I stare blankly at the crater where the cozy little house I awoke in used to be at. Smoke is still slowly wafting up into the air, a sign of a recent attack on the small construct.
Thankfully, I was smart enough to create an [Empty ID] over the entire place, so the damage I do here won't be carried over to the real world, but still…
I mean, damage of this scale isn't all that weird. I could just cast a [Prana Missile] and create that crater.
But the thing I fired wasn't a missile.
That was a normal [Prana Bullet], one that wasn't even spinning.
To all that, I can only sigh. All my recent exploits gave me a bunch of bonuses, and my Intelligence stat did jump to a staggering 901, but still, this is insane!
Not only that, my other stats went through the same jump as well, and now I have to restrain myself to not suddenly speed off into the horizon or accidentally create gusts of wind when I get too excited.
Hah...The woes of the strong…
So, while Gilgamesh is away, I'm doing my best to gain a semblance of control back, and...it's not as hard as one might expect.
Especially with this skill!
[Mental Partition Lv 1 - 12%]
A combined skill formed from [Memory Partition] and [Thought Acceleration], two skills used by the superior alchemists of Atlas. By breaking the brain's limitations, the mental strength of your brain is unleashed. Where you once had a mere 1 thought, you can now hold multiple. Where once your thought works at normal, it can go even faster.
It's up to you to see how far you can improve.
-Due to the strange mechanics behind this skill, Exp gain is reduced to 30%. The way to maximize Exp gain remains unknown-
You can now have 2 thoughts at once
Your thinking and reaction speed is increased by 10%
I actually found these two from the 10 skill books I got from that bundle I opened several chapters ago, then fused them in the [Compendium] when the option came up. The 30% Exp gain is annoying, the 10% increase to thought and reaction speed is nice, but that thing about having 2 thoughts at the same time?
Oh, boi! Double speed, double reactions, double calculations, double everything.
Lord have mercy.
But, no, it isn't as easy as I make it out to be. Getting used to having two separate thoughts in my head was very jarring, and it took me some time before I managed to fully adapt myself to basically having two inner voices speaking at the same time.
After that however?
Full speed ahead boys!
The way I'm doing this is simple. One side of my body will be dedicated to one task, while the other side will be doing something else. One side's getting adapted to [Reinforcement] while the other is trying to retrace the skill I had with [Alteration]. One's firing Prana Bullets like a machine gun and the other's destroying the landmass by lobbing grenades every second or so.
You know, normal stuff.
Since I started, it's been about 3 hours, and I've managed to regain most of the control I had. Of course, things like [Hearth of Daedron] and [First Form: Thunderclap and Flash] are still a bit unreliable since they're fairly new skills in the first place.
Overall, a good three hours spent destroying the world.
Curiously, I look all around me, seeing the giant craters all left smoking and the massive missing chunk of the sea that used to surround the island.
Yep, definitely destroyed.
But, now, this brings me to the startling realization of something I must do, something I've avoided for so long and done everything to push it away from ever coming into the forefront of my mind.
[Weaving], or as I previously called it, [Cloth Making].
It's something simple, but something essential. If I had this skill, I could've made many different things that could boost Shirou and my stats, giving us an easier time in the war. But, well, the war's over now, and all I can do is regret over what could've been.
Not only that though, the thought of sewing always makes my chine freeze, making a chill creep up my body as I remember...uh…
Something. Something definitely happened in my past, but I can't remember. Something traumatic that caused me to dislike needles and sewing, but the memory is hazy, shattered into countless pieces.
I just can't remember.
It's a weird feeling, and I can't help but frown. I don't remember why I hate sewing, but I just know, like some sort of ingrained instinct buried deep within my psyche.
Oh well.
Anyways, let's begin, shall we?
Exiting the [Empty ID], the world returns back to normal, all the damage I dealt to the environment fading. As I sit down on the beach chair I made a day ago, I buy a nice couple kilograms worth of string. Bringing a portion of the string out, I create a small sewing needle from my prana,
And stopped.
