Slave of the locked lands continued. Artyom the stony slave of the locked lands. Artyom the stony slave of the locked lands
Artem Kamenisty
SLAVE OF THE LOCKED LANDS
There were five Tilbits, which threatened unforeseen difficulties: after all, these were the first mobs encountered in the dungeon, and they showed up to the meeting, although not in a crowd, but it was not to say that they were modest. Previously, during the first pass, creatures similar to overgrown grasshoppers stood at posts in pairs, rarely in threes. Further, in the depths of the abandoned mine, everything happened, even a mob led by a magician, which is not surprising - after all, as you progress, the difficulties should increase.
The dungeon has changed. Five is not so scary, but the trend is unpleasant. What will be next?
One of the tilbites was also peering intently into the darkness of the adit. It looks like Digit is about to be noticed, because he has problems with camouflage: only four, and even then only due to bonuses due to the presence of a great hero in their tiny squad.
Ros silently activated the attack icon in the pet's interface, and he rushed towards a bunch of tilbits.
The pet looked like something you could die from just looking at it: a fiery scolopendra the size of a horse, a creepy-looking creature from the Burning Cleft. Level one hundred and seventy-one - he specifically went down there for people like this “beauty”, not sparing a lot of money for a detachment of mercenaries.
It's time to check where the money went.
The pet had two skills: “Spray of Poison” and “Destruction of Foundations.” The first covered the area in front of the scolopendra with rain, each drop of which caused poisoning damage: the target slowly lost health points for several tens of seconds. The second, also massive, reduced the magical defense of opponents in a wide area.
As soon as the mob reached the tilbits. Ros ordered him to use both skills and cheerfully shouted:
Our turn!
After which he began to hit the tilbits with “Arrows of Chaos” and “ Fireballs" Digit cast his skill several times and said sadly:
I am empty!
No wonder - he has nothing at all.
Grab a pickaxe and smash them, they are all hanging on a rope, they won’t touch you unless you expose yourself! Hit them in the back!
Four more Tilbits jumped out of the drift, including two archers. But they didn’t even glance at Ros or Digit. The pet's skills recharged quickly, he used them one after another, so that all the mobs around were focused exclusively on him.
The fight lasted a little over a minute.
How do you like it? - Ros asked, starting to search the carcasses of his fallen opponents. - Did you pick up anything? What about the characteristics?
Nothing grew. Although percentages appeared on strength and intelligence.
This is because the pet does the main work, so most of it goes to me, almost all of it is for “call”. Damn, I thought you would swing much faster here.
If there are a lot of such mobs here, then things won’t go so slowly. Two or three groups - and strength and intelligence will rise.
The main thing is, don’t push forward. Do not risk. If you die, you will fly away to rep as a bullet. You're a zero, you won't lie around for long. I won't have time to resurrect.
Have you learned resurrection?
You are some kind of strange necromancer.
I'm not nekr, I'm rrokh.
No matter what you call the goat, it’s still horned. Where did you find your pet?
Yes, so... I know rich places.
Warn me when you raise such images. When I saw him next to me, I almost stained my pants, although here this is considered impossible.
Shall we chat or clear the drifts and move on?
Let's clean it up. But we need to chat. And about a lot of things.
We'll make it. The main thing is don't die here.
Yes, I remember.
About three hours later, Digit begged:
Growing up, it’s already late, it’s time for me to get out into real life.
“It’s bad,” he sighed. - Then I will continue without you.
Are you going to sleep yourself or what?
Yes, I’ll sleep here, three or four hours is enough for me.
Are you stuck in the game? Have you given up on real money at all? Aren't you going out? Ros, you’re normal, you don’t have to do that.
I have no choice...
It's a long and sad story, and it's time for you to leave.
Okay, let's talk tomorrow. Somehow everything turned out so abruptly that we didn’t even have time to exchange a word.
There are seven levels in this dungeon, we still have to clean it and clean it. We'll have time to talk a hundred times.
And if I throw my body right here, is it okay?
I think yes. Last time, the tilbits did not wander around the adit, and it was calm in the cleared areas.
Then see you tomorrow, Ros.
See you tomorrow, Digit.
The body of his partner froze, leaning his back against the wooden trolley. Ros, taking a closer look at her, suspected that she was hiding a cache underneath, but did not check. Will take care of this when Digit returns.
I went further, clearing six intersections from the Tilbit posts and checking all the adjacent drifts. Having decided that this was enough for a start, he returned to the figure, pulled out a narrow felt rug rolled up from his bag, and made a bed for himself. This comrade doesn’t care in what position he throws his body, but Ros needs at least a minimum of comfort.
Having woken up, I was convinced that Digit was still in real life, after which I went to clean the adit further and did this for an hour and a half. I was interrupted by the arrival of my friend. He ran up, discharged his modest supply of magical energy into a group of mobs, and only then said:
Good morning, Ros.
Did you get at least a couple of minutes of sleep?
Yeah. I've set up a bed not far from you.
Sorry, I didn't see it.
What to regret?
Yes, I didn’t sleep there, in real life, all night. I was wondering what you put on before going to bed - pajamas or a lace peignoir.
