Leveling up the World (Chapter 861) (Patreon)

Sleep powder kept on raining from the sky. Even with Gleam’s best attempts, the amount was far too small to prove any hindrance for Hannah. What the innkeeper couldn’t avoid, she dispersed with one strike in the direction, additionally causing the spectral shardfly to go on the defensive. That was only part of Dallion’s plan, though.

ATTACK NEGATED

You’re shattered HANNAH’s line attack.

Attack has no effect.

Another red rectangle emerged in the air. With the roles reversed, Hannah had become the attacker, while Dallion had gone on the defensive. Even his music chords had changed from attack to defense, combining with spellcraft to create rows of magical barriers between him and the innkeeper. No sooner had they appeared than they’d be reduced to colored fragments by one attack or another. The speed was so great that the barrier pieces created the impression they were flashes of light blinking around him.

Just like at a party, Dallion thought.

A party… Maybe because of the music, but there was something very familiar about this. The party, the drinking, the college dorm. Ages ago, in another life, he had gone to a party very much like this one. There had been lights, music… He remembered looking forward to the next day—his first day of college and the step into a new world. And there was—

MODERATE WOUND

Your health has been reduced by 20%

What are you doing?! Gleam shouted, using the power of her wings to create a wall between him and Hannah. It was only an illusion, but enough to help him regain his concentration.

Immediately, Dallion switched the hold of the haprsisword, deflecting several more attacks. Thankfully, no more damage was suffered.

What’s with you? The shardfly flew closer, ready to shield his back with her wings.

“Sorry, I lost my concentration for a moment,” he lied.

Against her? At the worst possible time!

“I’m fine.” Dallion gritted his teeth. For a moment, he tried to focus back on the memory, but it had already fled. Regardless, he still had a fight to win.

Dallion burst into instances. The health he’d lost was significant, but not enough to bring defeat. He just had to be careful to see it through. Running the plan in his mind, there was a one in three chance that he’d succeed—not great, everything considered, but better than the alternatives.

“Lux, hit her with a healing bolt!” Dallion ordered.

The firebird took the form of a bladebow and fired a dozen bolts at Hannah. None of them passed remotely close, but that wasn’t Dallion’s goal.

“Gleam, cover me with sleep dust!” he shouted, drawing several symbols for sleeplessness on his skin.

Hannah’s attacks abruptly stopped. Knowing the effects of the illusion dust would have, she paused a few moments to consider a new approach. Dallion took advantage of the situation to surround himself with an impressive number of aether barriers and bubbles.

“Clever,” Hannah said. “Surround the sleep dust with barriers so that I can’t slash it away.”

“I aim to please.” He cast a quick spell to improve his stamina.

“It won’t work. I’ll just do several attacks in rapid succession.”

“Even you’ll get tired of line attacks,” Dallion said.

“That’s the hill you want to die on?”

Dallion smiled. “I don’t know if I’ve told you, but I’m greedy. I came here to get the best people and pieces for my settlement, and I’m not leaving without them.”

“Always the same boy. Big words, but are you ready for the consequences?”

“Or succeeding? At this point, everything I do has consequences, so I might as well succeed.”

Gem, I want you to be ready, Dallion said mentally to his aetherfish familiar. A lot will depend on you.

Err, yes, boss, the creature replied from his realm, utterly surprised. Isn’t big bro Lux enough?

He’s doing something different. Just be ready to do what I tell you without thinking or asking questions.

Barely had Dallion thought that than Hannah leaped through the air, heading straight at him. Four blades split the air, sending enough line attacks to transform a mountain chain into a valley. Faced with that, Dallion’s aether defenses popped like water bubbles. Gleam’s dust made a futile attempt to fill the opened area, only to be swept away.

Releasing all his gear, Dallion summoned his aura blade in an attempt to match Hannah’s number of strike attacks.

ATTACK NEGATED

You’re shattered HANNAH’s line attack.

Attack has no effect.

Clusters of red rectangles filled the air as the distance between the two diminished. The sword allowed Dallion to cast more barrier spells as he performed each strike, but even that didn’t seem capable of stopping the attack. The dust of their fading remains was so intense that it resembled a purple mist.

Stay back! Gleam closed all her sets of wings round Dallion, hardening them to the point of diamonds.

Hannah was less than fifty feet away, ready to perform her final blow.

Gem, get out and amplify all magic! Dallion ordered.

Emerging from his head, the aether jellyfish expanded, glowing in a bright purple light. All dust and aether particles in the area ignited, though not fast enough to prevent Hannah’s strike.

MAJOR WOUND

Your health has been reduced by 50%

The force of the attack passed through all remaining defenses—including Gleam’s indestructible wings—slamming into Dallion’s chest. In spite of the pain, Dallion couldn’t deny that only a master could achieve such a feat. There was no armor that could stop this, rather the armor would remain unscratched, but the attack would simply ignore it.

PERMANENT EFFECT - SLEEP

HANNAH has been affected by sleep and will be out of commission for the next hour.

The status continues to be in effect in the real world.

As Gleam opened her wings, both Dallion and Hannah fell to their knees.

“How?” she asked, struggling to remain awake through will alone.

“Misdirection,” Dallion coughed, fighting the pain. “I added sleep to my barriers. With Gem’s amplification, they hit a lot harder.”

