Chapter 1: Familiar
Blinding white light engulfed him.
The air was sharp in his lungs when he breathed in.
He looked around, seeing a forest with open hills.
Hmm… feels familiar.
Raising his hand, he said, “Status.”
Status
• Name: Bryan • Level: 1 • Job: None • Skill Points: 10
• HP: 10 MP: 10
• STR: 10 AGI: 10 VIT: 10 • DEX: 10 INT: 10 CHR: 10 • LUCK: 10
Skills:
• Your Regret - Greatly increases XP gain, suppresses the effect of repeat deaths. • Mana Channelling • Mana Shaping • Fire Bolt • Lightning Bolt • Water Bolt • Air Bolt • Blink • Evade • Piercing Strike • Blade Slash • Heavy Slash • Sweeping Slash • Fire Enchanting • Item Box Enchanting • Light Blast • Mana Dump • Trainer • Physical Enhancement • Rock Growth • Item Appraisal • Torch Light • Subtle Manipulation • Shield Bubble
Page 1 of 853.
Effect to aid repeat deaths… efficient.
Bryan stretched and cracked his neck.
Excessive amount of pages, though.
He looked toward the forest and began walking.
Put one point in Fire Bolt, Shield Bubble, Air Bolt, Blink, Item Box and Physical Enhancement to start.
Coming across some goblins, he fired Fire Bolts at each one with precision, the goblins burning before they could react to him.
This part is repetitive but effective…
Level Up.
Going through the forest, he chose progressive targets as he went, avoiding anything stronger than him.
Walking further, he came across some adventurers fighting large Orcs.
Hmm, they seem to be losing the fight. Should I intervene?
Bryan crouched in some bushes and observed.
A young knight was shouting orders while trying to defend from the swings of a large blade.
“Fuck, you need to hit them hard. I can only hold them back for so long!”
Not worth the risk at this strength.
The other swordsman was busy in a grapple with an Orc, while the mage was sweating, trying to hold his shield against the attacks.
They have already lost this. You don’t win a game of attrition with Orcs.
After a short while, the mage faltered. His shield broke, and the Orc cleaved one of his arms off.
The mage screamed viscerally. Hearing it, the swordsman turned and was kicked in the chest.
Before he could raise his sword, the Orc plunged a cleaver through his chest with ease.
The knight yelled, “We may need to retreat. I think they are too strong.”
Late to notice that.
Before he could turn around, the two Orcs approached from behind and picked him up.
Unable to move, he screamed as one bit off his head and dropped his body to the ground.
I will wait until they have eaten and see if I can find anything useful.
Twenty minutes of bones crunching later, the Orcs wandered off.
Bryan walked over to the pile of remains.
A black chestplate , a sword and a bag were all that remained usable.
He put on the chestplate and held the shoulder bag while concentrating.
Item Box…
Bryan took the sword as well, attaching it to his hip.
I’m lucky Orcs have no interest in equipment, just a shame they break so much.
He made his way back into the forest, fighting more goblins and wolves until nightfall.
Sitting near the fire, he cooked wolf meat skewered on a stick.
Level Ten. It will do for the first day.
He ate and lay against a tree.
Threat detection.
Drains Mana, but definitely needed for sleeping like this.
Waking up and stretching, Bryan yawned while surveying his surroundings.
He picked up and put on the various armour pieces he had taken off to sleep.
Level Forty is good, but I should move to a better area. Efficiency is dropping.
Bryan made his way through more forest, dispatching various wolves and Orcs.
He cut flanks of meat from the Orcs and continued.
Approaching a clearing, he paused to observe. A troll was dragging a wolf through the weeds.
That is good Experience.
As he started creeping forward, he heard a light whistle above.
Blink.
Bryan appeared back in the treeline and crouched in a bush as a large wyvern flew over the clearing.
Best to avoid that creature for now…
He waited until it had passed, then made his way into the clearing to follow the troll.
Bryan saw it in the distance.
Fire Bolt.
His hand glowed, and a ball of fire flew at the creature’s shoulder, causing it to drop the wolf.
It turned, and its wound began to close up.
It’s the regenerating kind. Overwhelming force it is.
As it charged, he observed with his head tilted.
It swung its arms down toward him while roaring wildly.
Blink.
He appeared behind it as its hands slammed into the ground, unsheathing his sword and slicing the tendon on the back of its foot in a fluid motion.
The creature fell forward briefly as its skin started repairing itself.
Physical Enhancement.
With incredible speed and precision, he was slicing tendons and muscles faster than they could heal.
It thrust a hand out to grab him in desperation, but he sliced off the fingertips without breaking stride.
The troll slumped face-first to the ground, slices all over its body still healing.
Its healing is rather effective…
Bryan raised a hand aimed at its head.
More points into Fire Bolt, Bubble Shield…
His hand glowed, and a large fiery explosion erupted from its head.
The smoke around him cleared, and Bryan waved a hand, dropping the shield around him.
He inhaled deeply, out of breath.
Low Mana, but successful.
The creature’s neck smouldered where the head used to be, the air thick with burnt flesh.
I’ll put a finger in my bag. The meat is not worth taking, though.
Bryan journeyed, rested and fought for a week.