I asked you without hints!
Sorry, but I just can't resist. If you were me, you would make the same jokes, so don’t be angry.
“You’ll end up with me finishing you off,” Ros said very gloomily.
Okay, okay, I'll shut up already! I have a lot of questions for you, I don’t even know where to start. Yesterday you talked about your second chaotic skill. If it's not difficult, read his description.
Is it really that urgent?
You are strange, and everything about you is strange. I hope the skill is not as useless as you called it. Suddenly something worthwhile, but you, due to your innate noobism, don’t download it. Chaos is a rare thing, if something falls out of it, you need to find a use for it. Well, what's with the description?
- “The rarest skill: “Chaos Aura”. The number of carriers of this skill cannot be more than five. An aura of primal Chaos covers the area designated by the caster, striking enemies within a radius of seven meters. Does no damage. Ignores all types of defenses and resistances. Requires magical energy: one hundred and ten units. Targets affected by the aura have their maximum vital energy reduced by ten percent for five seconds. Can be used over obstacles. Dynamic skill: characteristics increase as you grow. Modifies into “Chaos Majesty Aura.” That's all the description.
And you called him useless?!
Haven't you heard?
You're a complete noob! Supernoob! Nubass of the highest standard!
Did you just find out about this? Back! Run back, Digit!
At your cry, the tilbits run from the next intersection.
I do not see them.
But I can see perfectly well.
Do you have night vision?
Let's talk about my vision some other time!
There were so many Tilbits rushing in that Ros couldn’t even count them. Either they had a serious post there, or they hate loud beta testers to the point of gnashing their teeth. If the scolopendra did not have skills that work across areas, some would inevitably rush past, and the figure would fly to a distant republic.
Ros hit the Chaos Arrow, healed the pet (which practically did not need treatment), launched a Fireball a couple of times, and in the second case, the Tilbit Scout caught fire, like a Christmas tree doused in gasoline.
There were five Tilbits, which threatened unforeseen difficulties: after all, these were the first mobs encountered in the dungeon, and they showed up to the meeting, although not in a crowd, but it was not to say that they were modest. Previously, during the first pass, creatures similar to overgrown grasshoppers stood at posts in pairs, rarely in threes. Further, in the depths of the abandoned mine, everything happened, even a mob led by a magician, which is not surprising - after all, as you progress, the difficulties should increase.
The dungeon has changed. Five is not so scary, but the trend is unpleasant. What will be next?
One of the tilbites was also peering intently into the darkness of the adit. It looks like Digit is about to be noticed, because he has problems with camouflage: only four, and even then only due to bonuses due to the presence of a great hero in their tiny squad.
Ros silently activated the attack icon in the pet's interface, and he rushed towards a bunch of tilbits.
The pet looked like something you could die from just looking at it: a fiery scolopendra the size of a horse, a creepy-looking creature from the Burning Cleft. Level one hundred and seventy-one - he specifically went down there for people like this “beauty”, not sparing a lot of money on a detachment of mercenaries.
It's time to check where the money went.
The pet had two skills: “Spray of Poison” and “Destruction of Foundations.” The first covered the area in front of the scolopendra with rain, each drop of which caused poisoning damage: the target slowly lost health points for several tens of seconds. The second, also massive, reduced the magical defense of opponents in a wide area.
As soon as the mob reached the tilbites, Ros ordered him to use both skills and cheerfully shouted:
- Our turn!
After which he began to hit the tilbits with “Arrows of Chaos” and “Fireballs”. Digit cast his skill several times and said sadly:
- I am empty!
It’s not surprising - he has zero mana.
- Grab a pickaxe and smash them, they are all hanging on a rope, they won’t touch you unless you expose yourself! Hit them in the back!
Four more Tilbits jumped out of the drift, including two archers. But they didn’t even glance at Ros or Digit. The pet's skills recharged quickly, he used them one after another, so that all the mobs around were focused exclusively on him.
The fight lasted a little over a minute.
- How do you like it? – Ros asked, starting to search the carcasses of his fallen opponents. - Did you pick up anything? What about the characteristics?
- Nothing grew. Although percentages appeared on strength and intelligence.
“This is because the pet does the main work, so most of it goes to me, almost all of it is for the “call.” Damn, I thought you would swing much faster here.
– If there are a lot of such mobs here, then things won’t go so slowly. Two or three groups - and strength and intelligence will rise.
“The main thing is, don’t push forward.” Do not risk. If you die, you will fly away to rep as a bullet. You're a zero, you won't lie around for long. I won't have time to resurrect.
– Have you learned Resurrection?
-You are some kind of strange necromancer.
“I’m not a nekr, I’m a rroh.”
- No matter what you call the goat, it’s still horned. Where did you find your pet?
- Yes, so... I know rich places.
- Warn me when you raise such images. When I saw him next to me, I almost stained my pants, although here this is considered impossible.
– Shall we chat or clear the drifts and move on?
- Let's clean it up. But we need to chat. And about a lot of things.
- We'll make it. The main thing is don't die here.