I just had a thought, 'Why should I do this when I have magic?'. I think about it for a moment, before I decide to try. There's nothing wrong with trying new things, right?
So instead of sewing the string with a needle, I instead let my magical energy flow into the string, coating all over the strands and making it glow a gentle greenish blue. Then, I begin to manipulate the strings, moving it to slowly sew itself into a different item. The process is surprisingly easy actually, almost feeling like I'm moving an arm or something, and me having two thoughts working at once sure helps as well!
And then!
[Due to certain actions, you have gained the skill [Magical Weaving]!]
There it is! It's not just normal [Weaving] either, it's magical! Which means I don't need to physically move my body, which means I don't need to interact with the needles, which means that I can be even more lazy!
Yay for productivity!
Now, then.
Time to power level the shit out of this skill.
~~~
[Magical Weaving Lv 32 - 22%]
A simple act of interlacing strings of any kinds to create new things, used to create clothes, cloths, and many more essential things humanity has relied on in their time on this earth. Now, you've learned the same, except you know magic, and with your skills you've integrated this essential skill with magical efficiency.
Maximum Rank of materials capable of being used: C
Usage requires MP. MP cost depends on time and material quality and quantity.
Yep. Loving that 200% Exp bonus from [Age of Babylon]!
It hasn't even been that long! Just five hours of pure mental focus and not doing anything else, and I've gotten it up to this level!
But then as soon as I went up to level 30, I seem to have hit a giant spike in Exp requirement, and now getting even a level takes around 40 minutes, with each level increase getting progressively more expensive. It's a similar situation to my [Blacksmithing] skill, so it wasn't completely unexpected, but still, this sucks.
Now that I can use Rank C materials however,
[Tattered Purple Pelt]
-Material-
Rank C-
A magical purple pelt, torn in several places. You sense great magic from it, and the fur glistens with ominous purple light. It seems to be cursed as well, harboring malicious energies, but they are no harm to you.
Note: Dropped by [Atalanta]
I can use this!
For those that remember, I got this when I killed [Atalanta] back in that weird prison I got sent into in the first several chapters, and I've let it sit in the back burner for a while now.
No more! It's time to use it!
...But what am I going to make from it? A shirt seems a bit underwhelming, making some sort of armor or shield from it just doesn't feel right, and turning it into a weapon won't do any good since I already have one.
Hmm...I need an idea…
Suddenly, an inspiration strikes, and I can't help but grin in excited anticipation.
Because if this works, and it's a big 'if', then this will be really cool!
Taking a deep breath, I stop my aimless wandering and sit back on the chair right next to the [Loom of the Stars], the pelt already placed next to it to be used. Then, I reach into my inventory and pull out a handful of particular glowing rocks, each a bright blue with a visible white core.
[Spirit Stones]
-Materials-
Rank D+
A strange glowing stone. Within it resides what seems to be a spirit, one not quite mature enough to coherently think but not too young to not have sentience. It seems to enjoy sitting in the warmth of your hand.
Note: Gotten from [Obelisk]
While I was in [Yuriele] browsing through the [Obelisk], I found these weird stones and I just had to buy them. They sound interesting on their own, but with my mystic eyes, I can somewhat see what potential these stones hold, and just thinking about it makes my inner crafting maniac chuckle in anticipation.
Placing the Spirit Stones together with the purple pelt, I close my eyes and let my magic flow across the laid materials. My magic flows through them, anchoring them to my prana, and with my preparations ready,
I open my eyes, and my mystic eyes flare to life.
Magic fills the entire ID as I begin twisting and molding the materials. The [Tattered Purple Pelt] begins to spread, unwinding into many separate threads of magical fur, while the spirit stones are crushed into a near powder-like state and melded into the threads. It's going all according to plan.
Until it isn't.
