Chapter 172 (Book 4 Chapter 49) (Patreon)

Rob awoke, which was always a good sign.

He yawned, digging deeper under warm, inviting blankets. It took him several seconds to remember that he should be panicking. Wasn't his fault; the bed was so decadently plush that it had gaslit him into believing he'd fallen asleep at home.

Wait, Rob thought, as his consciousness crawled back from dreamland. I'm in a bed? His eyes creaked open, revealing a cozy room of Fiendish make. By the architecture, the dry air, and the lack of sharks nibbling on him, Rob expertly deduced that he was no longer in Merfolk territory. We were over a day of travel away from the Fiend borders. Was I really out for that long?

A moment later, he snapped fully awake, realizing that there were more important things to worry about. First order of business: Party screen. Rob breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that everyone was safe and sound. He hadn't expected them to be in danger, but considering the nasty surprise he'd gotten after waking from his soul surgery, it paid to be cautious. The Merfolk King could've betrayed them, the Blight could've magically resurrected...he wasn't ruling out anything anymore.

Next, Rob checked himself. He seemed to be in control of his own thoughts, although he knew that assumption came from a biased source. At the very least, there'd been a heartening lack of static so far. No Leveling High griping at him to go on a murder spree. Just peace and quiet in his mind.

Almost eerily so.

Biting the bullet, Rob brought up his Character Sheet.

Five minutes later, he finished reading it.

Fifteen minutes after that, he finished processing it.

What the fuck, he finally concluded. Rob sent out a Party message informing them that he was awake, that he was fine, and that he'd like to speak with Keira one-on-one before everyone mobbed him.

She burst into his room in less than a minute, beaming as if she'd won the lottery. "Did it work?!"

"Apparently." Rob put on a weak grin. "As far as I can tell, I'm sane. Ish."

Riardin's Rangers had known well in advance that the aftershock of killing the Leviathan would be just as problematic as the creature itself. Rob was extremely likely to land the final blow with Purge Corruption, and that meant he'd receive an absurd influx of Experience, much higher than from the Blight in Dhalerune Mines. That Blight split itself into four separate entities, and Rob only killed two of them, diluting his EXP gain and Leveling High's potency.

Of course, being aware of their problem didn't make it any easier to solve. Elatra's Humans had lived with Leveling High for thousands of years, and it'd plagued them until their dying days, the sharpest minds in the nation failing to unshackle themselves from their curse. According to Elder Duran, the best they'd come up with were psychological coping mechanisms to stymie Leveling High's gradual encroachment over their lifetime. It was a complete mismatch for slaying a single, monstrously powerful enemy.

As Riardin's Rangers had discussed their options, inspiration struck Rob as hard as Keira's greatsword recently struck his skull. Leveling High was – in simplified terms – a sentient drug. It artificially altered his brain chemistry by injecting endorphins and dopamine into his system. And like a drug, it gave him a rush that faded after each high.

So what if he just...wasn't conscious for that rush? It was the most dangerous part of Leveling High. While the long-term side effects were nothing to sneeze at, Rob was far more concerned with losing himself in a burst of sadistic passion. Leveling High couldn't tempt him if he was out cold for the worst of it. By the time he awoke, the rush would have passed.

Enduring a self-induced concussion was child's play in comparison. He dealt with worse on a weekly basis. They'd also considered using Mercy's Whisper to harmlessly knock him out, then elected to go for the skullcracker route. It was faster, and causing a bit of brain damage might help destabilize Leveling High.

To be fair, 'get bonked on the head' seemed like a solution that Humanity would have discovered and propagated if it was actually effective, but their circumstances were different than his. The average Human Combat Class user slowly built up their Levels over a course of decades. Being bludgeoned into unconsciousness after every fight wasn't safe or feasible. Rob, on the other hand, only needed to avoid the brunt of one ridiculous EXP overdose.

As Keira waited for him to keep speaking, Rob tapped his fingers on the bed. He wanted to say that their plan had gone off without a hitch. It's what he'd initially assumed upon waking to find himself sane, and the static silent.

Then he'd looked at his Character Sheet

"Before we continue," he said, "I'd like you to do me a favor. Use Identify on me, and tell me if anything seems out of the ordinary."

Her eyes shimmered briefly. "No," she answered, shaking her head. "It's as it should be."

"Can you read out exactly what my Status Effects are?"

"Leveling High (Moderate), Melancholia (Advanced), and Contemplative."

"Right." He scratched the back of his head. "Okay, so here's the thing. My Status Effects on my Character Sheet says: Leveling High (Moderate, Contained). Any idea why that is?"

Keira's wordlessly mouthed 'oh'. She sat on Rob's bed, hesitating for a painful moment. "There were...complications," she began. "I do believe that your plan helped, but it wasn't a perfect solution. Leveling High was flickering between Moderate and Advanced on your Status Screen. We didn't know upon which side the coin would fall."