- Yes, I remember.
About three hours later, Digit begged:
- Growing up, it’s already late, it’s time for me to get out into real life.
“It’s bad,” he sighed. “Then I’ll continue without you.”
“Are you going to sleep yourself or what?”
“Yes, I’ll sleep here, three or four hours is enough for me.”
- Are you stuck in the game? Have you given up on real money at all? Aren't you going out? Ros, you’re normal, you don’t have to do that.
- I have no choice...
- Why?
“It’s a long and sad story, and it’s time for you to leave.”
- Okay, let's talk tomorrow. Somehow everything turned out so abruptly that we didn’t even have time to exchange a word.
– There are seven levels in this dungeon, we still have to clean it and clean it. We'll have time to talk a hundred times.
“And if I throw the body right here, is that okay?”
- I think yes. Last time, the tilbits did not wander around the adit, and it was calm in the cleared areas.
“Then see you tomorrow, Ros.”
- See you tomorrow, Digit.
The body of his partner froze, leaning his back against the wooden trolley. Ros, taking a closer look at her, suspected that she was hiding a cache underneath, but did not check. Will take care of this when Digit returns.
I went further, clearing six intersections from the Tilbit posts and checking all the adjacent drifts. Having decided that this was enough for a start, he returned to the figure, pulled out a narrow felt rug rolled up from his bag, and made a bed for himself. This comrade doesn’t care in what position he throws his body, but Ros needs at least a minimum of comfort.
Having woken up, I was convinced that Digit was still in real life, after which I went to clean the adit further and did this for an hour and a half. I was interrupted by the arrival of my friend. He ran up, discharged his modest supply of magical energy into a group of mobs, and only then said:
- Good morning, Ros.
- And you.
-Did you even sleep for a couple of minutes?
- Yeah. I've set up a bed not far from you.
- It's a pity I didn't see it.
- Why regret?
- Yes, I didn’t sleep there, in real life, all night. I was wondering what you put on before going to bed – pajamas or a lace peignoir.
– I asked you without hints!
The cart of the history of our world prefers to move in a gentle spiral, and when you complete a turn, you get very close to its beginning. The history of the Second World seems to have simplified its path to a ring with no exit in sight. When you take hold of a magician's staff, do not expect that no one will take it away from you. Or it won't change for anything. For example, the pickaxe with which you met the first days of your new birth, just as rusty and good for nothing. That's what a ring is for: everything that happens to you will happen again and again. Perhaps with minor variations. For example, from a relatively free miner you will turn into a powerless slave.
Entire provinces are burning in the fire of an unprecedented invasion; the strongest clans and the emperor's guards have taken up arms, trying to stop the hordes of non-humans. A war is raging that no one expected, for which no one prepared, not even suspecting that the boredom of provincial life could be dispelled so quickly and cruelly.
What is your role in all of this? Unknown. But you know where you should start: pick up the pickaxe and get started. There is enough ore here for your lifetime.
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The cart of the history of our world prefers to move in a gentle spiral, and when you complete a turn, you get very close to its beginning. The history of the Second World seems to have simplified its path to a ring with no exit in sight. When you take hold of a magician's staff, do not expect that no one will take it away from you. Or it won't change for anything. For example, the pickaxe with which you met the first days of your new birth, just as rusty and good for nothing. That's what a ring is for: everything that happens to you will happen again and again. Perhaps with minor variations. For example, from a relatively free miner you will turn into a powerless slave. Entire provinces are burning in the fire of an unprecedented invasion; the strongest clans and the emperor's guards have taken up arms, trying to stop the hordes of non-humans. A war is raging that no one expected, for which no one prepared, not even suspecting that the boredom of provincial life could be dispelled so quickly and cruelly. What is your role in all of this? Unknown. But you know where you should start: pick up the pickaxe and get started. There is enough ore here for your lifetime.
There were five Tilbits, which threatened unforeseen difficulties: after all, these were the first mobs encountered in the dungeon, and they showed up to the meeting, although not in a crowd, but it was not to say that they were modest. Previously, during the first pass, creatures similar to overgrown grasshoppers stood at posts in pairs, rarely in threes. Further, in the depths of the abandoned mine, everything happened, even a mob led by a magician, which is not surprising - after all, as you progress, the difficulties should increase.
The dungeon has changed. Five is not so scary, but the trend is unpleasant. What will be next?
One of the tilbites was also peering intently into the darkness of the adit. It looks like Digit is about to be noticed, because he has problems with camouflage: only four, and even then only due to bonuses due to the presence of a great hero in their tiny squad.
Ros silently activated the attack icon in the pet's interface, and he rushed towards a bunch of tilbits.
The pet looked like something you could die from just looking at it: a fiery scolopendra the size of a horse, a creepy-looking creature from the Burning Cleft. Level one hundred and seventy-one - he specifically went down there for people like this “beauty”, not sparing a lot of money on a detachment of mercenaries.
It's time to check where the money went.
The pet had two skills: “Spray of Poison” and “Destruction of Foundations.” The first covered the area in front of the scolopendra with rain, each drop of which caused poisoning damage: the target slowly lost health points for several tens of seconds. The second, also massive, reduced the magical defense of opponents in a wide area.