The curses in the threads of fur begin to fight against the spirit-filled powders I'm trying to infuse them with, each side vying for dominance over the other. With my mystic eyes, it almost looks like a shouting contest between the two, with each side becoming louder and louder to try and overtake the other.
I'm not really affected by it though. I've gone through far worse by this point, so the two fighting looks like a pair of children quarreling.
But this needs to stop. Though my MP pool is large, and my mental stamina has taken a recent leap, they're still finite and I don't want to spend any more time and energy dealing with this. So, with the latent energy of [Morningstar] flowing through my circuits, I flush out both clashing energies, forcing them to collide.
Slowly, the two opposing materials begin to combine. The crushed Spirit Stones seep into the magical threads of fur, and the deep purple color the threads have shift to a much brighter shade, decorated with occasional streaks of blue and green. The threads remain cursed, since that's where the pelt's power comes from, but it's cleaner now, more refined.
[Enchanted Threads of Magicka]
-Materials-
Rank C++
Magical threads created by fusing an unwound [Tattered Purple Pelt] and a handful of crushed [Spirit Stones]. The curse from the pelt remains, but it has been refined and strengthened, no longer simply lashing out at all it touches. Divine energy flows through it as well, and it glows with a soft radiance reminiscent of the ages of old.
Note: Created by [Tsunaka Hanami]
With the materials made, I weave them back together, recreating them into the form I had envisioned in the beginning of this entire process.
Finally, after some more weaving and magic imbuing, the creation process ends, and I hold up my new creation with a smile.
[Aglius: Scarf of Calydon]
Rank B
A fanciful and beautiful scarf, made from refining the pelt of the [Beast of Calydon]. It glows with magic, lighting up in strange mystifying patterns. Though the history [Atalanta] imparted onto this pelt has been lost through the process of creation, the curses and powers held by the pelt remains, and they have been refined and strengthened, changed into something beyond what it had been.
Note: Created by [Tsunaka Hanami]
Take 5% reduced damage when worn
When worn, all attacks are passively imbued by the pelt's curse, increasing their damage by 15% and inflicting the [Minorly Cursed] debuff, reducing their stats by 5%
?
?
+50 Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, and Intelligence when worn
Durability: 100%
Yeah, that's some nice equipment right there! The known effects are nice already, and there's two more unknown effects that I haven't found just yet, so there's still more to unpack in the future.
But! For now, it's time to return to the real world. I can distantly feel several familiar presences returning to the island, and I doubt me suddenly disappearing will be good on their conscience.
~~~
"Ho? What an interesting scarf."
"You think so too?" Hanami asks as sits atop the comfortable bed, rocking her feet back and forth and idly playing with the purple scarf she now has around her neck. "Do they look good?"
Gilgamesh gives a small nod, and Hanami smiles, all the while the rest of the group stares at the girl.
At the forefront, Saber can only sigh, not even bothering to question where Hanami had managed to gain another Noble Phantasm in such a short span of time. Trying to find out how the girl does things is like trying to ask Merlin to stop flirting and actually help her without pranking her. It's simply impossible.
'On that note…'
Saber takes a glance at her master, standing by her side and looking at Hanami with a small smile. Shirou had been worrying for the girl's health throughout the entire week, though it didn't distract him from helping take Illya back from the Einzberns.
Several days ago, she'd come up to him and asked (demanded) to know what his connection to Merlin is. After all, using his staff, his magic, and being able to deploy the [Gardens of Avalon]? It'd be impossible for him to not be related.
After some hesitation, he finally answered, explaining how [Avalon] was implanted into him by Kiritsugu to save him when Angra Mainyu's mud threatened to consume him, and how he'd somehow begun entering the gardens to meet with the magus of flowers.
There were obviously some things he left out, most likely because he didn't understand himself, so she left it at that.
But knowing that it was Kiritsugu who implanted [Avalon] into him left her feeling strange. She doesn't...hate the man, per se, but she doesn't like him either. Their relationship is cold, and the ideals they held far differed too greatly for them to ever see eye-to-eye.