She placed a hand on his arm. "Vul'to acted on instinct. He cast a translucent light on you, the same kind that he employs during Soul Shield. The light entered your body, and once it subsided, Leveling High had resolved as Moderate. When we questioned what he'd done, he claimed that he'd learned a new Soul Guardian Skill at that very instant."

Rob's eyes widened. "Vul'to contained Leveling High?"

"Soul Guardian is an unknown Class," Keira hazarded. "We've yet to explore the full breadth of its capabilities. Presumably, halting the advancement of Leveling High can be considered a form of Guarding your Soul."

Something about that seemed wrong, but Rob was too busy being relieved to care. "That's fantastic, so why are you acting all serious?"

"The effect isn't permanent, and if Leveling High continues to advance, Vul'to will be unable to contain it again." She winced. "Sorry. I didn't want to dash your hopes so quickly."

"Are you kidding?" Rob laughed. "This is perfect. My deadline just got extended. Gives us more time to figure things out."

Curiosity got the better of him, and he focused inward, examining the deepest recesses of his mind. Rob delved into the corners he usually avoided, searching for his now-silent neighbor. Soon enough, he found a caged beast, thrashing against chains of soothing light.

Up close, it wasn't so silent.

{LETMEOUTLETMEOUTLETMEOUTLETMEOUTLETMEOUTLETMEOUTLETMEOUTLETMEOUTLET-}

"Yup, I'm totally okay with this." Have fun in hell, you piece of shit.

Keira smiled warmly at him. "Then we can declare this excursion a total victory for our Party."

He returned the smile, although it was somewhat strained, wavering when she mentioned 'total victory'. "So the Merfolk were chill afterwards?" Rob asked. "Actually, what do you feel like talking about first? Politics, or the metric fuckton of EXP we got?"

"The EXP," she immediately answered, teeth bared in savage glee. "I've reached Level 69."

"Nice."

"Indeed. Upon the Blight's death, I underwent one of the largest Level increases in the history of Elatra, as did the rest of our Party."

Before Rob could offer his congratulations, Keira rested her chin in her palms, glaring at him with amused irritation. "And yet, it barely feels noteworthy. I wonder why that is, Rob? Why do you suppose that my Level jumping from 61 to 69 seems paltry?"

He whistled nonchalantly. "No idea what you're talking about."

"I can see your Level on your Status Screen. Just like everyone else."

Chuckling, Rob shrugged. "Yeah, okay, I maybe kinda went from Level 67 to Level 80." He gave her two thumbs-up. "New personal best!"

"It's a new anyone's best," Keira grumbled. "13 Levels from one damnable enemy. You skipped the 70s entirely, and the worst part is I know you think that's absolutely hilarious."

"Guilty as charged."

Her lips twitched with mirth. "As a side note, don't spend your stat points right away. Having this many to allocate at once is unprecedented, so our Party decided to hold a meeting after you awoke and assist with each others' builds. Let's call it a victory celebration – in lieu of another night of drunken inebriation, which seems ill-advised."

Rob glanced at his Character Sheet, eyeing the 65 unspent stat points waiting to be used. "Hey, I'll take any excuse to hang out. Wouldn't it be the blind leading the blind, though? How many people in Elatra have ever reached our Level?"

"Virtually none," Keira replied. "That might sound like I'm giving our Party the verbal equivalent of a pat on the back, yet it's the truth. Every member of Riardin's Rangers is Level 55 or higher. Our second-lowest member is Level 60. That's...unheard of."

She paused, choosing her words carefully. "All joking aside, you should be prepared for things to change. Again. The difference between Level 80 and Level 60 is leagues higher than between level 60 and Level 40. Not so much in power, but in status. A Level 80 Combat Class user may as well be a demigod walking on the mortal planes. Only the Dragon Queen is higher-leveled than you, now, and she is primarily spoken of in fearful whispers."

Rob averted his eyes, jaw clenched. He forced himself to relax before Keira noticed anything. "I am going to have to sign so many autographs," he said, pushing out a laugh.

"If your fans can muster the courage to approach you, then yes."

Not helping, Keira. "What Class Skill did you get?" he asked, changing the subject with the subtlety of a brick through a glass window. "I'm guessing everyone in our Party crossed that threshold at the same time."

"That's right." Her demeanor immediately brightened. "My Skill is called Abyssal Wave. For a scant 50 MP, it allows me to shoot forward a massive shockwave by striking my greatsword against the ground. It should supplement my deficiencies with ranged combat nicely." She leaned forward. "What about yours?"

"...Well it's definitely a strong Skill," Rob muttered. "It's also...you'll see." He read its description to her.