As soon as the mob reached the tilbites, Ros ordered him to use both skills and cheerfully shouted:
- Our turn!
After which he began to hit the tilbits with “Arrows of Chaos” and “Fireballs”. Digit cast his skill several times and said sadly:
- I am empty!
It’s not surprising - he has zero mana.
- Grab a pickaxe and smash them, they are all hanging on a rope, they won’t touch you unless you expose yourself! Hit them in the back!
Four more Tilbits jumped out of the drift, including two archers. But they didn’t even glance at Ros or Digit. The pet's skills recharged quickly, he used them one after another, so that all the mobs around were focused exclusively on him.
The fight lasted a little over a minute.
- How do you like it? – Ros asked, starting to search the carcasses of his fallen opponents. - Did you pick up anything? What about the characteristics?
- Nothing grew. Although percentages appeared on strength and intelligence.
“This is because the pet does the main work, so most of it goes to me, almost all of it is for the “call.” Damn, I thought you would swing much faster here.
– If there are a lot of such mobs here, then things won’t go so slowly. Two or three groups - and strength and intelligence will rise.
“The main thing is, don’t push forward.” Do not risk. If you die, you will fly away to rep as a bullet. You're a zero, you won't lie around for long. I won't have time to resurrect.
– Have you learned Resurrection?
-You are some kind of strange necromancer.
“I’m not a nekr, I’m a rroh.”
- No matter what you call the goat, it’s still horned. Where did you find your pet?
- Yes, so... I know rich places.
- Warn me when you raise such images. When I saw him next to me, I almost stained my pants, although here this is considered impossible.
– Shall we chat or clear the drifts and move on?
- Let's clean it up. But we need to chat. And about a lot of things.
- We'll make it. The main thing is don't die here.
- Yes, I remember.
About three hours later, Digit begged:
- Growing up, it’s already late, it’s time for me to get out into real life.
“It’s bad,” he sighed. “Then I’ll continue without you.”
“Are you going to sleep yourself or what?”
“Yes, I’ll sleep here, three or four hours is enough for me.”
- Are you stuck in the game? Have you given up on real money at all? Aren't you going out? Ros, you’re normal, you don’t have to do that.
- I have no choice...
- Why?
“It’s a long and sad story, and it’s time for you to leave.”
- Okay, let's talk tomorrow. Somehow everything turned out so abruptly that we didn’t even have time to exchange a word.
– There are seven levels in this dungeon, we still have to clean it and clean it. We'll have time to talk a hundred times.
“And if I throw the body right here, is that okay?”
- I think yes. Last time, the tilbits did not wander around the adit, and it was calm in the cleared areas.
“Then see you tomorrow, Ros.”
- See you tomorrow, Digit.
The body of his partner froze, leaning his back against the wooden trolley. Ros, taking a closer look at her, suspected that she was hiding a cache underneath, but did not check. Will take care of this when Digit returns.
I went further, clearing six intersections from the Tilbit posts and checking all the adjacent drifts. Having decided that this was enough for a start, he returned to the figure, pulled out a narrow felt rug rolled up from his bag, and made a bed for himself. This comrade doesn’t care in what position he throws his body, but Ros needs at least a minimum of comfort.
Having woken up, I was convinced that Digit was still in real life, after which I went to clean the adit further and did this for an hour and a half. I was interrupted by the arrival of my friend. He ran up, discharged his modest supply of magical energy into a group of mobs, and only then said:
- Good morning, Ros.
- And you.
-Did you even sleep for a couple of minutes?
- Yeah. I've set up a bed not far from you.
- It's a pity I didn't see it.
- Why regret?
- Yes, I didn’t sleep there, in real life, all night. I was wondering what you put on before going to bed – pajamas or a lace peignoir.
– I asked you without hints!
- Sorry, but it’s simply impossible to resist. If you were me, you would make the same jokes, so don’t be angry.
“You’ll end up with me finishing you off,” Ros said very gloomily.
- Okay, okay, I’ll shut up already! I have a lot of questions for you, I don’t even know where to start. Yesterday you talked about your second chaotic skill. If it's not difficult, read his description.
– Is it really that urgent?
-You are strange, and everything about you is strange. I hope the skill is not as useless as you called it. Suddenly something worthwhile, but you, due to your innate noobism, don’t download it. Chaos is a rare thing, if something falls out of it, you need to find a use for it. Well, what's with the description?
– “The rarest skill: “Chaos Aura.” The number of carriers of this skill cannot be more than five. An aura of primal Chaos covers the area designated by the caster, striking enemies within a radius of seven meters. Does no damage. Ignores all types of defenses and resistances. Requires magical energy: one hundred and ten units. Targets affected by the aura have their maximum vital energy reduced by ten percent for five seconds. Can be used over obstacles. Dynamic skill: characteristics increase as you grow. Modifies into "Chaos Majesty Aura". That's all the description.
– And you called him useless?!
-Didn’t you hear?
