Anthony Alves
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Chapter 63*
🕑 Added 2025-01-17 15:00:13 +0000 UTCDan opened his eyes. He didn’t have to check a Profile Reader. He knew his soul increased to 8-Stars.
He did it. He really did it.
He now had a real shot at winning. Earth had a real shot at surviving.
What had been bothering him for a while now was his lack of natural Stat increases. He had worked so hard for so few gains.
He had been hoping to use his Trait token for something much better, but he needed to use it for a Stat Trait.
It is what it is. No use complaining, he thought.
He knew Leena, Valentin, and a bunch of others had attained a 6-Star Soul. No one was able to do that before the champion was summoned last time.
This time, the self-cultivation book as well as everyone knowing to get Stalwart Soul and Intellection as Traits changed things.
Dan was almost positive Chet had a 6-Star Soul too. They still met up to train, but all Chet wanted to talk about was his girlfriend.
Dan was surprised when he saw the girl. She was very, very large. She not only had three or four inches on Dan, but she also had much broader shoulders than he did too. Chet looked like a tiny child next to her.
Chet was ecstatic about it. He said the two made a great team and could clear a lot of Trials as a duo, with Chet laying on the damage and throwing out heals, and his girlfriend tanking everything like the Hulk.
Dan was just happy that his friend had found someone to love.
It had been a year and a couple months since the Game initiated.
There was a lot of anger that the champion hadn’t been summoned yet. It didn’t matter what Dan said about anything, people weren’t willing to wait much longer.
They just didn’t understand.
And nothing Dan said would prevent it from happening with or without him.
At the very least, Dan wanted everyone to spend a few more years grinding and preparing.
No one else was willing to wait that long. Even Chet and Leena constantly nagged him about summoning Asmodon soon.
They had no idea what it would be like. They had no idea what a monster the champion was.
Even if Dan admitted he had fought Asmodon for decades and gave detailed specifics, he still doubted that’d change anyone’s mind.
He thought their impatience was crazy. They weren’t just risking their own lives – they were risking eight billion of them.
With an 8-Star Soul, he was far more certain he could stand toe-to-toe with Asmodon. Some of the worry he had been carrying on his shoulders went away. Not all of it, but some of it, and it felt good.
If an 8-Star Soul didn’t give them a real shot at winning, then the Game was impossible to win.
Being able to move so fast really helped avoid talking and uncomfortable situations. He hoped there weren’t any people at the forge as he blazed to it as fast as he could.
A lot more people were alive this time than last. Only a couple of thousand had been left when the champion’s forces were summoned.
Dan had heard there were about 40 thousand people alive and kicking this time.
That sounded great. That sounded like a lot. Close to 250 million people were sent to the Game, so 40 thousand remaining didn’t seem all that great, considering.
There were three people at the forge. That was one big negative of having so many more people alive – they were everywhere.
He had seen all three of these people around before. Thankfully, none of them were talkers.
Some other people started to approach the forge but turned around upon seeing Dan. The three inside rushed to finish their business and left, nodding at Dan as they passed.
Dan had a choice to make, but not much of one. He assumed he’d receive two step increases ascending to tiers 16 and 17 since he received two at tiers 14 and 15.
All his Stats were SS++++ besides his Reaction, which was SS+++++.
The Stat-grade Traits gave a full grade. He could bring any Stat to SS++++++, or SSR. He’d need two Stats at SSR to ascend to tier 17 though.
He’d much rather increase Reaction by a full grade, but if everything went to shit this time like it had last time, and Dan had to fight on his own for decades again, he didn’t want to be stuck this time.
He had to plan for the worst while hoping for the best. He got the Agile Trait and increased his Agility to SSR.
The four steps he’d get from ascending to tier 16 and 17, he’d use strategically, planning for the long term.
He could hear a couple of people talking and laughing as they approached the forge. He recalled to the Trial of the Scouring to avoid them. He quickly completed the Trial, ran to his tutorial area so he could have some peace, and hit the Class Obelisk there.
