Chapter 304
Added 2017-11-21 05:17:28 +0000 UTC
Randidly ripped their bodies to pieces as he fell to the ground. Although they were illusions, they still seemed capable of hurting him. Perhaps it had something to do with a skill though, that affected him mentally, causing him to think he was wounded or something dumb like that…?
Which also didn’t make sense. Why wasn’t his high Willpower or Resistance negating this…?
“Point me to them, I can’t see them.” Randidly growled. At least Simon’s distance was convenient for this. Otherwise… Randidly supposed he could use Hammer of the Dawn repeatedly, carpet bombing until he destroyed them, but it would hard to know if he ever killed them.
Without knowing what they looked like…
Several arrows formed mid air, pointing towards the monstrosities. The arrows were wobbly, but they all appeared to point towards the eyes of the monstrosities. So that was their cores? That would make this easy.
Randidly twisted, avoiding a swing of the scythe limb from one of the monsters, and stepped towards another, using Talon Strike to strike the eye. As his hand ripped into its body, he felt a soft tap, as he encountered something strange. The monstrosity wavered and winked out, leaving a thin, gray little humanoid shape, the size of a meerkat.
It looked up at him with scared eyes and Randidly crushed his body, his expression even. As he did so, that fear disappeared, replaced by hatred, and then it was nothing but mush. Snorting, Randidly turned to the nearest monstrosity and approached it faster than it could avoid. It began to spin, this limbs lashing out, but Randidly’s hand accurately ripped every limb out of his way and stabbed into the eye.
Nothing happened,
Randidly frowned as it continued to flail at him. Rapidly, the wobbly arrow moved, along the monstrosity’s body. Gritting his teeth, Randidly tore into the monstrosities body, until he finally found the small grey humanoid, crushing its skull.
Unfortunately, this gave the other two time to approach, and now the headache was increasing to the point it began to throb, a vicious, insidious pain.
“Fuck it.” Randidly spat out, and 4 Hammer’s of the Dawn crashed down, smashing the ground to pieces, annihilating the two remaining monstrosities with fire. The ground burned, the flames licking upwards, and Randidly watched it for several second, his expression intent. But he could sense that his skills stopped activating.
The bird reformed in the air in front of him. “You okay? You’ve got that expression.”
“I’ll be fine,” Randidly said grimly, turning to look towards the direction the monsters departed. He quickly did some mental math. Yes, Mending Fluid would help him now, and if he had enough of it, he could probably force Curse Resistance to being healed, and lower the amount of shrapnel in Mental Strength.
But that would give the monsterosity, and the Raid Boss spawning them, several hours to strengthen themselves, and grow in numbers. Although the damage they would do to him was lower, there would be more… and based on what Randidly knew about Raid Bosses, the worst part of them was when they started creating Lieutenants, which would possess the Raid Bosses ability to grow, and could lead others of its kind.
In addition, these monsters… if you weren’t prepared for them, they would absolutely rip through a village. Hell, even if Donnyton faced these, they would probably suffer heavy losses before they found out ways to deal with them, and Randidly didn’t know much about this “Refuge”, they sure as hell weren’t Donnyton.
He had the strength. The headache was annoying, but it was just pain, something that Randidly had a lot of experience with.
And he had Simon his side. Apparently his Astral form was immune to the illusion, or the distance was enough to make the skill ineffective. Either way, their duo was uniquely capable of handling these threats. Randidly couldn’t afford to take a break now, now while these absolutely fearsome monsters rampage, killing these people.
Randidly took a small vial of the extracted Mending Fluid and took it, which almost instantly took him back to the baseline, with some remaining in his system to combat the beginnings of pain the last time.
Then Randidly moved, activating Empower to the max, ripping forward. Now wasn’t the time to care about Stamina, it would come back fast enough. No, this was a race against time.
****
“What’s the situation?” Thea asked, bringing Simon’s attention back to his body. He was getting much better at moving his consciousness between his Astral body and his physical one, and now he could practically teleport his focus between the two, while maintaining some awareness of both.