- You're a complete noob! Supernoob! Nubass of the highest standard!
-Did you just find out? Back! Run back, Digit!
- At your cry, the tilbits run from the next intersection.
- I do not see them.
- But I can see perfectly well.
- Do you have night vision?
- Let's talk about my vision some other time!
There were so many Tilbits rushing in that Ros couldn’t even count them. Either they had a serious post there, or they hate loud beta testers to the point of gnashing their teeth. If the scolopendra did not have skills that work across areas, some would inevitably rush past, and the figure would fly to a distant republic.
Ros hit the Chaos Arrow, healed the pet (which practically did not need treatment), launched a Fireball a couple of times, and in the second case, the Tilbit Scout caught fire, like a Christmas tree doused in gasoline.
Having finished with the mobs, Ros began to search the bodies, noticing:
– If I’m not mistaken, on my first pass I was recommended to assemble a level forty-five squad.
– This is a Chaos dungeon, the strength of mobs and bosses varies widely from passage to passage. Ros, let's get back to your skills: have you tried to think about what exactly Chaos Aura does to the target?
– This is already clear: it reduces the total reserve by five seconds vitality by ten percent. Let's say the target has one hundred health units, it will become ninety and will last the entire duration of the spell.
– I hope you thought with your head when you read the description of the spell’s action? I ask because even with my ass it’s not so easy to figure out the uselessness of a skill.
- What kind of attacks? What are you talking about?
- Ros! Do you really think it's useless or are you kidding?
– Five seconds is not a long time.
- Okay, take a broader look: five seconds pass and what happens next?
- But no. Spells of this kind do not return health points. That is, the overall scale will indeed grow to its rightful hundred, but the same ninety units will remain filled with hit points. It will become incomplete! Understand?
Ros hit himself on the forehead:
- It really is a sheep! It turns out that with one cast you can remove a tenth of a boss’s health!
- Here! It's finally here! Moreover, the skill is developing, so over time, both the percentage and the validity period will probably increase. Although the second is not very important.
- Well, why? What if the target is treated with spells or elixirs? Then it will be very useful to keep her on a reduced health scale.
- Well, maybe so. Growing up, I lay here at night, didn’t really sleep, kept thinking. If you want me to be useful to you, you need to decide right now what to make of your character.
– I think you have more experience in this, decide for yourself.
- Experience? Yes, I’m still a theorist: the cat has cried enough of experience.
- More than mine.
-What are you all about? As far as I understand, you are some kind of necromancer, but from Chaos, which, of course, is unusual, and maybe even unique: I have never heard of such Persians. In addition, as it turns out, you have a couple of interesting skills from the same Chaos, but it’s almost impossible to acquire even one. What else can you tell me?
-About magic?
– I learned “Fireball”, I just started to learn it. “Chaos Arrows” hit well, but even the upgraded ones have a decent cooldown, so between them you need to insert something else, also attacking, so as not to stand idle, waiting for reloading. There are also a bunch of buffs from the School of Light: increasing protection from physical and magical attacks, reducing any damage, increasing general level health, mana, vigor and rage, increased physical and magical attack. There is treatment, including injury, and dissipation of negative effects.
– Why do you need so many buffs?
– They affect not only players, but also pets. Although I’m not as much of a noob as I was on the first day, I still depend on the pet for everything, so I download it.
- In principle, it is reasonable. In addition, the school of Light, as far as I remember, is in severe conflict with the schools of Death and Darkness, but it has no problems with Chaos. In general, everything is fine with incompatibility. Only after the beta test the chaos races were either erased or cut so that no one wants to play with them: disabled people, not Persians. Scrolls of chaotic skills do not drop from mobs at all, they are very rarely obtained for quests and achievements, I don’t remember other sources. Moreover, only players of races related to Chaos receive it. Like you and me.
– Except in the description of the race, I did not find any mention of Chaos. Not a single bonus to it. Strange relationship...
– Bonuses for race relatedness appear on high levels. Get to the hundredth first, or better yet, get a hundred and fifty or two hundred, and you’ll see: they will appear.
- Did not know.
- Now you'll know. So Chaos remained restless: he does not conflict with anyone, but at the same time he is almost inaccessible. So you and I are the last of the Mohicans. And perhaps we have what is called an “advantage over other players.” At least due to the situation with conflicts of skills. By the way, you don’t spend any mana, your bar is always full. Why?
– Six hundred intelligence units plus hero bonuses for mana regeneration speed, plus things add a lot. If “Chaos Arrow” didn’t waste rage, I could hit it non-stop: it eats up a little mana, but it has time to recover. You have to alternate with “Fireballs”, healing your pet or physical attacks: to accumulate rage.
– Why do you need so much intelligence? A couple of hundred is enough for everything, and it’s better to throw the rest by force of thought, then the damage, the duration of the buffs will increase significantly, and even the strength of the buffs will increase slightly. Two hundred intelligence will be enough for you to break through mobs of one hundred and eighty levels, or even higher, if they do not have serious resistance to magic. And with Chaos you can calmly beat three hundred people; few people are protected from it. Moreover, your staff is not bad - it helps a lot.