With the party mechanics, as many people as possible had consolidated into tutorials. He heard they were like big towns now. There was nothing like that last time.
He had his own tutorial area to himself, and he liked that.
Dan touched the Class Obelisk and only looked at his direct Class upgrades. He had five offered, and four were named AVATAR OF MAGMA.
Each Class offered another slot, either a physical, defensive, utility, or two with support slots. The four sharing the same name would all have the same new Slot Bonus.
He sighed in relief. He was certain he’d be offered a Class with another utility slot, but seeing it there made some worry disappear.
He didn’t want to unslot SIXTH SENSE. It was too useful. He had gotten too used to having the benefit its current rank provided. So, he clicked on the Class with the extra utility slot.
First, he checked if the new slot allowed for Crown Orbments now. It did, and he sighed with relief again.
The more he had thought about exactly how he’d kill Asmodon with his new build, the more he came to believe a specific utility Crown Orbment would be a huge help.
The new Crown Orbment effect for utility Orbments wasn’t great, but it wasn’t shit either. An increase of 15% to its damage, healing, and other effects. The duration of the invocation going in that slot would now last 6.9 seconds instead of 6 seconds, though he had little faith it’d last the full duration on Asmodon. It’d do a little more damage too.
Then he checked the new Slot Bonus, and his hand started shaking with excitement. He couldn’t have hoped for something better. It was great.
He knew he was going to take this Class, especially when considering that Slot Bonus, but he checked out the Class named ICON OF MAGMA just in case.
And it was okay. The new Slot Bonus it came with would benefit self-only support Orbments significantly, but whatever benefits he’d be able to get from it would never come close to what he’d get from the new Slot Bonus of AVATAR OF MAGMA.
Dan selected his new Class, opened his pouch, and slotted a new utility Crown Orbment.
Before he began ascending, he needed to let Leena, Chet, Dotty, or Valentin know that he’d be gone for a while and spread the word around that the champion would be summoned soon.
That should placate all the people champing at the bit. He had been worried they’d initiate the summons without him. Worried enough that the summoning circle had been constantly under guard for the last couple of months.
Dan zipped around until he found one of his friends. Chet was on top of the castle sitting in his girlfriend’s lap as they kissed.
After loudly clearing his throat, Dan waited as Chet held a finger up indicating he needed another second or minute.
A very uncomfortable minute later, the kissing session finally ended.
“What’s up, Dan,” asked Chet with a big smile on his face. His girlfriend said “Hello, Dan,” in a very heavy accent.
Dan had no idea what nationality the girl was, but she didn’t speak English, and only a handful of people from her country had been sent to the Game. How Dan heard it, Chet was able to win her over by getting the girl to teach him her language.
Dan had been told the girl’s name at least a dozen times, but he could never remember it. He nodded at the girl and said, “Nice to see you again, ma’am.”
After looking back at Chet, he said, “I’ll be gone for a bit. Could you let everyone know we’ll be summoning the champion soon after I level up and ascend?”
“Oh, wow, you hit 8-Stars? That’s great! Congratulations! Of course I can tell them. But not right this second.” The smile on Chet’s face grew wider. “I think we’re finally going all the way today. And I’m not being uncouth saying that in front of my lady. She can’t understand a word we’re saying.“
Chet stuck his thumb up and the goofy grin plastered on his face somehow grew even wider.
“Come on, man,” said Dan, disappointment clear in his voice. “That ain’t gentlemanly to talk about even if she can’t understand it. That’s private business between just y’all two.”
The smile left Chet’s face, and he said, “Oh. Please pretend I told you nothing then.”
“Just be careful. And be smart too. And treat her right and be a gentleman.”
Chet smiled again and said, “I certainly will. I always treat my lady like a queen. Everyone will be ecstatic to hear we’re summoning the champion soon. I have a lot of extra beast cores if you require them. I thought I’d need more to hit 350.”
If Chet was level 350, his Soul was 6-Stars.
