jonathanbrooksauthor

New Story -- Chapter 45 and Final Stats

Added 2024-02-06 18:22:00 +0000 UTC

It's done! Now on to editing and all that fun stuff :) I'll be back to Fusionist book 5 next Monday, so it might be a few chapters behind the 30 advance chapters for my $5 Patrons, but I'll get caught up quickly!

*Spoiler* when you see the Rankings down below, they are actually in a table, but it doesn't translate well to posting here on Patreon -- therefore, it looks a little strange

Chapter 45

The question of what Thaden was supposed to do now that he had made a spectacle of himself the night before plagued him through the night and into the next morning. The biggest consolation he had for the whole thing was the fact that he had made it seem to the others down in the Coalition lobby that he wasn’t a Contender, so he wasn’t in direct competition with them – even if he technically was. At least, he thought so, but he couldn’t be sure with how he had arrived on Tarth.

He was sure that some might still try and get him to party with him or ask for any secrets that he might impart to them about this world, but he thought he’d done a good job of deflecting their attention away from him and onto the broken Contenders that he’d helped. When he denied his help for things like Leveling or running dungeons, he was sure that most – if not all of them – would stop trying and concentrate on doing it all themselves without his help. For now, he thought he was relatively safe from too much scrutiny, even if he was Human and unlike the Charee that populated the town, but he was also part of the Adventurer Coalition, so he figured that they had to expect things like that.

It wasn’t like he was the only high-Level Adventurer out there, even if he was the only one in the immediate area; the proof of that was obvious in that party he saw when he went to the Mausoleum for the first time. He was even told that there were more than just Charee on this world, but what the other races of people were or where they were located, he wasn’t sure.

All of that pointed to him being largely immune to the attention of the local Contenders, at least for now. But that still brought up exactly what he was going to do with that immunity. It was a similar discussion he’d had with himself after he first arrived at Ashcleft and later when he learned that he had to wait for a Support Class Representative to acquire a new Class.

Do I stay here and continue to run the Mausoleum until it no longer helps me grow?

Should I start investigating what other dungeons are nearby and try my hand at delving through them by myself?

What if I leave this town to go out and explore?

Is it possible to find Adventurers in the Coalition that are near my Level that I can party with? If so, should I seek them out or stay solo?

Or, should I simply sit on my butt and live off the fairly vast sum of money I’ve already accumulated?

There were a lot of options, but he wasn’t exactly sure what he should do. It was only when he woke up in the morning and got out of bed did one more question occur to him.

What is my ultimate plan here?

That was the most important and hardest question to answer. As he had already been thinking, his original strategy after arriving on Tarth had been survival, and then getting strong enough to protect himself while he awaited the arrival of the Contenders. Now that he had survived, gotten himself a powerful Class, and reached a high enough Level that he felt relatively safe wherever he went, he felt like he didn’t have a purpose, or as it related to his internal question, a plan.

Given the information that he’d recently learned about the Earthen Contenders, the fate of his home world, and the Adversary, it came with no surprise that he wanted to survive this whole developmental process and potentially even escape this world. Saving Earth from the hordes of monsters that the Adversary would undoubtedly unleash upon it at some point sounded like a noble ideal, and he wasn’t opposed to joining in on the defense in whatever capacity was allowed. Unlike many of the other Contenders he’d spoken to or dealt with, he didn’t have a family back home that he was striving to save, and what friends he had were few and far between; if he was being honest with himself, they were more acquaintances more than friends. Therefore, he would be fighting for Earth and Humanity itself, which, again, wasn’t the worst of reasons to fight against what the Adversary had in store for them.

But more than simply defending Earth, something else drove Thaden to want to survive and leave this world. He wanted to get stronger, of course, because he felt like he was getting addicted to killing monsters and reaping the rewards, feeling invincible in the face of their attacks against him. He knew that it was unreasonable to think that it would stay that way forever, but for now, he didn’t fear that anything nearby could hurt actually him – though he was cognizant that the Monarch and the Mini Bosses in the Mausoleum could flex their Level Compression at him to affect him in a different way than he could easily protect against. There were bound to be powerful monsters out there that could wipe him out in a fraction of a second, but he hoped he would be much stronger by the point where he would have to face them.

The Lifewarden also felt some desire to explore, to travel to brand-new worlds and experience fantastic sights that no one from Earth had ever seen. He’d never really been the explorer or outdoorsy type when he was younger, but his time on Tarth had started to change that a bit. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that a lot of the comforts and technology that were available to him on Earth weren’t present, or it might be because something had fundamentally changed inside of him when he was forced to be remade after being eaten, but staying outside for long periods of time and exploring dark caves didn’t fill him with the same sort of boredom and distaste that it used to.