Oh well.
"Are you sure you're healthy, Tsunaka-san?" Saber asks, and the girl turns to her, tilting her head curiously. 'What do you mean?' Her eyes seem to say, and Saber purses her lips. "Did you not destroy Angra Mainyu from the inside out? Would that not have any lasting impact on yourself?"
"Ah…" She blinks, her eyes becoming slightly duller for a moment before she smiles. "I'm fine. Well-, not completely. Never will be. My mind and soul got a bit roughed up in the process." She says with a light shrug. "But I'm alive, and that's all that matters!"
But she isn't so easily convinced, nor are the others. "That doesn't ease our worries." Saber says again.
Hanami looks to her, smiling faintly. "It shouldn't. Things like this will never heal, and it'll be a scar permanently etched into me." She tilts her head slightly, her smile growing determined. "But through trials humans persevere, through the calamities, whether wrought by nature or their own hands, they continue to push forward. Such determination is what makes us who we are, is it not?"
'That was…'
Saber can only stare at the girl, surprised by the sudden change in the girl's aura. At that moment, it almost felt as if she stood before another king, one eyes peering into hers, discerning every and all lies she might have hidden within.
"Well, let's not bore ourselves! Tell me what you've all been up to!"
Then the atmosphere shifts, and Saber can only stare blankly at the sudden change.
And-, is her master laughing!?
He is!
Before she can act, Astolfo rushes forward, eager to tell his side of the story first. Saber silently resigned herself.
~~~
It's night now, and everyone's mostly asleep, with one or two remaining awake. We'd all eaten some prepared bento boxes I bought from the [Item Store], talked some more over what had happened in my one week long sleep, and then Gilgamesh brought in some wine, and then all hell went loose.
Of course, Shirou and I aren't really affected. Shirou has Avalon, while my [Abnormal State Resistance] kinda makes getting drunk painfully hard.
Nevertheless, hearing Francis spill out stories after stories was fun on its own, so it's all good!
Now, I'm sitting on the beach chair I made a day ago, alone on a secluded island not too far from where everyone is. Just need some silent and alone time, you know?
Of course, I'm never truly alone. Someone will always appear close, no matter what.
"Ne, Shirou?" I hear Shirou hum beside me, silently asking. "What do you plan to do now?"
He goes silent for a moment. "...Wherever you go, I'll follow."
"And leave the rest behind?" Shirou turns to me, obviously confused by what I mean. I sigh. "Shirou, not everyone will go to where I'm going. Francis wants to go explore the world, Caster wants to fully research and teach Waver, Saber and Gareth wants to go back to Britain to see where Camelot once stood, and so on. Not everyone's willing to leave and go to a strange unknown world with me."
At that, Shirou goes silent, contemplating. He clearly looks hesitant, reluctant to not follow me, but the fact that he's even considering it brings some relief knowing that he isn't completely dependent on me.
"...Then, what should I do?"
"Go with Saber and Gareth, maybe even bring your family." I say simply. "It'll be a nice way to relax with your family, right?"
"They're not my family." He says with a frown.
I turn to him. "They aren't, if you don't let them." It's my turn to frown. "Look, Shirou, they're clearly unsure on what to do. You're technically Kiritsugu's son, Illya already calls you her big brother, Irisviel's been asking you to call her 'mother', and even Maiya's interested in knowing you better."
"They're all trying their hardest to get to know you. Will you push them away, Shirou?"
He goes silent again, thinking of what to do.
But I don't worry, because I know he'll go with them. For as weird and different everything has become, Shirou is still a part of the Nasuverse. He has connections here, anchors that are still alive, and new things he never knew he had. He has Saber back, Kiritsugu's back, even if different than he remembered, he has a new mother, a new sister, and Maiya, who I'm guessing will be the aunt.
As for me?