A lot of people were sensitive enough that they could feel what tier another had. That was never something Dan had been good at. Or cared about. He had never spent a second working on improving that sense.
Either he had to fight someone or something, or he didn’t. Tier never factored into the equation.
Dan was almost certain Chet had told him he had hit 6-Stars, but every other time Chet had ascended, he had asked Dan to be there for Class selection. Since he never did this time, and since he never asked for a new Orbment either, Dan wasn’t certain if Chet told him he was close to achieving 6-Stars or if he had actually achieved it.
Dan thought it was a good thing Chet had felt confident enough to select his new Class without asking for advice. And was able to slot and rank up his new Orbment on his own too.
Chet had already upgraded to an Epic Class back when he had a 4-Star Soul. The kid was a real powerhouse now.
“Thank you,” replied Dan, “but I might got enough. Last time I ascended, I reckoned I had way more than enough though, and I barely squeaked by.”
“Definitely,” said Chet. “I was informed 250 to 350 required an unreasonable amount of XP and beast cores, so I overprepared by a significant margin. If you need any of mine, they’re yours.”
“Thank you, Chet. I appreciate it.” Dan looked at the girl and said, “You have a good day, ma’am.”
Dan had a ton of XP banked up and more beast cores than he could count.
Even with all that, he ran out when he hit level 528. It took an insane amount of qi to fill his core at these levels.
He had to go find Chet and ask him for his beast cores.
Chet handed them all over but said people wanted an exact date for summoning Asmodon.
Dan met with Leena, Dotty, Valentin, and a few others to plan. They also gave him their beast cores. He knew it wouldn’t be enough.
The date to summon Asmodon was set for two weeks after Dan hit level 550, peak tier 17.
He gave his friends every Orbment, Foundation, all his frags, and everything else he had, so they could trade for more beast cores.
A lot of people were willing to just donate beast cores to Dan. He was happy the people remaining were so willing to share and help one another out. That wasn’t true at all last time.
When all was said and done, well over a week later, Dan was level 550. He couldn’t believe the amount of qi every level required past level 500. It was ridiculous, and filling his core had taken so long every time.
He had gained exactly 100 levels in total, and each level gave him 9 Stat points. He was left with the same amount of remaining Stat points as the last time he had leveled up, 246.
He still thought having a surplus of Stat points was strange, and having the same 246 in surplus was stranger still.
Once he finished ascending, there was a big meeting to plan out the specifics of the summoning. No one liked the plan, but Dan was focused on keeping casualties down as much as possible.
With two weeks left to summon the champion, everyone had enough time to wrap everything up and prepare. It also gave Dan some time to get used to his new Stats, power level, and practice with his new Orbment.
There were only two triggers. Dan had looted one himself. A guy from Tunisia donated the other one.
The two Trials Dan believed had a higher drop rate for those triggers just weren’t dropping them.
Dan thought some people had to have triggers and were holding out. Even if only three could drop in a year, they had passed the year mark months ago.
Something was going on with the loot. And it wasn’t just triggers.
It would matter a lot more if the triggers could hurt Asmodon, but they couldn’t.
Dan had long ago noticed the demon techs hadn’t been messing with anyone. All the techs Veil would’ve reset a few months ago, so they should’ve had plenty to play around with.
Dan figured he had to have blown that whole building up, and they still hadn’t gotten a new one up and running.
That thought made him smile. He hoped he had killed a ton of demons along with the building.
While worrying about if there was anything else he could do to prepare, Dan hit a Profile Reader to look over his summary. Just thinking about his new Slot Bonus made him excited all over again.
