Grand Game 315: The Gift of Sight (Patreon)

Chapter updated 27 May 2023: The increase in his telepathy skill modified.

You have activated a trap!

16 level 111 swarm vipers’ deathwish abilities have been triggered.

32 level 101 swarm vipers’ deathwish abilities have been triggered.

64 level 91 swarm vipers…

…

…

32,768 level 1 swarm vipers have died!

The shaft’s performance exceeded all expectations.

Fueled by the swarm vipers themselves, the fire burned hot for nearly a full minute and was bright enough to turn the rock lining the shaft slick like glass.

“It worked,” I murmured in awe.

“It did,” Ghost agreed, seemingly not as impressed by the spectacular success of my plan as I was. “Will you do the same with the next clone?”

I glanced in the direction of the nearest crater, reminded of the other waiting rank fifteen clones, and pondered Ghost’s words.

I could, of course, have attempted employing the shaft earlier in my plan—and not bothered with forcing the vipers down to rank eleven first—but I had wanted to give my fire trap the best chance of scoring instant kills, and I’d been worried the higher-ranked clones would be able to survive long enough to consume their younger kin.

“Yes,” I said at last. “The plan has proven itself now. Best to stick with what works.”

✵ ✵ ✵

Slaying the swarm viper took the entire day.

Thirty-two times, I lured a clone into my chosen crater. Thirty-two times, I killed it down to its rank eleven iterations. And thirty -two times, I enticed them into the shaft and detonated a fire trap.

I made sure, too, to train my telepathy skill in the process. At every opportunity, I charmed, slept, or blinded the clones even when it was unnecessary to do so. And when it was all said and done, the Game message I’d been waiting on all day arrived.

You have killed a level 201 swarm viper.

It was done. Finally.

Sinking down wearily onto the ground, I closed my eyes and waited. Sure enough, more Game alerts flooded my mind.

You have reached level 164!

Your thieving has reached rank 11.

Your sneaking, light armor, telepathy, and telekinesis have reached rank 13.

Your shortswords has reached rank 14.

Your meditation has reached rank 15, allowing you to learn tier 4 abilities.

Remaining trap-making crystals: 132 of 200.

A small smile stole onto my face. The rewards for the day’s work were as great as I expected.

Not only had I gained three player levels, I’d advanced one of my skills—meditation—to tier four, an achievement in and of itself. While the skill was amongst my least useful when it came to related abilities, getting it to tier four was still a significant milestone in my player development.

The encounter’s biggest winner, though, was my telepathy. It had advanced a whole two ranks, not surprising given how extensively I’d employed the skill during the day.

Unfortunately, achieving victory had not been without cost either. I’d exhausted a third of my trap-making crystals, and there would be no replenishing them until I escaped the dungeon.

“Well done, Prime,” Ghost said softly.

“Thank you,” I replied. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” About to go on, I paused. Another Game alert was flashing for attention. Curiously, I opened it.

Congratulations, Michael! You have accomplished the feat: The Bigger They Are! Requirement: kill a tier 5 creature on your own while of lower tier yourself. As only the 132nd rank 16 solo player to defeat an elite creature, you have been awarded the trait: Spirit Talker. This rare trait is normally reserved for rank 4 aetherists and allows you to converse with any spirit capable of speech.

Note, the traits you earn from feats are based on the circumstances and manner of your achievement.

I stared nonplussed at the Adjudicator’s message.

Spirit talker. It was a strange reward to receive. Sure, given the manner in which I’d gone about the deed, the trait made sense; Ghost had been an integral part of my success. But I already had a means of communicating with her. Why give me a trait to do what I could already accomplish?

“What is it?” Ghost asked.

“Oh nothing,” I said, glancing absently in her direction. “Just an odd trait—”

I broke off, my mouth dropping open in shock.

I saw Ghost.

Not just as a glowing awareness in my mindsight. No, I saw her in her full ghostly glory.

“Trouble?” Ghost asked, believing something to be amiss.

Shaking my head wordlessly, I let my gaze flit about her form. Ghost looked exactly as you would expect a spirit to look. Her visage was pale, colorless, and ethereal, and I could see through her to the walls of the crater beyond.

But for all that, Ghost’s shape was still distinct and unmistakably wolflike. In size, she rivaled Sulan and the other dire wolf elders. Her coat was thick and luxurious, and her eyes deep and curious. Idly, I wondered what color they had been in life.