I was never truly a part of this world, a mere soul who drifted into this universe and was thrust into the perils of this moonlit world.
And that's fine.
"Besides, I can go to you at any time, so there's no rush, right?" I say with a smile, and Shirou nods slowly.
We spend the rest of the night in silence.
~~~
In the end, Shirou (albeit reluctantly) agreed to go on a trip with his newly acquainted family. They rid on Francis' [Golden Hind] before they're discreetly dropped off in Britain.
After that, Francis, together with Caster, Astolfo, and their masters travelled to the Clocktower, mostly so that Caster can finally restock on materials she'd been sorely lacking throughout the entire time she's been back on this earth.
Which leaves me and Gilgamesh, and since Gilgamesh wished to return to where Uruk once stood, I decided to tag along, you know, just for fun.
But then a wave of magical energy came from Mesopotamia, one belonging to a certain familiar troll-loving vampire, and I had no choice but to hop on Gilgamesh's [Vimana] and travel to Uruk.
Because, hey, ignoring Zelretch would do you no good. Better get whatever he wants done with before the headache starts coming.
So now here I am, casually sitting on Vimana's deck as I soar through the skies, brushing past the clouds and feeling the wind waft all around me. It's quite a nice feeling actually, just feeling the cold breeze fly you by. I guess it's something I've picked up over my many hours spent flying through the air with no regards for my own safety.
As for Gilgamesh,
"Hmm, what an interesting thing you are…"
She's currently having fun with a PSP I bought from the Item Store the night before. The selection of games there isn't all that wide just yet, but I'll slowly fill it up as I go, just in case I get a bit too bored.
Anyways, while I'm still on transit, I might as well plan for what I'll do next.
Which, obviously, is to go back to [Yuriele]!
I mean, I could go to the Clocktower or something, but I don't plan on doing that just yet, especially if they know that I was heavily involved in cleansing the Holy Grail and becoming its winner.
That aside, I'm planning on dropping into [Dun Stadia] this time, not just to see how things there have changed, but also to check in on how Wanda's doing. Last I saw her she was an ample level 6, so I'm quite eager to see how she's improved.
But first, with the ship beginning to lower from the skies, it's time to step foot on the lands of Mesopotamia, and find a certain lurking troll.
"Ah, I'll be back soon, Gilgamesh!" I say as I ready myself to leap off the ship. Gilgamesh, still caught up by the PSP, gives me a half-hearted wave, and I simply smile as I jump off, activating [Morningstar] and flying off into the distance, following where the burst of magical energy was several minutes ago.
As I near the ruins of what seemed to be an ancient city, I begin to descend, ready to turn around the corner.
"Hello there, Hanami-chan."
And then the guy appears out of nowhere.
"Gah!?" I quickly bring myself to a stop, halting myself from crashing onto the man that'd just appeared out of nowhere.
A seemingly elder man, one who's reached the later years of life. Wearing a neat coat adorned by lines of silver and gold, holding a small amused smile, he looks like a polite, if somewhat rich old man.
But appearances are deceiving, and especially so for beings living in the moonlit world. He may hold that mask before the normal masses, but before my mystic eyes, I can begin to see the depths of his power, and even that small fraction I can comprehend completely overtakes everything in the surroundings, energy ebbing and pulsing outwards in controlled rhythm.
Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, the wielder of the second true magic, [Kaleidoscope].
"Gosh-, don't do that, please."
"And why shouldn't I, Hanami-chan?" He asks, grinning, and I know he's going to be doing that several more times in the future. I sigh, lamenting what my future holds before turning back to the dead apostle.
"So, what's up?" I ask, "What do you need me here for?"
"Hmm…" He stares at me for a moment, his eyes peering deep into me, before he smiles. "As expected from the [Gamer], nothing truly fazes you."
'Ah, right. Of course he knows about the [Gamer].'
"It just takes a bit to rattle me." I say with a shrug. After all, it's true, you know? I haven't become truly scared for a while now, so much so that my [Stoicism] skill isn't even gaining any Exp.