To everyone’s shock, most of all his own, his skill level in Astral Projection had grown to 52, where it had begun to slow down, but still. Astral Manifestation was nearing 30, too. The huge amount of PP had enabled him to finish off a path, and starting him on the Astral Body Path, which was giving him increased Intelligence and Wisdom.
Simon was finding some strength, and it felt… really great.
“He… uh… David fought something, but it was weird. He couldn’t hit them until I pointed them out, and he kept attacking the air. It sorta seems like… these monsters use illusions.” Simon said, feeling extremely embarrassed in front of Thea’s intense gaze.
“Alright, I’m going ahead then. Keep us informed. You can see them right? Just point them out.” Thea said, hopping on Chrysanthemum’s back.
“Uh but-” Simon began, trying to explain that based on David’s expression, he really didn’t want any help, but Thea was already riding off, her bear bounding forward with more speed than he would have expected.
Cursing, Simon focused, his consciousness leaving his physical body and returning to his Astral one. With an act of will, that body moved from the quarry David had left it, rushing forward to catch up with him. Within seconds, he had found the other man, who was methodically tearing into the air, seeming to search for something.
The small, grey monster beneath him was hissing and spitting, but even as it dodged side to side, David’s strikes got slowly closer. Then he found it, and killed it. Simon reformed his projection. “Thea is coming.”
“Why?” There was a hard edge to David’s tone, and Simon abruptly realized that there were at least a dozen of the small bodies crushed around, as David blurred to rush forward. The other man had torn through a dozen in the time that Simon and Thea were speaking, and was already moving forward. And at this speed…
Simon began to sweat. He should have hopped on the back of Chrysanthemum. If they got much farther away…
“Uh…” Simon realized he hadn’t answered when David gave him a look. “Well-”
There was a screech, and suddenly from sevearl bushes on the slope ahead of them, there was a rustling. Then fully 30 of the small grey humanoids dashed forward, aiming for David.
Immediately, David’s face scrunched together, and he waved a hand. 6 Hammers of the Dawn crashed downward in the thick of the creatures, probably killing almost 10. But they rushed forward, and a few dozen more followed them, rushing downward.
Slowly, ponderously, three more creatures left the brush, looking towards David with glowing eyes. Two of these were around double the size of the grey humanoids, and had a copper tinge to their skin. The final, which stood in the middle, was as similar size to the grey monster fodder, but was slender, and had golden skin. Small tentacles wriggled from its head, giving it a strangely feminine vibe. A Lvl 32 floated above its head.
It hissed, pointing, and its two copper attendants rushed forward, aiming to swarm David.
David was lashing out left and right, fighting against things that weren’t really there, as the grey humanoids crowded around. It was actually slightly comical to watch, or it would have been, had the outcome if David fell not been so scary.
But even surrounded, he was an absolute machine twisting and attacking, eliminating one monster at time, although each time it took him around 10 seconds to find the bodies.
Focusing his will, Simon created arrows near the ones closest to Randidly, and instantly he began to rip through the surroundings, killing the monsters. But Simon couldn’t help but notice that there were several long cuts on David’s arms and legs, although he could see nothing attacking him. Was he… being damaged by the illusions….?
Then the two copper skinned monsters arrived, and the grey ones dived to the side. David looked up, high above their bodies, at least 10 meters into the air, and then he was just abruptly thrown backwards, smashing into a nearby tree. There had been nothing for Simon to see, but there was clearly a huge impact.
With a grim expression, David got up, rubbing his neck. Thea was rushing forward, but would take another few minutes before she would arrive. Her max speed was much lower than Davids.
In the meantime… Simon needed to figure out what the fuck was going on. And what he could do to help.
Comments
is their any word on a schedule for this Thanksgiving break
2017-11-22 02:33:04 +0000 UTCChocobo, I think its been about 30 days. The first 21 of which he was asleep and the next 3 he was drinking fluid and getting ready to leave the Golden Lily Spring. So in 6 days he has managed to clear the 10 of the most annoying skills. As he goes along he gets lets pain from normal fighting, greater ability to heal himself, and more fluid from Simon who is improving at a fast pace. Plus he doesn't need to clear up skills like dagger master or farming to be a full strength. He has about 20 skills that he doesn't regularly use.
