∞/30
-Wisdom ∞/ 33 → 45
-Mastery 15
-Perception 16
-Charm 21(-50%) 7 → 10
Skills
Darksight (Legendary) (Passive)
Climbing (Basic) (Passive)
Swordsmanship (Basic) (Passive)
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Void Manipulation (Basic) (Active)
Void Reinforcement (Basic) (Active)(Passive)
Fear Resistance(Basic) (Passive)
Alright game time. What do I know, what do I need, and how do I go about getting it? I know I'm in a dungeon, furthermore, I have a feeling that enemies are certainly a major part of dungeons. Regardless, even if they are not, I should still be careful. What do I need? Food and water. If there are enemies then that solves the food problem, but water might be trickier. Valin sends me an impression that he might be able to do something about that. ‘Huh? How would you be able to take care of our water needs?’ I think at him incredulously.
He sends me an impression that blows his earlier ones out of the park. I am suddenly void. Not part of it, not in it, I am it. I am all-encompassing. I am almighty. I am the Beginning of Everything. Dragons fear my depths and gods envy my power. I am the firmament that created all life. I am the primordial soup that created the first @#$%$@. The very rules of the multiverse do not bend to my will, for they are my will. What is water to Creation itself? What is matter to It which destroyed Destruction, and as such destroyed Itself. What is a concept to It which created the Concept of Concepts? Water? Water did not exist before my touch brought it into being.
I don’t know how long I spend in this state of meditation. What is the will of one broken man to the Void? I watch through the eyes of what has many names. Firmament, Creation, Existence, Destruction, none of these are incorrect, but none are the full story. I peer at the secrets of everything, completely overwhelmed, yet absolutely calm. Fearful, yet unshakable. I am void.
I wake up from the vision with a splitting headache, my tongue is sandpaper, and my body is the human embodiment of fatigue. I don’t even notice how hungry I am past the thirst, the all-consuming need for water. Without even thinking about it I summon Void to my hand and hold it over my mouth. I strip every other element from the ball except water. Sure this is extremely inefficient, but I can barely think, let alone manipulate the fabric of everything. Slowly, but surely, the rest of the elements evaporate off and I’m left with a ball of water. Instinctively I know that this is no summoning magic. This is real water. I drink my fill and feel much better.
*Ding* Congratulations, you have upgraded Void Manipulation to Advanced. You nearly stumbled into something much bigger than yourself there. Luckily I managed to censor
@#$%$@ before you and this planet got blasted in the next universe. Careful with secrets meant to be kept, or you may find yourself with enemies that even I don’t want to tango with.
Well, that’s concerning, but at this point that’s so far out of my scope of things to deal with that I can’t even be bothered to worry about it, but there is something that I can deal with right in front of me.
‘Valin, I apologize for calling you a child, but now I understand why you reacted that way. I know that you're used to getting your way, after all, you are everything you want. It must feel like you are denying yourself, yourself. God, it’s hard to talk about all-encompassing beings, but what I’m getting at is that I saw your memories, and I know this is a new experience for you. You are not used to having such a narrow scope, and mortality. You physically could not have experienced this before, and I’m getting the impression that you hitched a ride with me for that very reason. But, I will not suffer for your whims. We are in this together or I am out. No matter what that may entail.’
Valin sends the impression of extreme offense. He chose to do this to experience something new, not be ridiculed by a being so far below his being that it may as well be the quark of an atom to him.
“So be it then.”
I raise my hand and a ball of void appears in it. I may not be very experienced but creating an uncontrollable explosion that will take me out, not to mention everything in a twenty-mile radius, is not hard. Not when I’m paying with my life. Slowly different elements drift off of the ball of creation in my hand. Eventually, I am left with a ball of highly condensed hydrogen. Even if I do this wrong and it does not detonate in a nuclear fashion, there is enough hydrogen here to blow me to kingdom come.
Valin screams in my head “DON'T”
I stop myself from detonating it. “Yes?” I ask
Valin sends the impression of surrender. Then he sends that he will respect my wishes so long as we share a body.
“Good, now was that so hard?” I say jokingly, even though my whole body is shaking and I’m coming down from the mother of all adrenaline highs. You know I’m almost impressed that it took a being so powerful that it can not be described with words to finally stand up for myself. Talk about exposure therapy. I hear more buzzing. ‘Not now! ’ I think
“Wait, did you just talk?” I ask suspiciously
“Not… TaLk… GoOd… ReAdy” he says with an unsteady voice.
“When will you be ready?” I ask
“When… TAlk… GOoD… ReadY.”
“Well, you got ‘when’ right so that’s progress I guess,” I say encouragingly
“YoU not MaD?” It asks guiltily
“Bro, I just saw your memories, I know what you think of me, and I know why you think it. I even understand why, but as long as you take me seriously I think we’ll get along. Not like we have a choice, you’ve bonded with me pretty much permanently. Just solve your ego problem and we’re golden.”
“oKaY”
I chuckle at the thought that I just told the Beginning of Everything to take a chill pill, and it actually listened! It’s not too surprising, really. When your scope is so wide, and you’ve literally seen everything from a top-down view, it’s not hard to be reasonable. Plus there really is an innocence to him. Creation is not evil after all. I mean it’s not good either, but that is beside the point.
Taking a long overdue look at my surroundings, it’s not surprising I haven’t been found yet. I’m tucked away in a broom closet off to the side. The walls are streaked with ash and I hear high-pitched screeching somewhere to my right. Lovely. There’s also a familiar incessant buzzing in the back of my head from a notification.
‘Partial Status’
Congratulations! You have achieved partial enlightenment! Not hard when you have a being that precedes enlightenment itself, but the fact that you’re a filthy cheater is a well explored topic by now! Bastard.
Name: Sylen –Champion Rank (L)Novice, 6–
Stage:Novice→ Novice(Low)/pseudogod
Level: Soul 4 Body 6
Health:210/230
Health Regen: 28.8hp/h
Stamina: 230
Stamina Regen: 163.2sp/m
Void: -200/300 → 0/500
Void Regen: 4.5mp/s
-Vitality 23
-Endurance: 22
-Strength 25
-Dexterity 27
-Intelligence ∞/30 → 50
-Wisdom ∞/ 45
-Mastery 15 → 25
-Perception 16 → 26
-Charm 26(-50%) 10 → 13
Skills
Darksight (Legendary) (Passive)
Climbing (Basic) (Passive)
Swordsmanship (Basic) (Passive)
Void Reinforcement (Basic) (Active)(Passive)
Void Manipulation (Basic) → (Advanced) (Active)
Fear Resistance(Basic) → (Advanced) (Passive)
I need just to take a quick 2 minute break to recover my Void and I'm good to go. It’s time for some actual combat.