Well, that, and [Enlightenment of the Sacred Fig] is awesome.
"I suppose so!" He says with a cheer that's strangely infectious, and I find myself smiling as well.
"But you truly are unique." He then says, returning to his usual sly grin. "Countless universes exist, and yet each copy of you holds a different fate, a different path taken, and each of your selves reach endings far differing to the others."
"...Shouldn't there be identical copies of me though?" Isn't that how it works? Like, if there are infinite universes, wouldn't there be another copy of this version of 'me'?
"That is how it normally goes, but not with you." He leans closer, his red eyes glowing slightly. "Whether because of your Origin, or because of your inability to be tied down by fate, every single version of you differs."
...Huh. That's interesting to know. So I won't ever meet an identical copy of me?
Hmm, I wonder how the other 'me' all out there are doing. Did they partner with Shirou? With Rin maybe? Sakura? Perhaps even Kirei?
Gosh, now that I think about it, had I done something different on the first day I came into the Nasuverse, things would've gone very differently.
I can't really picture myself wearing a suit like Kirei's though…
"Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you, Hanami-chan!" He says, a grin stretching across his face. "I'll be waiting for when you'll join me through the dimensional gap."
'Wait, Dimensional Gap? Isn't that-?'
"Oh, and take this." Pulling out a folded scroll, he tosses it to me, and I scramble to quickly catch it from falling.
"What's this?"
"Just use your [Observe], Hanami-chan."
Hearing someone else say [Observe]'s rather strange. I blink the thought away, and activating my mystic eyes, I cast [Observe] onto it.
[[Remnant of Skypiea] ID Scroll]
A book to unlock the [Remnant of Skypeia] ID. The ID will be accessible by [ID:Create] when the book is used.
[Use book? Y/N]
"...Eh?"
"See you later, Hanami-chan~" And just like that, Zelretch blinks away, disappearing with hardly a sign that he was ever even here.
At least that's what it looks like through the naked eye.
But I saw the way space curved, the magic twisted the fabrics of reality to tear a hole for him to jump into. It was beautiful, like a spiralling burst of rainbow light that collapsed into a single point to punch a hole through space-time.
I guess that's why it's called [Kaleidoscope] in the first place.
Going back to the ID Scroll, I eagerly press [Yes], and the scroll breaks apart, shattering into motes of light before it fades into my chest.
[ID [Remnant of Skypiea] has been added!]
Nice, now-
Holy shit, this thing's recommended level is 105!? That's over 40 levels above mine! And this is one of those [Special ID]s as well, so once I go out, I'll need to wait a couple days for it to allow me to enter again.
Am I still going to enter?
You bet I am!
Not yet though. I need to tell Gilgamesh that I'll be gone for a few hours or so.
So I fly back, retracing the path I took to go back to Vimana. Soon, the flying ship comes into view, floating idly just under the clouds, and I make my way there to see Gilgamesh slouching on her throne, still playing the PSP.
Well, it's only been 10 minutes or so, so I guess she hasn't finished the game yet.
"Gilgamesh, mind if I disappear for a couple hours? I have something to investigate!"
"Do not worry, I won't be going anywhere." She says with a nod, before she narrows her eyes at the portable console in her hands. "Not until I beat this infuriating mongrel blocking my path."
So she says, but she's smiling, so giving her the PSP to amuse her is a definite success! I just need to make sure she doesn't become a complete hermit. Now that might be harder.
Well, time to go!
~~~
[Entering [Remnant of Skypiea]]
[Reminder. Once you leave, the ID will be closed off for [Two Days]]
~~~
...Woah. Now this is cool!
It's a bit hard to explain how this entire ID looks like, but it's somewhat like an ascending set of floating islands, each connected by hundreds of magical threads, rising from the dirt like ground and attaching themselves onto the bottom of the islands above. And from threads dig to the surface, out the dirt on the island, and then rise to the islands above that one.