Alan McBrayer
2017-11-21 23:09:15 +0000 UTC@ choboman well, we don't know how many pieces of shrapnel are in each skill, maybe he cleared a lot of the worst ones... Also, as his battle intent heals he's getting better at pulling them out
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 21:23:56 +0000 UTCGhosthound sounds like a class or a monster though. All she knows is there is something that worshiped like a god by the southern villages that goes by the name ghosthound and it has disappeared months ago. She is receiving envoys from Skeleton Knight who is fighting Wild Rider. And you think her response to the story of a legendary individual who single handedly killed a tribulation and with a single seed started a cult world be, "Oh that godlike creature? That can't possibly be the name of a powerful class or some sort of creature which is a Ghostly Hound sent by the system. It is most likely my friend who was born the same day as me even though I know for a fact that on the day the system came he had no where near the strength to do any of the things he was said to do. "
Alan McBrayer
2017-11-21 21:16:00 +0000 UTCI don't understand how RG can estimate that he'll be done cleaning himself up in a couple weeks. He's currently got a total of 89 skills. In the last month and a half he's created one new skill and cleaned up 10 others. And now he's spending his focus and time hunting the raid boss, not fixing his soul. Even if he doesn't activate any dangerous skills while fighting, he's constantly triggering Pain Resistance, Mental Strength, Grace, Superiority, Mental Fortitude, and Second Wind. Depending on what his enemies throw at him he may also trigger various resistances (fire, acid, poison, curse).
Choboman
2017-11-21 21:09:08 +0000 UTCWafflez is correct
Radar
2017-11-21 21:04:29 +0000 UTCRG was supposed to make completely recovery in a few weeks 4 or 5 days ago so he should be well enough if not fully recovered in about 2 weeks maybe more if he can get more fluid.
Alejandro Sales
2017-11-21 20:33:20 +0000 UTCYeah, but that could be said about practically everyone. She should have realized that ghosthound was himself. It's not a very common name
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 20:19:44 +0000 UTCYeah, I'm a bit worried... If it scales then thea won't be convinced of ghosthound's awesome. if it doesn't, then flower bear and thea are going to get pwned. 98 like how many stats most people have period... Even if ghosthound only has some shallow cuts.
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 20:16:48 +0000 UTCI was wondering if this was some weird scenario where the creatures pit your stats against themselves. Like an opposed roll of your perception against your resistance, and if you lose take damage equal to your intel opposed by your endurance. That's the only way I could imagine RG getting smacked around like this. If that were true the danger of the opponent would be entirely dependant on the targets stat distribution, and could be just as dangerous for a seasoned veteran as it would be for a newbie.
Choboman
2017-11-21 19:56:04 +0000 UTCRandidly's weakness prior to the system is fairly well established. He had some strength of character and unused potential. He wasn't strong, he wasn't a fighter, he didn't believe in himself,
Alan McBrayer
2017-11-21 19:34:00 +0000 UTC... He wasn't wimpy... He took her dying pretty well... And he's her brother D: If she really thought of him as wimpy imma be mad at her
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 18:28:25 +0000 UTCShe has heard about the ghosthound, but she didn't see him until chapter 248. He is known as The Ghosthound not Randidly Ghosthound. A legendary monster hunter who has the same last name as her wimpy friend sounds like an interesting coincidence instead of a clue. The cancer was probably defeated by her increased vitality and endurance. I would guess she pledged because she saw in 248/249 how strong Randidly had become and she wanted to achieve that strength for herself and her village.
Alan McBrayer
2017-11-21 18:26:17 +0000 UTCTrue, I'm kind of worried about what happens to the ppl that pledge the other way... Do they die? Become monsters? Or just lose their abilities? I guess so far ppl I like are only on the skeleton knights side...