“I can see you,” I said at last.

Ghost was sitting on her haunches. “See me?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Yes. I can see your spirit form.”

Ghost’s jaw dropped open, exposing sharp canines. “You can? How!”

“The Adjudicator,” I explained, realizing what gift the Game had granted me.

“Then, can you see me do this?” Ghost asked, spinning about in a jubilant circle.

“I can,” I replied, laughing at her antics.

Ghost froze.

My humor faded. “What’s wrong?”

Ghost shook her head—an odd mannerism for a wolf, but then she was no ordinary wolf. “I… heard you.”

I frowned, not following, then realized what she meant. “You heard my laugh?” I asked aloud.

Ghost barked in assent.

It was my turn to blink. “Alright,” I said, bemused anew. “So, we can both see and hear each other in the ‘real’ now.” I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. “That neatly solves our communication problem.”

And it did.

No longer was I bound to the fifty yards reach of my mindsight to see or talk to Ghost. That elevated my new trait from an oddity to a prized boon.

“Thank you, Adjudicator,” I murmured and rose to my feet.

✵ ✵ ✵

The time had come to sleep again, and this time, I had no compunctions about where to do that. Reaching the tunnel entrance, I slipped inside.

“Once we get to the entrance chamber, we’ll spend an hour on your lessons before calling it quits for the day,” I said to Ghost.

She bobbed her head in silent assent, enjoying our new form of communication.

I grinned back, just as pleased by the sight of the spirit wolf padding by my side. She was large enough that parts of her body passed through the tunnel’s sidewalls though that did not seem to bother her in the least.

My gaze drifted down the passage. It would be a stretch to say my fortunes had turned around since entering the dungeon, but things were certainly looking up, and I was eager to see what the following days would bring.

I stumbled to a halt. My gaze had caught on an unusual shape up ahead.

It seemed the tunnel had another surprise in store for me. In the exact same spot, where I’d first encountered the swarm viper was a… loot chest.

Not wooden.

Not bronze.

Not silver.

Not even gold.

Something altogether different—a type only spoken about in hushed whispers. A platinum chest.

“My God,” I exclaimed, wondering how many more shocks I could endure today.

Ghost followed my gaze. “More... loot?”

I nodded emphatically and dashed forward. Drawing to a halt before the closed box, I flipped open the lid. There was a single item inside.

An ability tome.

Whatever knowledge the book contained, I knew it had to be spectacular—the platinum chest practically guaranteed it—but I only hoped it was something I could use. Hands trembling, I reached within and picked up the tome.

You have acquired the fade ability tome. Governing attribute: Dexterity. Tier: expert. Requirement: rank 10 sneaking skill.

The fade ability is one of the most elusive in the Game. Only discoverable in the most dangerous of dungeons, it is sought after by assassins the world over. Few, though, are fortunate enough to find it. At lower tiers, the ability progressively blurs the wielder from sight. But it is not until the elite tier—when it grants true invisibility—that the fade ability’s true potential is unlocked.

“True invisibility?” I wondered what the Adjudicator meant by that.

My mind flashed back to the potion I’d used in Nexus to evade, however briefly, the guards atop the safe zone walls. That potion’s effects had been powerful enough, yet the description of the fade spell implied it would do more.

I opened the book.

Sure, I already had an overabundance of dexterity-based abilities, but the promise of having my own invisibility spell was too enticing to pass up.

You have gained the advanced ability: fade. This ability blends your physical form into the surroundings, irrespective of the prevailing light conditions and whether or not you are in combat. At this tier, the ability makes you 25% harder to see for 1 minute.

This ability’s activation time is very fast, consumes stamina, and can be upgraded. You have 4 of 55 Dexterity ability slots remaining.

“My, my,” I exclaimed softly as understanding of the ability filled me. It complimented my skill set perfectly. Fade did not provide any direct benefits like additional armor or increased strength. Instead, it made me harder to see—which, in turn, made me harder to hit.

Even better, fade would continue to function while I was fighting, something that no other stealth or illusion ability I knew off would do.

True invisibility, indeed, I thought, smiling broadly.

Still grinning, I left the empty loot chest behind and headed into the entrance chamber, my thoughts full of plans for the future.