Name: Daniel “Dan” Branigan
Difficulty: Hell (Increase XP by 100% and drop chance by 30%)
Tier: Grand Pontiff (17)
Level: 550
Soul: SS++++++ Grade (8-Star)
Mana-type: Magma
Core: Perfect
Stats (capacity for and amplification of intrinsic qualities)
Agility, S++++++ Grade (900 Max): 900 (1,077)
Mana, S+++++ Grade (800 Max): 800
Reaction, S++++++ Grade (900 Max): 900 (1,077)
Speed, S++++++ Grade (900 Max): 900 (1,077)
Strength, S++++ Grade (700 Max): 700 (853)
Available Stat Points: 246
Attributes (intrinsic qualities averaged)
Durability (physical and void resistance): 28
Health (disease and poison resistance): 33
Spirit (mental and primordial resistance): 30
Class:
AVATAR OF MAGMA (Ph/D/Pw/Pw/U/U/S. Legendary 8-Star Class. Number of Slot Bonuses equal to Star Class)
Class Restrictions:
Defensive Orbment slot will not accept Indomitable, Resilient, Resistant, Resolute, Retribution, or Tough.
Power Orbment slots will not accept Barrier or any transformation Orbment.
Crown Orbments must be Defensive, Power, Utility, or Support Orbments.
Orbment Bonus (7 of 7)
With six Orbments slotted, each Orbment gains the equivalent of 1 rank.
STORM [Fifth Rank. Effective Sixth Rank] (Physical Orbment, Legendary, unique-equipped, upgraded, active): You must be holding a weapon to cast this invocation and casting it causes very heavy weapon-damage to all enemies in a 6.69 (8.36)-meter 60-degree cone in front of you. Higher ranks increase damage and mana cost by 10%, extend range of cone by 5%, and lower the cooldown by 5s. Medium mana cost, instant cast, 57s (32s) cooldown.
(C) Beads of Interception [Crown Orbment] (Defensive Orbment, Crown, unique-equipped, passive): Crown Orbment of Block, Floating Orbs, Parry. Up to 12 (24) highly durable large beads rest on your torso. Upon detection of danger, these beads float around you and attempt to intercept attacks. Beads regenerate at a rate of 1 (2) every 1m:36s.
SUMMON ASHEN RUIN [Fifth Rank. Effective Sixth Rank] (Power Orbment, Legendary, unique-equipped, upgraded, active): Casting this invocation summons an avatar of the Infernal Lord Ashen Ruin one tier above your own (current level 551) that lasts until its destruction or dismissal. Avatar of Ashen Ruin has the Hellfire mana-type. The Infernal can mitigate and absorb a lot of damage and it deals good damage to enemies with its Incinerate and Searing Armor invocations and physical attacks. Higher ranks increase size, durability, damage of attacks, and range of Incinerate by 20%. Extremely high mana cost, 20s cast time, no cooldown.
(C) Void Blast [Crown Orbment] (Power Orbment, Crown, unique-equipped, active): Crown Orbment of Void Bolt, Void Bolt, and Void Bolt. Casting this invocation sends a high-damage missile of void energy at a targeted enemy within a range of 33.9 meters. Medium mana cost, 1.03s cast, 8s cooldown.
SIXTH SENSE [Fifth Rank. Effective Ninth Rank] (Utility Orbment, Legendary, stackable (2), passive): You perceive more and are more aware of your surroundings and possible threats, both seen and unseen, in a circumference of 8.09 (72.81) meters around you. This can manifest as a precognitive flash of impending danger. Higher ranks slightly increase effect and add 8.09 meters to the circumference.
(C) Void Trap [Crown Orbment] (Utility Orbment, Crown, unique-equipped, active): Crown Orbment of Add Effect - Bleed, Add Effect – Void Dot, and Trap. Casting this invocation on a visible target within 34.2 meters traps them to the ground for 6s (6.9s) and causes medium-low void damage every .5s for the duration. Medium mana cost, .61s cast, 21s cooldown.
(C) Adroitness [Crown Orbment] (Support Orbment, Crown, unique-equipped, passive): Crown Orbment of Enhanced Agility, Reaction, and Speed. Increase Agility, Reaction, and Speed Stats by 24. Ignores Stat cap.