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 18:25:53 +0000 UTCYou gotta realize that everyone besides ghosthound and the southern villages is in a life or death situation in a post apocalyptic world full of monsters. You gotta give them a bit of a slack when it comes to how they react. Sydney went from a college student dying of cancer to a queen/general/mage responsible for the lives of a thousand people. She isn't choosing between donnyton and the skeleton knight. She is choosing between the wild hunter and the skeleton knight.
Alan McBrayer
2017-11-21 18:21:52 +0000 UTCAgree with your Sidney comment Waffles....AND the name Ghosthound should have rung a bell right,,,even these low life villagers have heard the legend?
Radar
2017-11-21 18:04:01 +0000 UTCremedial
Radar
2017-11-21 18:01:13 +0000 UTCduh, THAT spear is a bit occupied
Radar
2017-11-21 17:59:49 +0000 UTCXD he estimated a few weeks to full tho... Once his battle intent heals more he'll be faster... And if he cleared spear mastery then he would be good~
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 16:51:46 +0000 UTCYosh~ I think the frontrunner path being put on a diverse group has saved earth in a lot of ways, actually. We have an archer, a spearman, a logistics/ninja-ish person, and a crafter.
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 16:47:54 +0000 UTCRG can't afford to touch a spear for the next few months until he clears all his fragments. Even if he doesn't use active skills it would still ping his spear mastery.
Choboman
2017-11-21 16:47:18 +0000 UTCI don't understand sidney tbh,,, I mean, uf she knows about donnyton, then she's heard about the ghosthound who made that village. And if she knows that donnyton is against the skeletons then WHY did she join the other side?!?! Edit: Sidney's thing happened between ch 248 and 249... It seemed that ace is pledged to the skeleton knight and she wasn't agreeing. She didn't seem like a prisoner maybe, just that they were badgering her... Though now that I think of it, she was dying of cancer. Maybe the knight would prolong her life, but she just wanted to die because randidly is dead. Finding that he's alive she decided to take the cure?
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 16:34:43 +0000 UTCThe battle intent makes sense, there is definitely an illusionary aspect to it since ghosthound is getting hit in mental control as well. Drop is going to be interesting, randidly needs a new spear since his current one is keeping lucretia busy. Also, whether David is outted by the system upon defeating the boss is going to be interesting. If so we might get some reactionary point if views from Sydney, donnyton, franksburg, and of course Simon.
Alan McBrayer
2017-11-21 16:21:00 +0000 UTCI didn't notice this at first, but the villages in the North only seem to be training fighters and support for fighters. Simon isn't asked if he wants to be a crafter, potion maker, farmer, or builder. Sydney seems to be a general rather than the leader of a village. Refuge seems focused solely on martial arts. While this makes sense considering their struggles it is going to significantly hinder their strength going forwards. They don't even seem to how much the squads of Donnyton are enhanced by their equipment even after you consider their higher levels. It's actually quite telling that the village and champion system doesn't do much to push people to strengthen their selves beyond skills, paths, and stats. The only reason earth knows engraving is thing is a fluke, specifically that one of the forerunner blessings was used on a crafter instead of a warrior. Shal's bassackwards world full of warriors with strong monopolies on all high level crafting suddenly makes much more sense to me.
Alan McBrayer
2017-11-21 16:15:50 +0000 UTCI loved the bunnies and turtles arc and Shal's arc seemed about 80 chapters too long, but I feel that is a style preference. I'm not sure what betrayal you speak of though. It would be stupid of them to trust the random stranger who lies about his name, lies about his home village, barely talks, attacks the first villager he meets, has an immediate connection to a tamed monster of the wild rider, is able to see the actions of the village spirit, understands the system as well as a village spirit, arrives in village about an hour before an attack from the skeleton knight, subsequently "saves the day" with never seen before spells and a strength that rivals the system champions, and all of these actions are taken purely on a whim without any prior warning. This is in a post Apocalyptic world full of unknown monsters and a system that actively fucks with everyone. Sending him away on a mission to find the wild hunter with Thea is about their only reasonable response.