The islands are mainly dominated by long stretches of dry dirt, with the occasional short tree and shrubs here in there.
The sky around me is the coolest thing though! From where I'm standing now, it almost looks like I'm inside a giant sphere, with the edge painted as a morning sky. Lines of gold and silver stretch over the circumference of the spherical sky, shining with magics from when the gods still roam the land.
And lastly,
"Grrrr…"
Slowly, I turn around to see a monster, a being created from what looks to be a lion, a bull, and a snake, tied together into one being. It's body is shining, burning with intense magic that pushed out against the air around it.
[Ancient Chimera Lv 155]
HP: 25,000,000/25,000,000
MP: 10,000,000/10,000,000
Stamina: 88%
An ancient form of the [Chimera], a hybrid creature created by fusing several animals into one. Unlike its modern counterpart however, the beasts it came from are phantasmal beasts, and their latent magic has been combined into one.
Note: [Ancient Chimera] is the Boss Monster of [Island Tier I]. Defeating it will grant you access to [Island Tier II]
It growls at me, its red eyes burning with ferocious anger. At its presence, I merely scoff.
25 million HP, is it? 10 million MP, is it?
Fool! I've fought against Ryoji, a being with 50 million HP, one that can throw miniature suns like it's nothing, and lived!
And I've become stronger since then! You think I'm backing down from this!?
"[Prana Rocket Propulsion]!" Lightning up my feet with prana, I burst forward towards the chimera. The distance between us is crossed in a second, and with the chimera still too shocked to move, I bring out an ordinary sword from my inventory and deliver a powerful upwards slash, creating a large gash across the chimera's lion-like face.
It growls and swipes its claws down, but I quickly jump back. The claw digs deep into the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust on impact.
Now, normally, I would've just used [Morningstar] and forced the chimera down or something, but not now. If I keep using things to make my battles easy, I won't improve.
And this guy, even though he's a nice level 155, it doesn't really mean much. Ryoji and the Tainted Heart I fought had an HP pool much larger than it, and their levels were unknown, meaning that my [Gamer] system can't actually classify what their true power is.
It may be over 90 levels above my level.
But are its stats higher than mine?
The chimera opens its mouth, and from it comes a wave of fire. It doesn't do much against me, my [Reinforcement] coupled with [Abnormal State Resistance] making the fire's effect near nothing, and I simply run through the fire without much worry. The chimera reels back, disturbed by my lack of damage, and my mystic eyes flare to life.
Within the chimera's body exists hundreds of weak points, each a bright star illuminated by my mystic eyes.
With my arm fully reinforced, my blade moves, swerving and dancing through the air at speeds no normal human would be able to see. Deep gashes are made across the chimera, each slash connecting between the hundreds of weak points my mystic eyes had spotted. The beast roars in pain as blood explodes into the air, bursting from the hundreds of wounds I'd created.
[Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Critical Hit! Criti-]
I quickly shut down the burst of notifications, sending one final downward slash before I run past the injured beast. The chimera leans left slightly, but it stays standing, slowly turning to me with its teeth bared in anger.
But I'm not done!
"[Nine Lives: Bodily Absolution]" At my words, the many wounds I had created on the chimera light up with bright blue light, before the leftover prana my sword left behind violently explodes, digging deeper into the chimera and destroying even more of its body and depleting even more of its HP.
[HP: 12,231,984/25,000,000]
Hah, nice.
Still, even 768 Vitality isn't completely enough, huh…
I wince slightly at the ache in my right shoulder. It's nice that I didn't wreck my body completely like I did the last time I used this, but to still feel the effects of it now? And with the added benefit from [Reinforcement] as well?
What kind of a monster had Hercules been to be able to execute something like this without breaking a sweat?
Well, the chimera's still kicking, so let's end this, shall we?