– The fact is that I hide my, let’s say, successes. To do this, you must always be under the protection of one cunning spell, and you also have to invest a lot in intelligence. Just believe me: I can’t do anything less.
- As you know. But keep in mind: you are limiting yourself now. You work only with magic, the power from it goes to the intellect and the power of thought, other characteristics are almost not used. What is in the intellect is a drop falling into the ocean. You will have to work for five years to raise it by one at such high values. So, only the power of thought really grows, but I think it’s also too high for you. In general, you are now only leveling up, and this is irrational.
– I know, but I don’t need more.
- Why?
– Do you know what “Gift to the Last Representative of the Race” is?
– I know, I have such a characteristic.
- Yes? I thought she was unique.
– You have to be the last in your race, then it works. Wait... What, are you thinking of draining your accumulated levels and raising them again, earning points for your primary characteristics?
– I’ve already done this. From eighty-eight he dropped to ten.
- Yes, you are a fabulous masochist!
- But, having reached eighty-eighth, I will have an extra seventy-eight points and can invest them in whatever I want.
- Waste of time. Real game starts at high levels. There are maximum opportunities, everything before that is puppy fuss.
– I’ll reset again, until ten. It won't do less. I’ll find a place for a calm and quick leveling, with mobs of level fifty to sixty. To get to fifteen on them is about a dozen or two that need to be nailed down, depending on the intensity. Then I drop again to the tenth - and repeat. I estimated: the cycle takes no more than three hours, and this is the maximum. And most of the time will be spent on resetting levels, and not on quality. I can easily do six cycles in a day - that’s thirty points of primary characteristics just from the “Gift to the Last Representative of the Race.” But if you work correctly, then some of them will also swing. And they will give achievements for mobs, they also give good rewards.
- That's right, but you didn't take something into account.
- Well, enlighten me.
– “Gift to the last representative of the race” only works if you lose levels once per day. That is, you will be given five points for one cycle, but not for the second.
- Five? If you believe your words, then in general they should give one.
– I didn’t express myself entirely clearly. You leveled up to fifteen, then went down to ten, killing yourself a bunch of times. Then you rose to fifteen, you were given five points. Again you lower the levels to ten, but then they don’t give anything, because this is the second descent of the same levels in a day. You have to go down from sixteen and above, and they will only give you points for them. Do you understand now?
- Understood. Then yes - it’s not so profitable. Although you can reach twenty-five in a day, then go back down to ten. This is fifteen points - not so little.
“For me, it’s too boring and useless.” Where can you spend your time? in the best ways.
- Okay, I'll think about it some more.
- Think about it. Basically, as I understand it, you level up quickly, so this is also a way out. A month of masochism, and you have about four hundred and fifty primary ones only due to the “Gift”. A very good increase. How do you improve the characteristics themselves? I don’t quite understand you - after all, the intellect and power of thought are too high, they cannot be raised with quality.
– My attack and accuracy are down to zero. They are not completely zero, the heroic increase works, but it does not affect the amount of experience they need to increase.
- Didn't understand?
– Experience is given depending on the difference in opponents’ levels. If I have the thirtieth level, for a monster of the same thirtieth level I will get about four times less experience than a ten-person monster. But if I kill him with physical attacks, despite the fact that my attack is no higher than ten, then decent progress will drop onto it.
- Now I understand.
– So after clearing the dungeon, I’m thinking of gaining a dozen or two points on attack and accuracy. You understand: redistributing them is not a problem for me. This is how I download the characteristics.
- You came up with a good idea. Although the matter is not difficult, many would do this if they had the ability to reset characteristics.
- Let's get back to the mobs, otherwise you're going to talk all day.
– We need some kind of tactics and strategy. Certainty.
– Drain the mana, then take the pickaxe and break the stones. And to avoid getting bored, think about tactics and strategy.
Chapter 2
– Let me introduce you to Cody Mitchell, one of the best analysts in our department.
Michael Brown patted his subordinate on the shoulder patronizingly. At the same time, the most welcoming and extremely sincere smile froze on his lips, but his gaze contrasted sharply with it: he clearly belonged to a cold-blooded deep-sea monster living in a world of darkness and horror.
Cody had a hard time not to shiver. Nerves. No matter how much he is praised now, he is just an ordinary clerk. One of those inconspicuous employees, of whom there are a couple of orders of magnitude more numerous in the corporation than fleas on a pack of stray dogs. And perhaps he is the first of the crowd of faceless workhorses who had the opportunity to appear before such a significant society. Despite the fact that not everyone here was from Second World, he knew each of them and was afraid to imagine how many threads of other people's destinies stretched to their sleek fingers.
But Brown, not understanding what was happening in the soul of his subordinate, with the same unnatural stupid smile, took turns introducing all those gathered who were sitting on the other side of the massive black table, which looked as if it had been paid for in hundred dollar bills by weight.
– Jacob Lebovich, Chairman of the Board of Directors of our corporation.