But what really interested him in getting out of this developmental world of Tarth had to do with the Assimilation System and the Adversary. From the moment he learned about the System from Sarah and Diallo, something had seemed off about the whole thing. He couldn’t put his finger on what exactly was wrong, but that didn’t change the fact that the relationship between the two was more than a little suspicious, and he couldn’t be the only one that thought so. Of course, based on his disastrous conversations with the Charee, they didn’t think the System could do any wrong and was always perfect, but he knew from personal experience that such a sentiment was a lie.

Unfortunately, he intuitively knew that he wouldn’t be able to investigate his suspicions of the System and the Adversary while on Tarth. He thought that it might be the Mana that fully infused his body to the point where it was nearly indistinguishable from the environment, but the end result was that he was beginning to suspect that this world was just as much of a training program as the “Training” that the Contenders went through. It was separate from the rest of the universe? Multiverse? He had no real understanding of just how large this whole deal was, which was part of the problem; with how everyone on Tarth seemed to be brainwashed like they were part of some sort of Assimilation System cult, he wasn’t going to get any answers. The Contenders likely had a little bit more knowledge that it would be useful to possess, but that information was also provided to them by the System so it, too, was a bit suspect.

Thaden continued to wrestle with his options and questions all through that day, and it preoccupied him enough that he didn’t even leave town. Instead, he simply walked around the streets and eavesdropped on conversations, watching Contenders rushing in and out of the gates in their tasks to kill more monsters and even complete some Quests from the Adventurer Coalition.

Later that night, he sat in the Lobby and unobtrusively sat in a dark corner, his Shadow Necklace of the Grave helping him to blend in with the shadows, which he also learned hid his name tag and Level unless someone was deliberately looking at him – which they rarely did. It seemed as though most of the Contenders, from the conversations he overheard, had largely moved on from his performance the night before, and while his “number” name came up a few times, most dismissed him from their minds. It was, frankly, faster than he expected it to be, but it was also a relief.

For the next few days, he fell into a routine as he didn’t leave and instead spent as much time as he could around town and the Contenders, staying out of sight as much as he could, just watching and listening, hoping for an answer to what he should be doing. Over that time, where he was able to recover from the months of constant delving and the stressful few days after the Contenders arrived, his plan started to formulate in the back of his mind, never quite crystalizing to the point where he had the drive to act on it, but getting closer by the day.

In the morning of the week anniversary to the Contenders’ arrival, he was feeling good. He’d slept in late that morning, just letting his mind think about his options and how he was fairly certain he had narrowed his plan down to a few objectives.

1. Survive

2. Get Stronger

3. Escape from Tarth

It sounded so simple when he thought of it that way, but it was the process that had been holding him up. For now, he would continue to stay solo and slowly build up his strength, but later he would—

His thoughts were interrupted by a message that popped up in his vision, which he couldn’t dismiss until he looked at all of it. As he started to read it and what it contained, he instinctively knew that this same message was sent to every single Contender on Tarth.

Attention Contenders!

Congratulations go out to those who have survived this far in your introduction to Tarth! A full week has passed since you arrived, and now is a perfect time to give you and update on any developments from your fellow Contenders.

As of the commencement of this message, a total of 1,249,317 Contenders have failed and left the world of Tarth permanently.

Of the remaining 31,530,682 Contenders, another 4,530,631 are still at Level 1 and are unlikely to progress further than that. If they do not raise their Level within the designated time limit, they will be culled automatically.

For the rest of you, congratulations on your progress! The average Level of all Contenders is Level 4, which is respectable after your first week of development. Keep striving to give it your all and increase your Level as soon as possible!

As we get to the updated Rankings, there are some incredible outliers out there for you to strive to match! Only a few parties have already completed their first dungeon, which is incredible after only a week, while there are many others that aren’t far behind that goal.

However, there is one Contender in particular that has topped most of the Rankings, and their meteoric rise is to be the envy of all! That particular person better be careful, because as soon as the restrictions are lifted at Level 21, they had best watch their back!

Now, onto the Contender Rankings:

Individual Performance

1. #32599999-E

Support

Level 45

Sector 11 – Town of Ashcleft

2. Augustus M

Fighter

Level 13

Sector 92 – City of Dormir

3. Kaytee J

Mage

Level 13

Sector 147 – Town of Goventry

>>>>>>>

Party Performance (Leader)

1. #32599999-E

Support

Level 45

Sector 11 – Town of Ashcleft

2. Bartino H

Mage

Level 12

Sector 459 – Town of Waterford

3. Michelle Y

Fighter

Level 12

Sector 298 – City of Hextrove

>>>>>>>

Achievement Hunter

1. #32599999-E

Support

Level 45

Sector 11 – Town of Ashcleft

2. Jun D

Scout

Level 11

Sector 52 – City of Fortrot

3. Gerol F

Scout

Level 11

Sector 8703 – City of Nemiste

>>>>>>>

Like he had been suddenly splashed with a bucket of ice cold water, a feeling of horror chilled Thaden to the bone as he read the message, followed by the Rankings. Thaden, or more accurately his “number” name, was at the top of most of them. The most notable that he wasn’t at the top of were the Rankings for individual Classes, so he wasn’t at the top of the Fighter, Mage, etc. Classes – but he was at the top of the Support Classes.