Turning around, I crouch down, making my right leg step forward as I close my eyes. With my sword at my hip, I draw in a misty breath, [Voltaic Charge] snapping through my body and filling my lungs, enhancing every part of my body. Gathering my breath, I bite down, letting gusts of steam escape as lightning courses through my system.
"[First form:"
Gently opening my eyes, I burst forward.
"Thunderclap and Flash]!"
The distinct clap of thunder sounds as my sword is struck forward, leaving behind a giant scorching wound on the chimera's already riddled body. I land on the other side, landing softly on the dirt just in time to watch the chimera's body fall into two, the part where it'd been cleaved still steaming against the cool air.
[You have slain [Ancient Chimera]! 800,000,000 Exp gained]
[You have gained [Large Synthesized Soul Chunk]!]
[The path leading to [Island Tier II] has been uncovered!]
800 million Exp from that boss fight, huh? I guess that's a suitable reward for killing something like that. Well, I guess others would've struggled a bit against that, but I didn't, so whatever!
Now, it's time to grind!
~~~
By the time I came back to the real world, nearly two hour had gone by. Most of my clothes are burnt, and it's only thanks to [Reinforcement] that they didn't outright disappear from all the fire, poison, lightning, wind, and other wonderful things that my clothes went up against. The ordinary sword I'd been using is now missing a blade, the only thing remaining being its hilt. I'm hurt, sore, tired, and everything else rolled into one.
Overall, I'm pretty roughed up.
Well, except my scarf that is. It's only lost 1% of its durability through all the chaos it went through.
Seeing as Gilgamesh is still too taken into her games, I drop face-first onto Vimana, uncaring for the slight pain it caused. With a sigh and shaky fingers, I open my equipment and switch out my burnt clothes for a new identical set. My troubles sated, I turn to face the afternoon sky and smile.
Despite how painful and tiring this kind of stuff is, it's worth it. I leveled up 4 times, got some of my skills leveled up, and found some neat treasures along the way.
But that's only one side of the coin. One the other side,
[Shards of Revenant]
The broken pieces of the [Revenant Armor], one that broke when their durability hit 0. They're as good as useless now.
There's this.
It's...actually something I completely forgot about until the notification popped up. I mean, when was the last time I actually saw the armor I wore? It didn't help that I can hide the armor too, which all culminated with the armor breaking mid-battle, creating quite a significant dip in my stats and making it a much harsher experience all around.
But it isn't all that bad really. The armor was good, but it wasn't amazing. If I'm going to go up against stronger enemies, I'll need better armors.
And, hey, what do you know? I have [Magical Weaving] to act together with [Blacksmithing] now, so I think it's ample time for me to make a new set of armor, and maybe another set for Shirou to wear.
I'll need to keep Shirou's armor light though, since he can't just place it into his [Equipment] slot like I do nor can I make a [Party] to give him access into the system. I mean, I know that my version of the [Gamer] system isn't like the others in the wide multiverse, but the incapability of forming a [Party] is the one that hurts the most.
But, what can I do, right? I've survived this long, so might as well continue onwards with it.
Either ways, Gilgamesh is still playing with the PSP (How is it still on anyways? Isn't the battery dead?), her mind too occupied to realize that she'd moved so much until she was sitting upside down, her legs risen and her back placed on the bottom of the throne. I can't quite help but laugh slightly as I watch.
"Quiet down, Hanami! The ending of this tale is near!" She shouts, an excited grin on her face as she watched the cutscenes play. I blink, slightly surprised that she was about to finish what was around a 60-hour experience in about 4 hours, but this is Gilgamesh I'm talking about here, so normal limitations don't apply to her.
Well, as she says herself, she's a bit busy right now, so I'll simply move on to [Yuriele] to see how [Dun Stadia] is doing.
'And what if she completes the game before I come back?', you might ask, but time flows slightly differently compared to the real world, so I don't think there'll be any problems.
~~~
[Entering [Yuriele]]
[Set Location: [Dun Stadia]]
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