“Should have seen it…”

“I hoped you wouldn’t.”

“I should have drained your health with that last attack…” Hannah fell to the ground.

“You did.” Dallion said, Lux’s blue flames surrounding him. “I’m out of health, but magic is the trait of exceptions. I’ll be out of your realm in a bit, but not before—”

HANNAH’s destiny has been unsealed.

“Not before that,” Dallion managed to say.

His vision was blurry as he felt all the strength leave him. Maintaining an existence with magic alone was no simple thing. No wonder that only magic entities used it. Even with all his planning, he had barely managed to prolong his stay in Hannah’s realm by a few seconds.

RULE BREAKER

(+5 Body, +5 Magic)

You really shouldn’t be getting this. Pull something else stupid one more time and you’ll lose a lot more.

“Yeah.” Dallion made an attempt to laugh. “I thought you’d say that.” He lost consciousness.

When he regained it again, he was back in the inn’s kitchen, surrounded by piles of food. His first thought was that he was dreaming. Slowly lifting his head, Dallion looked around expecting to see Felygn or some other Moon. Instead, he saw Pan and Hannah. Clearly, permanent effects were a lot less permanent when she was concerned.

“How long…” Dallion began, but quickly stopped. Based on the food prepared, he could assume that it had been at least a few hours, if not half a day.

Ignoring the painful thumping in his head, he stretched, cracked his neck, then used his aether vision on Hannah. Along with her many skills, her awakening level was displayed as eighty-five.

“There it is,” the innkeeper said in her usual harsh voice. “The smugness of a lucky idiot.”

“You have to give him some credit.” Pan shoved a doughnut-like sandwich in Dallion’s hands. “He did manage to beat you.”

Unsure what to say, Dallion took a bite. The food was even more magnificent than he remembered it.

“I was this close to taking the form of the Green Moon,” Pan told Dallion. “I even had a whole speech ready and everything. Hannah took pity on you.”

“I just didn’t want him to freak out in my kitchen.” She crossed her arms.

“You’re joining me,” Dallion said between bites. “Both of you.”

“After everything you did, it’s difficult not to.” Part of the copyette turned into a chair on which his human part sat. “The way things are going, I would have taken one side or another. Better yours.”

“I thought you’d stay with the Order.”

“I’m not part of the Order,” the copyette hissed. “The whole reason I escaped my prison was so I never would.”

The amount of anger and hatred emanating from Pan almost made Dallion shiver. This wasn’t said on a whim. There was something deep-rooted here going back centuries. Maybe this was a good time to remind everyone that the Order of the Seven Moons and Dallion were working together? Or better not. The copyette probably knew, plus Dallion was doing things with them, not for them.

“So, it’s finally come to that,” Pan said with a sigh. “Conquering the world.”

“Or stopping someone else from doing it,” Dallion said, half convinced. “Any insight you could give me?”

“The only advice I can give anyone trying to take over the world: don’t.” Pan laughed. “I know, not what you wanted to hear, but these things never end well. It’s no coincidence that no one who tried to conquer the world ever succeeded.”

“Wasn’t that because of the Star? He’s gone for the moment, and so has the—”

“I can’t tell you more without telling it all, and if I do that, all of us will be in trouble. Do what you think you should do. Hannah and I will back you all the way.”

“All the way?” Dallion arched a brow. “That sounds a bit…” He wanted to say suspicious, but settled on another word. “Extreme.”

“If you mess up, all of us are getting banished whether we were with you or not,” Hannah said. “This way, at least we get to choose.” She took a piece of meat from one of the many plates on the table. “In other words, your bribe worked.”

“One thing’s for sure,” the copyette added. “You’ll need to grow a lot and fast. What do you have so far?”

“You, Adzorg, Diroh, the Icepickers.” Dallion took another bite. “I think I’ll convince most of the local furies, maybe a few more from outside. Do you want me to take the arena ruins with me?”

The answer didn’t come right away. Internal conflict emanated from Pan. The whole of Nerosal was built on top of the former copyette capital. Ages ago, this was considered the center of the world, not a backwater city where the banished were sent off to.

“Leave it here,” the copyette said. “Maybe it’s time will come in a future age. Anyone else?”

“I’ll try to get the hunters. I can still get in touch with a few of them.” Before entering the Academy, Dallion had hired a veteran hunter to track down Euryale. The man had given him an echo ring for them to be in touch, but that was pretty much the last they had talked. The fault was just as much Dallion’s as it was the hunter’s. After all, he hadn’t called to check on him once.

“You’re making the same mistake I did—relying on quality when you should focus on quantity.”

“At the moment, I’m trying to focus on both.”

“Just some friendly advice.” The copyette stood up, the chair sinking in the floor beneath him. “This is your try. I’m only here to watch and assist.”

Someone’s waiting to see you, the guardian of the inn told Dallion all of a sudden. The fact that it had chosen to interrupt suggested that it had to be more than a visit from an acquaintance.

Where? Dallion asked. The dozens of hiding spells on the walls, and complete lack of windows, made it impossible for anyone to see in or out of the kitchen, even with magic. Due to his circumstances, Pan treasured his privacy.

Outside in the street, the inn replied. There’s a lot of them.