He’s loose, with a looming double chin, but he can’t be called fat—a sort of pile of still-strong meat. And his eyes look as if he lives at a much greater depth than Brown. The position is loud, but in fact he is nothing more than the representative of the Old Man. It happens that he even manages to copy his intonation if he thinks that the moment deserves it.
– Eric Coleman, Principal Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
This one doesn’t look like Lebovich at all: fit, athletic, with a tenacious gaze, with a casually disguised mockery. One of those “gray cardinals” who, at first glance, are never responsible for anything, and generally do not do anything serious, and do not even get into the epicenter of the most insignificant scandals. Always in second or third roles, the press is not interested in them, they don’t like to appear in public. But at the same time smart people They suspect that they are involved in absolutely everything.
– Aaron Gray, first director of the US-Canada sector.
He also takes good care of himself and, despite the same stupid smile as Brown, is smarter than a couple of Einsteins, and with a tongue that hangs much better than Cicero.
Short, with a developing belly, always sweating, despite the most expensive hygiene products, Cody began to understand what plankton felt when it found itself in the path of a herd of hungry whales. In this society, he was as appropriate as a sewer worker in unwashed overalls showing up at a high-society event. Even Brown looked somehow out of place here. It was as if he had found himself in the society of southern planters in the middle of the last century and only then remembered that he was African-American. He has some kind of unhealthy gestures, he clearly feels out of place.
“I’ll be brief,” Brown continued. “As you know, we have recently conducted a thorough investigation into the latest incidents. Many of the most different versions, they worked on each of them, but I must say that I was impressed by the efforts of only one person. So: now, Cody, tell us what you told me.
Swallowing nervously, Cody spoke uncertainly.
– In our department I work in the clan direction. That is, I monitor the situation in the top guilds, mainly in our sector, and I also work with small clans, if the need arises. The task that was set before me was somewhat out of my profile.
“It’s possible without an introduction,” Lebovich said indifferently.
- Sorry. – This time Cody couldn’t resist: he shivered. “Having received instructions to find the player who caused that commotion, I, in addition to the usual channels of information, attracted my gaming connections. I can’t say that I found out much more than the rest of the department, but the following is known today.
Behind Cody, the wall monitor panel lit up. The video, judging by the interface elements filmed directly in the game, depicted a character of a not very pleasant appearance and an incomprehensible race, surrounded by standard orcs, gnomes and ogres.
Cody began to explain:
– This video was found on the gaming forum, in the popular topic “Noobs are having a blast.” Pay attention to the first frame: in the main shot is the same player, he is dressed in the standard equipment of a beginner with a working account. Judging by appearance clothes, they are not shabby. Pay attention to these barely noticeable lines: such folds last the first two to three hours after creating the character. Then he fits into the world completely, and such roughness disappears. Now evaluate his behavior.
Cody started playback. The character came to life, in an uncertain, somehow discouraged voice with rough diction, which is characteristic of the cheapest working accounts, and said:
- It's clear. How do you get food here?
- Gee-gee-gee! “I’m filming you, then I’ll throw you on the forum,” the player who made the recording responded to this.
- What? - Didn't understand " main character", the same ill-fated Rostendrix Poterentax.
- Never mind. I'm making a film about you, noob. The guys will laugh later.
“I’m talking about where to get something to eat,” Rostendrix continued in the same tone.
- Even for a noob it’s too much... Are you kidding?
– Are you sure you’re not a troll?
- No, another race, rare. – The answer was given without a hint of mockery, with an extremely serious look.
“I want to disappoint you,” the dwarf standing next to him intervened in the conversation. – Noobs are not at all uncommon here. Quite the contrary.
– I have already accepted that I am a noob. Answer the question about food, and then we’ll part ways.
– What’s there about food? - asked the gnome.
“Now you’re going to fall,” the operator said, letting out a laugh.
– Where can I find food? Eat?
- Yes, you’re not just a noob, you’re a noob squared. Enchanting noob, a rare breed. Less common than a dinosaur.
– I agree with all your epithets. AND?
- In any tavern, tavern, brothel, eatery. Well, you understand. For money that you, as a noob, don’t and can’t have. You can go outside the city, there is plenty of free game, all kinds of fruits, berries. But since there is a worm above your head, then, most likely, it will not be you who will eat there, but you. In general, first, look in your bag, but for now, don’t distract people, this is not a school for noobs, but serious matters.
Rostendrix Poterentax turned around and headed somewhere to the left, quickly getting lost in the crowd.
Cody commented on the video:
– The filming took place in the square in front of the Arbenna exchange on the day the problem gambler’s account was created. Pay attention to the angle: the operator is clearly quite tall, which is not surprising, since his character’s race is an ogre, I found out this later. All the other players in the frame are dressed like ordinary hard workers; newly created newcomers like Rostendrix Poterentax are not visible among them. So this is his first appearance in game world. More precisely, the first case where he left traces. No one has yet found any earlier information. Further, no further information about him appeared anywhere over the next thirty-three days, just like about the vast majority of ordinary players. But our department found out that he spent almost all of this time at the mine of the Sword Power guild. Nothing interesting can be said about this guild - one of the majority of gaming communities: no serious force of any kind, no famous players, no achievements or even scandalous actions. For us, only the personality of the mine manager is of some interest. Gridius Nappi, a gnome race, is blacklisted by a number of minor clans and guilds for offenses involving violence of various kinds. The account is preferential, the benefit was provided by our security service for a reason unknown to me.