Slot Bonus (8 of 8)
(1) Avatar of Magma: You become more like magma. In addition to the old effects of Aspect of Magma seen by tapping here, you can now invoke Molten Form at will. Slot Bonus 5, 6, 7, and 8 supplement Avatar of Magma.
Molten Form: Your body transforms into hot lava, giving you a minor regen effect, making mana easier to manipulate, mitigating taken damage by 30%, and returning 15% of all taken damage as the Fifth Rank Barrier and Retribution status effects. The Barrier status effect given by Molten Form cannot be overwritten by higher ranks of the effect and can only stack with the BALLAD OF PRESERVATION status effect. Retribution status effect given by Molten Form cannot be overwritten by higher ranks of the effect and can only stack with the Reprisal Hymn status effect. Lasts until deactivated. Medium-low mana cost, instant cast, no cooldown.
(2) Inevitability of Magma: Killing or assisting in killing an enemy instantly fills your core with mana equivalent to roughly 38 minutes worth of the last meditation technique used and provides a small healing effect. Lower-level enemies are worth less time but no less than 1m:31s. Higher-level enemies are worth more time.
(3) Lava Stomp: Stomp the ground, sending clusters of lava spattering in a 6.06-meter 90-degree cone in front of you and trapping the parts of creatures touching the ground in lava for 2.5 seconds. Medium mana cost, instant cast, 2m:42s cooldown.
(4) Seismic Sense: You perceive more and are more aware of your surroundings and possible threats, both seen and unseen, in a circumference of 24.27 meters around you. This can manifest as a precognitive flash of impending danger. This provides the benefit of the Third Rank SIXTH SENSE Orbment, and stacks with that Orbment.
(5) Hot Lava: Your lava is now the average temperature of magma and cools much slower.
(6) Lava Flows: Magma is a fundamental part of you. Advanced mana techniques are much easier and more natural for you to form and manipulate.
(7) Molten Form: Instead of an Orbment slot, Molten Armor is upgraded to a major transformation, Molten Form.
(8) You permanently gain all the benefits of Fifth Rank Enrage Orbment without any of its negative aspects.
Crown Orbment Bonus (1 of 1)
Inevitability of Magma has a high chance to instantly reset the cooldown of Lava Stomp. If Block or Dodge is slotted, its charges are doubled. If Revenge or NULLIFY is slotted, its cast time, mana cost, and cooldown are reduced by 25%. If a direct damage power Orbment is slotted, it gains a mirror effect doing 25% of the invocation’s damage. If a utility Orbment is slotted, its damage, healing, and other effects are increased by 15%. If any chant, hymn, song, MANA BATTERY, innate attribute, or statistic enhancer is slotted, it functions as if it were two ranks higher.
Traits (14)
(1) Lone Wolf: Pick an additional Trait. Increase XP by 50% and drop chance by 25%. Joining a party removes this Trait. Fighting within 13 meters of a friendly participant inverses Trait bonuses.
(2) Stalwart Soul: Your Soul Stat is increased by one step (F to F+, F+ to C, etc.).
(3) Hardened Channels: Your channels are hardened and can handle a large amount of mana usage without injury or damage.
(4) Intellection: Concepts, revelations, and epiphanies come a little easier for you.
(5) Gifted: Stat grades are a little easier to increase for you.
(6) Reckoner: Execute great vengeance upon all those enemies and defiers of God and His will.
(7) Limitless: You don’t stop. Sleep deprivation, exhaustion, being pushed to your boundaries and then passing right through them, you don’t stop. You are now more efficient with your body’s resources. You can keep going for longer. Energy, harmony, mana, and stamina are expended at a 20% greater efficiency.
(8) Mind Bastion: Negative mental effects are easier to negate for you.
(9) Potent: All invocation damage increased
(10) Enduring: Any source of healing also creates a stacking absorb-shield equal to 10% of the healing you receive, even over-healing. Each individual absorb-shield lasts for 2m:23s each.
(11) Tester: Switching Orbments or Classes is less detrimental to long term growth.
(12) Heedless: The mental resistance aspects of the Spirit Attribute are increased for you.