Walking through a forest, he came across an adventuring party sitting around a campfire.
He stepped into the light of the fire.
“What rank are you?” Bryan asked loudly.
The archer, looking shocked, replied, “Gods, you startled us.”
All of them eyed Bryan carefully.
Bryan just stood still and waited.
A man with daggers tilted his head and spoke.
“Are you aware that appearing from the shadows and asking that is pretty weird?”
It is a standard question.
The group laughed, except the knight, who did not take his eyes off Bryan.
Once they calmed down, the archer responded.
“We are Steel Rank, apart from our knight. He is a Silver. Why?”
Steel and one Silver... Insufficient.
“I have come across wyverns and killed various trolls.”
They looked at each other with a bit of confusion.
“Since you are not all Silver Rank, if you don’t turn back, you will all die.”
All but the knight broke into laughter again.
“Oh, this guy is full of himself. Look, we are not Copper or Stone. I think we will be fine.”
I wasted time with this.
Bryan turned and walked back into the forest, hearing them in the distance.
The knight said, “That guy felt wrong. I could feel his strength… Should we turn back?”
“No, calm down, you are always too serious.”
Been a week since I last saw people. This dungeon’s been acceptable.
Bryan wiped his sword clean on the loincloth of an ogre.
A bright light floated above either side of him.
Seems like a standard dungeon, though two ogres in one room is strange.
He walked through a corridor into another room.
A noise pierced the dark. “Cu cu.”
Ignore.
He calmly walked through with several of the bear-like creatures hanging onto his legs.
Blink.
The creatures were no longer attached as he appeared a few feet ahead. He made his way down the corridor.
Looks like I can go left or right…
His thought was interrupted by a noise; he turned to look at it.
“CU.”
Bryan kept walking.
Seems I can only go left now… Peculiar.
Making his way into a large chamber, he saw a large creature wandering in the centre of the room.
He readied his sword and lifted his shield.
Steelhide Behemoth. Very strong head… weak belly.
Raising his hand, the lights brightened and lit up the room.
Bryan fired three Fire Bolts towards it, the large explosions obscuring it.
As the room cleared, the creature was still staring at him.
They typically charge when provoked. I’ll adjust.
Using Physical Enhancement, he ran towards it. As he got closer, it charged towards him.
Aiming the sword for its head, he went to switch it to aim for the belly at the last second.
The creature stopped suddenly, flicking its head and horn to the side, hitting him solidly in the ribs before he could react. It threw him across the room into a wall.
Shit. They don’t do that… a costly assumption.
Bryan pulled himself to his feet and coughed up some blood.
The creature charged again, straight for him.
He grabbed a Potion and chugged it as it closed in before it reached him.
Air Bolt…
He launched into the air upside down, his sword grazing its back as he arced over to land on his feet.
Mana drain here is increased, but conservation would be illogical.
Using Blink, he darted back forty feet and placed his hands on the ground.
The creature snorted as it charged again as fast as it could.
Bryan waited until it was ten feet away as he concentrated.
Rock Growth…
Three large spikes emerged from the ground, piercing through its belly. Its weight and speed snapped the formations, but the creature slumped into a pool of blood.
Level Up.
Mana Potion, then loot.
He turned back to look around the room and spotted a chest.
Bryan walked to the centre of the room.
He lifted his sword and stabbed the chest. It squealed as green blood pooled out.
Too obvious.
Bryan flicked his sword back and forth as he walked around the edge of the room, spotting a flesh-like chest near the wall.
He opened the chest and pulled out a sword.
Appraisal.
Appraisal: Dark Sword of Power. Item Type: Weapon – One-Handed Sword Material: Obsidian/Black Steel. Traits: • Runes etched along the blade. • Extremely sharp blade.
Description: A relic sword from unknown origins, sharp and strong.
Appraisal has limited use… if this offers power or talks, I am destroying it.
He dropped his old sword and placed the new one in his sheath.
Bryan took a few steps away from the chest and looked back.
Chest is gone… expected.
Making his way back towards the entrance of the room, he walked through the corridor.
Tunnel is slightly smaller… this sword completes the set of Black Steel equipment.
Leaving his camp, having packed his bag, he made his way through the forest.
Another week, efficient levelling.
Bryan walked for a few hours, killing each beast he saw.
He made his way into a clearing, stopping as he was hit by a charred meat smell.
Hmm, smells human.
Bryan checked the sky as he walked out toward a smouldering pile.
It was a pile of armour, bones and charred limbs.
The claw marks in the shield and heat suggest a Wyvern was here a few hours ago.
Bryan checked for some Potions, then carried on walking.
They didn’t listen.
He killed more creatures before setting up camp again.
He laid out the gear he had collected on the floor.
Black Steel armour and sword, useful…
Black cape, useless.
He threw the cape into the fire.
Potions, food. Stocks are good. I should focus on levelling.
The weeks of him grinding turned into months.
Bryan neared the edge of a forest, the ground tinting red with dying trees.
Wolves, Ogres, Trolls and Orcs… even Wyverns had exhausted their usefulness.
Six months, Level One Hundred and Forty… but stalled.
He looked ahead to the desolate and warped landscape before him.
The Demon Lands… they will work.