Brown intervened:
– Leave this moment, everyone present is familiar with the details. Let's go further and make it shorter.
- Sorry. So, thirty-three days after the shooting of this video, a number of messages appeared in world chats, from which it followed that Rostendrix Poterentax had committed a number of heroic and legendary deeds and had even earned the interest of the gods. We still don’t understand what the latter meant. Then the fun begins. The top guilds of our and other sectors are beginning to look for the player. A number of violent in-game conflicts break out, and this is against the backdrop of a set of his accomplishments. The balance of the world is disrupted, aura disturbances are noted by all regional data centers, the supernetwork, apparently, is going into crisis monitoring mode, as evidenced by the sharply increased intensity of data exchange. We are also trying to find this player - and quickly establish that the account is registered to Evgeniy Rostovtsev, a Canadian citizen of Russian origin. It was also established that as a result of the accident, Rostovtsev was incapacitated and was in a state of induced coma at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco. It was implied that his character was constantly in the game, but, using all available game methods, we could not determine not only his location, but his presence at all.
“We know that too,” Lebovich muttered. “No one has ever seen him before.” Why repeat the same thing? Brown, this is me turning to you.
– Cody, can I talk about the most important thing? About what you dug up yesterday? – Brown asked in a tense voice.
- Fine. I received the information through my own channels, through a high-ranking player in one of the top guilds in the J-P sector. They are usually called "japas", and among other things, they became famous for the collection of heroes gathered under their banner. It is not surprising that they could not ignore such an opportunity and dealt with it very seriously. Guild analysts suggested that one of the bonuses of all the achievements that Rostendrix received then was the change of personal data - this explains his incomprehensible elusiveness. This is not provided for in the gameplay, but given the peculiarities of the self-development of the world, such a function could indeed appear; this is not indicated in the mechanics of absolute prohibitions, and the effectiveness of such prohibitions is questionable. Unlike other guilds and us, the “japs” began to look not just for Rostendrix Poterentax, but for oddities in players who were not similar to him. Considerable funds and effort were invested, friendly communities were attracted, and bribed NPCs were also used. Stationary teleports, entrances to cities, bridges, and ferry crossings were taken under control. Players were processed at different levels to obtain any information. Any, even the most implausible, was checked. And they found him.
The whole trio came together at once, Aaron Gray lost his plastered smile, and he looked like a hungry wolf getting ready to pounce.
Cody, having forgotten how just a few minutes ago he was worried that a virgin had finally decided to visit a brothel, continued:
– There is no recording, but there are screenshots. Here you can see our mysterious Rostendrix Poterentax.
Coleman shook his head.
- Not like that.
- That's it. Nick: John Archer44. Race: light elf, possibly half-breed. Was seen entering the town of Pegur on foot. Attempts to determine where he was and what he was doing before were unsuccessful. Your nickname and appearance are too faceless; if you behave in a standard way, those who meet you will forget about you in a minute or two. It looks like an ordinary low-level player, it’s impossible to notice anything strange. Unfortunately for him, there was an NPC magician standing among the guards at the city gates. As you know, NPCs, unlike average players, have strange combinations of pumped up characteristics - this applies to secondary and additional ones. This one's powers of observation and the essence of things were raised to almost fifty, with considerable intelligence and secret knowledge. The NPC, in addition, was a magician, which means there is also a lot of intelligence and thought power, and they provide a tangible bonus for all this. Basically, he determined that the seemingly unremarkable player was in fact a legendary hero. This magician was one of those bribed by the “japas” and, working off the money received, reported the information to employers.
– Are enpees allowed to do this? – Coleman clarified.
– You don’t know the game’s realities well: everything that is not prohibited by the game mechanism is permissible. Moreover, the ban must be unconditional and conflict-free. Although it is not easy to conduct such business with NPCs outside of special guilds, such as mercenaries, nothing is impossible. A search group of "japs" noticed a suspicious character on the threshold of the magicians' guild. He was required to accept the invitation to join the detachment. John Archer44 refused and disappeared into the guild building. The Japas immediately took control of the emergency exits, and magicians with skills that blocked the opening of portals in the adjacent area also arrived via teleports. Although this is impossible in the building, they decided to play it safe. Guild fighters also took control of the city guards. If ordered, they were ready to destroy them or take control. In fact, the city was on the verge of being captured. This would have caused the Japas colossal reputational and other losses, but they were ready to do it in order to capture Rostendrix, hoping that the value of the prize would cover all the costs. The imperial tournament was just around the corner; a unique hero could get into a guild rivaling the Japas, thereby giving them an advantage. Who knows what prize this “dark horse” received? But everyone considered the Japs to be the winners in advance; they could not afford such a loss of image - hence all their actions. The guild leadership was ready for almost anything; not a single loophole was left for them. However, he left.