(13) Diamond Channels: Your channels are hard as diamonds and can handle an extraordinary amount of mana usage without injury or damage.
(14) Agile: Your Agility Stat increases by a full grade (F to C, C to B, etc.)
Dan was still amazed at his Stats, both the grades and that he had maxed the points out for each. Seeing the actual numbers made it hit home.
He pulled up the description of the ENRAGE Orbment to refresh his memory.
ENRAGE (Physical Orbment, Legendary, unique-equipped, active): Cast this invocation to gain the Enraged status effect for 1m:12s (X), which increases your Strength, Agility, Reaction, and Speed by 5 x your tier (153), ignores Stat caps, grants immunity to most mental effects including positive mental effects, and makes you mentally unstable (X), as likely to lash out at friends as enemies. Casting this removes all other mental effects. When this invocation ends, you become Drained, gaining the Weakened, Slowed, Clumsy, and Mind Fog status effects for 36s (X). No bonus from any source can increase effect past Tenth Rank. Only the highest rank of Enraged status will take effect on the same target and can only stack with the Zerker Hymn status effect. Higher ranks increase Strength, Agility, Reaction, and Speed by 1 and all effects including mental instability, the duration of the Enraged and Drained status effects, and the cooldown by 6s each. Average mana cost, instant cast, 1m:49s (X) cooldown.
Though it hardly did anything to him, he’d miss the constant Enraged effect. He loved the times it had done something.
Still, an extra 153 Stat points to four Stats was an absolutely huge benefit. It may not seem so when added to 900, but it was. Same with the extra 24 to three Stats he got from the Adroitness Crown Orbment. Both increased his Stat points beyond the Stat-grade cap.
He needed every ounce of power he could get. Stats would keep him in the fight. An extra 177 points in a Stat could definitely mean the difference between winning and losing. And he needed to win.
He had to win.
(For people that don’t like details, the new Slot Bonus gave Dan the permanent benefits of the Fifth Rank Enraged Orbment without any of the negative effects, so a 153 point buff ignoring Stat cap to Agility, Reaction, Speed, and Strength.
And a reminder to cancel memberships so you’re not charged during the dead time, and that free month is available if you want to finish book 1 but not spend money for a handful of chapters.
Five more chapters left in book one and each has a good amount of action and/or conflict. Then I’ll post unedited chapters 1-4 of book 2. Then the dead time starts. Thank you very much.)
Comments
Tony
Thank you
Oponette
tftc!
Tony
Thank you
John Anastacio
Thanks for the chapter. Not sure why everyone else is impatient to fight the big bad. I guess just ignorance of how bad the big bad is? Anyway good chapter.
Tony
Lol, that's awesome!
Amosz
I like finding grammar errors despite I have no idea how English grammar works 😅
Tony
Thank you and sorry about that. Fixing now.
Amosz
"Either he had to fight someone or something, or he didn't. Teir>Tier never factored into equation."
Jason Hornbuckle
It's no problem at all
Tony
Thank you
Tony
Hey, NoTime. I figured, but didn't want to ask incase people wanted to names from RR and this site separate. Thank you. Thanks for pointing the error out. I fixed. Sorry about that. Messed it up with a last minute copy/paste to keep the same corrections from chapter 55 without updating the level. Sorry about that.
Tony
Thank you and yes. I fixed. Sorry about that. Messed it up with a last minute copy/paste to keep the same corrections from chapter 55 without updating the level. Sorry about that.
Actually
Really fun chapter excited the champion is being summoned soon Tyftc!
Eric Kellar
Really enjoyed this chapter tftc ( btw I am NoTime if you did not know ) Casting this invocation summons an avatar of the Infernal Lord Ashen Ruin one tier above your own (current level 451). If it is one tier above dan should it not be tier 18 and higher level then him? Or is it limited by being a 5-6th rank ability?
Jason Hornbuckle
Shouldn't Ashen Ruin be level 551 and not 451?