Berserker Rank 7 Ability: Living Bomb+ (Active)
Prerequisite: Berserker Level 67
Description: After 1000 damage has been sustained within a 1-hour period, the user can expel a very large explosive detonation from the center of their body. This explosion will not harm, touch, or affect the user in any way. The explosion does not adjust based on how damage the user has sustained. The damage counter is reset to 0 after Living Bomb has been activated. Furthermore, at the user's discretion, they can add a significant radioactive effect to the explosion. Just in case you didn't get enough of nukes yet. Five minute cooldown.

"There is no goddamn way this Skill wasn't tailored to me personally," Rob said, once he'd finished. "It's basically a supercharged Riardin Special that I can turn into a mini-nuke."

"New Skills are sometimes shaped by your life experiences," Keira explained. "Although not usually to this degree." Her voice fell to a hushed whisper. "Did the Skills themselves grant it to you?"

Rob shook his head. "I doubt it. Living Bomb seems more taunting than well-intentioned. Like it's saying, haha, you nuked yourself, here's another way to explode since you seem to love it so much. I've gotten Skill Descriptions like that in the past, and they always felt like they were the gods being dickheads."

"Or perhaps one of the Skills has a sense of humor?"

Memories of endless white and distant screams echoed in Rob's mind. "They struggle to have a sense of self, let alone a sense of humor," he said, quietly.

Neither of them spoke for a few seconds. "To what extent can the gods alter the Skills we learn?" Keira asked, thinking aloud. "If they truly desired to hamper our progress, then they should've merely rendered our abilities worthless."

"The fact that they haven't means that they can't. It's probably part of their limitations." Rob frowned. "Wish we knew exactly where those limitations began and ended, but from what we've seen they're pretty extensive. The first god that spoke to me had to quit because he ran out of Influence. In the same vein, Kismet kept his words short to save time. The Dwarven god also needed to guide the Dwarves towards constructing a nuke, only transporting schematics and offering advice instead of stealing a nuke from Earth outright."

"While I'm hardly complaining," Keira remarked, "it's strange that the gods are so restricted. They are divinity. If anything should be all-powerful, it should be them."

Rob smiled at her. "I'm sure you'll Intimidate the answers out of one when we go to slaughter them."

"You think up the most wonderful date ideas," she said, half-sarcastically.

The two exchanged pleasant small talk for several minutes, only stopping when they realized that they were keeping the rest of their Party waiting. "Quick question," Rob hurriedly said. "How'd things go with the Merfolk while I was snoozing? Do I have to head over there and break some kneecaps?"

"No need for that," Keira replied, in a chipper tone. "The Merfolk are equally grateful and terrified. Oh, how I wish you could've seen the looks on their faces when they cast Identify and saw Level 80." She let out a contented sigh of reminiscence. "I've seared that image into my mind."

Rob grimaced. "Seriously? I can't believe I missed that. Is there any chance I can get an encore if I visit Merfolk territory and say hi?"

Keira reached forward and patted him on the shoulder. "That would likely strain our newly-founded alliance," she consoled.

He perked up, his disappointment forgotten. "So they're 100% on board? No backstabs? We still have alliances with Elven territory, Dwarven territory, and Merfolk territory?"

"As far as I am aware."

Rob pumped his fist. "One more down! That just leaves the Harpies, Gellin, and Dragonkin." He paused. "The Dragonkin...will be hard to win over."

"We'll save them for last," Keira stated. "That way, when we arrive at their borders, it will be with allied armies at our backs. Negotiations are so much simpler when enforced at the point of a sword."

"The Dragon Queen really won't like that."

"Then we'll kill her. Mighty as she is, one Combat Class user cannot stand against our Party combined with the strength of nations."

Rob hesitated, hating that he was hesitating. "We need her to fight the Blight," he murmured, as if pulling teeth. "I can't be everywhere. She's already killed one fully-grown Blight and prevented a different Blight from invading her territory."

Keira shook her head. "Our Party, the Elders, and the Overseers discussed these matters as you were resting. We came to the conclusion that Queen Ragnavi's assistance may not be necessary. Not when our war with the Blight is drawing to its close."

She sat up straight, looking Rob directly in the eyes. "While the Blights are mercurial creatures, when examining their...activities across the whole of Elatra, a pattern emerges. In total, they have attempted to invade each territory no more than once or twice. Additionally, after their invasion attempts were repelled, the Blight refrained from trying its hand at those territories again."