As he read through the whole thing, the System finally allowed him to close the window. Panic began to set in as he looked around his room, before he scrambled up and shoved everything that he had left out into his Inventory. As he stood before his door, hand ready to reach out and open it, he took a deep breath and did his best to calm himself.

Whatever he was planning to do before the Rankings arrived, outing him to all the Contenders in Ashcleft, there was only one thing he could do right now.

He had to run.

The End

Final Stats

#32599999-E

Lifewarden

Level – 45

Progressive Internal Combat Knowledge (PICK) – 57/13,300

Adventurer Coalition Rank: Bronze 450/450 RP

Health – 310/310

Mana – 1,670/1,670

Physicality – 31

Celerity – 16

Mentality – 167

Personality – 11

Fortuity – 111

Spells:

Lesser Resurrection (Single Cast)

Lesser Aura of Life (Reserved)

Lesser Regrowth (Channeled)

Lesser Protective Barrier (Single Cast)

Lesser Healing Circle (Channeled)

Lesser Mana Rejuvenation (Single Cast)

Lesser Damage Shield (Single Cast)

Major Repulsion Field (Channeled)

Major Regeneration (Single Cast)

Major Absorption Field (Channeled)

Major Mass Healing (Single Cast)

Major Mass Regeneration (Single Cast)

Major Protective Guards (Single Cast)

Major Cure Physical Affliction (Single Cast)

Major Death Ward (Single Cast)

Major Cure Mental Affliction (Single Cast)

Major Support Sprite (Single Cast)

Major Defensive Sprite (Single Cast)

Major Health Reduction (Single Cast)

Major Negation Zone (Single Cast)

Major Health Augmentation (Single Cast)

Major Absorb Health (Single Cast)

Major Dampeners (Single Cast)

Lesser Healing (Channeled)

Access Slots: 9

Competencies:

Support Spellcasting Competency (Level 682, 91%)

Stronger Healing Advancement

Afterglow Advancement

Instant Gratification Advancement

Ready To Go Advancement

Defensive Spellcasting Competency (Level 695, 42%)

Even Harder Protection Advancement

Extended Protection Advancement

Double Team Advancement

Natural Regeneration Competency (Level 11, 18%)

Goes Both Ways Advancement

Mana Management Competency (N/A)

Achievements:

Monster Hunter I (WF)

Monster Hunter II (WF)

Monster Hunter III (WF)

Monster Hunter IV (WF)

Monster Hunter V (WF)

No Fear I (WF)

No Fear II (WF)

No Fear III (WF)

No Fear IV (WF)

No Fear V (WF)

No Fear VI (WF)

One Foot In The Grave (WF)

Party Savior (WF)

Dungeon Delver I (WF)

Dungeon Delver II (WF)

Dungeon Delver III (WF)

Dungeon Slayer (WF)

Quester I (WF)

Quester II (WF)

Quester III (WF)

Quester IV (WF)

SPECIAL Agent I (WF)

SPECIAL Killer I (WF)

SPECIAL Killer II (WF)

SPECIAL Assassin I (WF)

Class Act I (WF)

I Don’t Play Well With Others (WF)

Dungeon Addict I (WF)

Dungeon Addict II (WF)

Dungeon Addict III (WF)

Big Game Hunter I (WF)

Big Game Hunter II (WF)

Big Game Hunter III (WF)

Dungeon Expert (WF)

The Dead Should Stay Dead (WF)

Stay There… I’ve Got This (WF)

Bonus Traits:

Natural Regeneration Competency (From One Foot In The Grave)

+10% Permanent casting time decrease for all Support-based spells (From Party Savior)

As a party leader, you can choose to delve through any difficulty of any dungeon without having to complete them in order (From Dungeon Slayer)

When inside a dungeon while solo, you receive +5 to Physicality, Celerity, and Mentality, as well as +10 to Fortuity (From I Don’t Play Well With Others)

33.3% Chance to double-cast support spells (From Lifeweaver)

33.3% Chance to reflect 5% of prevented damage from defensive spells (From Lifeweaver)

When fighting solo, all your stats are increased by +5 (From Monster Hunter V)

When facing a monster 10 Levels or more above your own, receive a +5 increase to Physicality, Celerity, and Mentality (From Big Game Hunter III)

When inside of a dungeon, you receive a 25% increase to all stats (From Dungeon Delver III)

While inside of a dungeon, you receive an increase of +10 to Fortuity (From Dungeon Expert)

You can choose to alter your name tag to a different name and/or Level (Stay There… I’ve Got This)

Equipment:

Dark Abyss Robe of the Dead

Rarity: Rare

Class Restrictions: Control, Support

Level Restriction: 15