Alan McBrayer
2017-11-21 15:51:56 +0000 UTCGood point! The spear getting pulled out would be an "oh shit" moment
Tibstrike
2017-11-21 15:44:25 +0000 UTCI have no digestive issues with a character who can tear through enemies with his bare hands. Frankly it is an excellent short range offensive option to combine with a spear that can appear and disappear at a moments notice.
Alan McBrayer
2017-11-21 15:32:24 +0000 UTCTheir "betrayal" was kind of in their characterization... when they were introduced, they didn't trust the wild rider or thea. Now, they don't trust randidly. Basically they seem distrustful of anyone who is stronger than them... they think they know everything there is to know about the system and anything that doesn't fit must be a trick~ We're just frustrated because he can't be op right now, but he probably wouldn't care much about the goings on here if he wasn't laid up.
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 15:01:34 +0000 UTCArbor was ok, just didn't really seem to go anywhere at that point in time....so, waiting to see if P turns the whole Arbor thing into something reasonably rewarding or he considers it more of a failed experiment and subsequent side note. There are some possibilities with this arc but the whole Glasshammer and village betrayal is not really logical. Couple that with R's reset to a lower capability and it has become more of a grind for me. However, I have faith, P did dump the bunnies for an expedition to Shal's world just in time.
Radar
2017-11-21 14:43:37 +0000 UTCAre you guys excited about what this thing is going to drop? Since something awesome dropped last time... Also, I bet these guys are made of battle intent
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 14:17:40 +0000 UTCWell,,, what do you want to happen? And the spread of the church of arbor was pretty amusing...
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 14:15:56 +0000 UTCDisagree. If P becomes a pugilist, most here would puke.
Radar
2017-11-21 14:05:21 +0000 UTCSorry, I am just bored...this arc is one step above the bunnies and turtles though not by much.
Radar
2017-11-21 13:55:23 +0000 UTCTrue true. Hopefully the bear is a tank.
Tibstrike
2017-11-21 13:39:05 +0000 UTCYou can't just go for the grey dudes... if they were regular illusions it wouldn't be bad, but they're weird illusions that hurt you and can affect stuff... It's mega dangerous for her to to rush in.
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 13:28:28 +0000 UTCSo is Talon Strike gonna be the basis of the new style of fighting Randidly will use? He seemed to be transitioning to a non-spear fighting style there at the end of the last arc and even used his "As The sun Stills" skill unarmed. If so, I'm excitied! Not many punchy characters out there. Well besides Daniel from The New World
Tibstrike
2017-11-21 13:12:42 +0000 UTCI could see Thea actually handling it better than Randidly, though mainly due to her link with her bear. Increased smelling ability from her link perhaps. Or it has changed her brain chemistry to make illusions more difficult to work on her. Or perhaps her bear is just gonna go ham as the bear probably just sees the little grey dudes
Tibstrike
2017-11-21 13:04:16 +0000 UTCI think I'm OK with Thea dying and Chrysanthemum going with Randidly and Simon ;) Also it would be interesting if Randidly gained the Monster Taiming skill. Might even merge with the Soulseed.
Magnus Benzein
2017-11-21 10:08:07 +0000 UTCSigh... Thea is going to get them both killed*. She won't be able to handle 1 of those and it will be a horrible arduous fight. =_=; Though seeing the aftermath won't help randidly's reputation I guess... Since he's fighting illusions. *Edit: rereading it, she fucking left simon there. No one is guarding his body while he's helping and she didn't take him with her. ARG! I no longer like her
MagicWafflez
2017-11-21 07:42:23 +0000 UTCHe does have some interaction with ambient aether, so the increase to skill leveling might help. But not by much since he already has unlimited pure aether.
Kurt A
2017-11-21 06:31:49 +0000 UTChe doesnt have a level, but the Raid boss bonus is a 10 percent to Level and Skill experience. Im just wondering if that applies to him since he is not connected to the system directly, only through the passive Aether.
2017-11-21 06:06:52 +0000 UTCdoes he have a level even?
MattMick222
2017-11-21 05:46:26 +0000 UTC