As Keira spoke, her voice rose, gaining in speed and enthusiasm. "There haven't been any new Blight sightings in Elven territory, Human territory, or Fiend territory. Dragonkin territory is a slight unknown, but news would've spread if something was amiss. Merfolk and Dwarven territory were recently cleared. That leaves three territories: Gellin, Harpy, and the Deadlands. Gellin territory is – with apologies to them – small and unimportant. I wouldn't be surprised if the Blight skips them for lack of entertainment. The Harpies are due for a reckoning; however, forewarning them of what is to come should mitigate the damages."

She grabbed Rob's hands, pulling him closer. "Do you understand? This may be wishful thinking on our part, but it's evident that the Blight is losing. After Harpy territory and the Deadlands are expunged of its presence, the vile things will have nowhere left to run. And then..."

Determination shone through on her face. "And then we'll be free of them."

Rob froze, a tempest of conflicting emotions whirling inside. He wanted to believe her. Desperately so. Yet despite it being exactly what he'd been hoping to hear for months, there was a side of him that rebelled against the idea of the Blights ceasing to be. In a twisted way, they'd been his constant companion ever since he came to this world. The first enemy he'd fought was an infected wolf, and things just kept escalating from there. It was difficult for him to imagine an Elatra where Corruption and eldritch abominations weren't lurking behind every corner.

But...she had a point. The Blight was on the backfoot. Even if it was probably keeping some nasty surprises up its sleeve, just waiting to be unleashed, you couldn't look at their repeated failures and call it anything except losing. If this trend continued, eventually, they'd be wiped out. By then, Riardin's Rangers would be strong enough to kill the Dragon Queen with or without help from the other nations. And once the dimension mages advanced their craft to a level where interdimensional travel was possible, the gods would be next on the chopping block.

Rob's grip on Keira's hands tightened as an unfamiliar sensation washed over him. There were admittedly a lot of missing steps between 'kill the Dragon Queen' and 'kill freaking gods', but for the most part, the future he was envisioning seemed plausible. Not just a distant dream born from ranting at the sky. He'd been fighting for so long that it felt like it would last forever – yet here he was, Level 80, allied with more than half the world, and ready to put a pin in his longest-running foe.

He wasn't quite in the homestretch, but he could see it peeking over the horizon.

"I...need some time to think," Rob said, letting go of Keira's hands. "Can you stall the others for five minutes?"

She gave him an understanding nod. "Of course. We reacted in much the same way. Being anxious of the peace you've striven for is common among soldiers. Just remember that we're all in this together." Keira planted an affectionate kiss on his cheek, then turned to leave.

"Can you check my Status Screen again?" Rob blurted out, unable to stop himself. Keira tilted her head in confusion as she agreed to his request.

"Leveling High is still listed as Moderate," she confirmed. "There's nothing indicating that it has been 'Contained', which should preclude any awkward questions from people outside our Party."

He schooled his features, pushing his lips up into a smile. "Thanks. See you in five."

Keira exited the room, leaving Rob by himself. He allowed himself twenty seconds to collect his thoughts before he brought up his Character Sheet and log of system messages, perusing the other reasons he'd asked for privacy. At the tail end of his thirteen consecutive Level-ups was a series of system messages that he hadn't known how to talk about.

Crystal Bearer Rank Increased! 6 → 7

Crystal Bearer Tier 4 Skills Unlocked!

Choose ONE of two different Class Skills! Unchosen Skills will be available to select at later Class Levels!

ERROR: Insufficient Levels of Almighty Resistance to meet one Skill's Prerequisites. The remaining Skill will be automatically selected at this time.

Name: Ageless
Prerequisite: Crystal Bearer Level 7
Description: When activated, halts the aging process. No negative side effects from this Skill will occur. This Skill is not a monkey's paw for the user. This Skill does not protect from death by injury. Can be activated and deactivated at will. Once deactivated, the aging process will resume at the user's standard rate of aging. While this Skill is not a monkey's paw, if used carelessly, you will grow to hate it more than any other.

Logically speaking, Rob knew that he shouldn't have felt wary about Ageless. The Skill was something that billions of people fantasized about having. It conveniently solved the issue of his Party members outliving him. Especially Keira, if their relationship lasted in the long term, which he hoped it would.

Living for thousands of years sounded miserable, but the Skill clearly addressed its own shortcomings by pointing out that it could be deactivated and activated freely. If he staggered Ageless' activation uptime, he'd be able to age at basically the same rate as his friends. He'd also end up outliving Jason that way, so it wasn't ideal, but...at least there were options.

Rob would've been all for it – if it wasn't paired with a certain other change on his Character Sheet. One that apparently hadn't shown up when Keira used Identify on him.

Name: Rob
Level: 80
Race: Human (?)
Class: BERSERKER (LV 78)
Sub-Class: Crystal Bearer (LV 7)

Rob glared once again at his Race indicator, and the disarming little question mark that had appeared next to it.

"...The fuck does that even mean?"

--

Changes, Character Sheet, Skill List 

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