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Chapter 127- The First Step
🕑 Added 2024-01-04 23:42:13 +0000 UTCArthur paced around the Tree of Life, rolling a golden apple pit in his hand. It started dissolving into motes of light, mirroring the degradation process that was taking place on the tree it had come from. It turned out that the reward for this floor was the fruit on the tree, and they'd gotten a perfect score of ten for retrieving all of them in perfect condition.
Golden apples of Hesperides (Elite) [Imitation]- A reflection of the real fruit, this imitation possesses a fraction of the regenerative properties the true golden apples contain. As a Locus reward, the seeds within are infertile and will dissipate rapidly after the consumption of the fruit. Unless stored properly, the fruits shall degenerate into uselessness within 11 hours.
[+10 vitality per fruit. Works only for those below level 200. Has minor soul-stabilising properties and can heal a limited number of afflictions ailing the mind. Note that this is not a substitute for a proper cure.]
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a supreme treasure like the growth item they’d received on the first floor. Soul-bound items were incredibly rare and they'd won the lottery by getting them as rewards for the first layer. There was a silver lining, however, and Arthur was pleased that the fruit he’d eaten worked on Draconic Vitality too with no diminishing returns. He was just about to start on his second fruit when Alyssia walked up to him. She thrust a leather bag at him, one he’d seen her working on throughout their time spent on the second layer. "I made this for you," she declared. Bemused, Arthur took it from her. At first glance, it looked ordinary enough but a quick burst of Identify told him otherwise.
Bag of holding (Uncommon)- An enchanted leather bag of adequate craftsmanship, objects placed within will be preserved for a little longer than usual. It has been spacialy expanded to 5m²
Before he could thank her, Alyssia started talking. It was more akin to babbling with how fast the words rushed out of her mouth and he could barely understand her at first. Seeing the confusion on his face, she took a deep breath and started again at a much slower pace this time.
“I’d like to apologise Arthur. I know I’ve said it before, and it rings hollow the second time, but truly, I am sorry,” she said quietly, not meeting his eyes. “I dragged you to this locus touting grand promises of how I’d help you fix your aura problems and save your life but I've failed to live up to them.” She raised a hand to stop Arthur from speaking.
“Let me finish first before you say anything.” Alyssia firmly requested. “I’ve been preparing this speech for a while now and I want to finish before you just say that things are alright."
"They’re not Arthur and I’m woman enough to admit that.” She took a deep breath and met his gaze. “Since we’ve entered the locus, I’ve been passive-aggressive, belligerent and more than a little malicious.” A part of her died inside when she saw the agreement in Arthur’s eyes but she steeled herself and continued. She’d made her bed and now it was time to lie in it.
“I can make a thousand excuses for my behaviour, but that’s all they are, excuses. At the end of the day, I’ve been bad company and a terrible friend."
"Your cooking's been great though,” Arthur joked to lighten the mood. She chuckled a little before carrying on.
“I told you about my childhood,” Alyssia continued. ”About how I had no friends my age. I’ve reflected on that these past two weeks and come to some realisations I’m not entirely happy with. I had no friends for a reason and it's not because my mother was the clan's Matriarch.”
She scratched her head awkwardly. “What I’m trying to say, Arthur, is that I need to fix up and sort out my attitude. Maybe I can try that therapist thing you humans are so fond of. We had a variation of them in my world and I avoided them like the plague.” She smiled at him weakly and carried on babbling. “I guess it’s time for me to work on myself. Hah. Never thought I’d say those words. I sound like a stupid teenager trying to reject someone.” Sighing wearily, she rubbed at her temples. “In that bag, is my share of the golden apples, and no, I won't be taking them back." She pushed the bag back into his hands. "They’re about five times more useful for you than they are for me and it’s the least I can do after how I’ve treated you. I’ve gotten more out of this Locus than I ever could have hoped for from the first layer and it's time for me to cut my losses and move on.”
Now that was something Arthur had certainly not expected. She was leaving early. Right after he'd gotten his class. Why?
“I set up a warding perimeter around Artemo before we came here and I received a ping about ten minutes ago," Alyssia explained. "With all the concealing cones I placed, the only reason someone could stumble upon him was if they were deliberately looking for him. With the time dilation here, I’ve probably got an hour in the locus before they reach him and I’ll be gone from here in the next five minutes," she said. "I’m lucky I left him so close to the locus entrance. I’ll be cutting it close, but I should get there on time. With your recent spike in power and new class. The next layer should be a walk in the park, even with how thin the ether here is for you now.”
Arthur of course asked her if she needed his help, but it was more out of a sense of decency than an actual desire to provide aid. What she’d said regarding her behaviour rang true, which he could see quite clearly now without a broken soul shell messing with his emotions. With the dragon core’s consumption, and the selection of his class, The perfect Homunculus, he was now finely in tune with both his human and bestial sides and could now appreciate the past few days with a more level head.
He owed Alyssia nothing. Okay, that's a little harsh, but there's no debt between us.
Thankfully, she seemed to have come to the same conclusion and firmly rejected the help he was offering. He felt a little guilty that he was happy with her decision. Sure Alyssia had been a little bitchy, but Artemo was just a kid. One who was now apparently in mortal danger. Shouldn't he help? With great power came great responsibility. The famous quote was something along those lines. Arthur squashed that emotion down with extreme prejudice as soon as it reared its ugly head; he was no saviour and it wasn’t his moral obligation to help everyone that fell in his path. Not when they had an older sister like Alyssia coming to their aid. She was capable enough that few people on the planet could give her any trouble.
All things considered, their parting was a little bittersweet. For all her faults, Arthur had grown a lot in his time with the alverin woman. As crass as she was, he’d even grown to enjoy her company at times. Her question on whether or not to dissolve the Bhai Giya bond between them came as a little surprise but after hearing her reasoning, it made sense.
The benefits it provided him weren’t all that great and Alyssia didn't want a magical bond tying them together. As she put it, “The next time we meet, maybe I'll be worthy of such friendship, but until then I'm just a leech hanging on to your coattails. I don't want to be that kind of person. I’ve seen enough sycophants to last me a lifetime and I'm worried staying with you might make me a part of that horrible club.”
Her words were more than a little defeatist and his former therapist could probably diagnose a whole host of problems from those few sentences. Arthur wasn't her therapist though, and he didn't want to put her in a box with his limited knowledge of psychology. He hated the people who'd tried to do that to him far too much to attempt it on someone else. In the end, he decided to keep the bond. It was harmless enough and with his soul affinity finally ready for use, he could cut it off whenever he wanted.
Alyssia’s departure came without any fanfare or ceremony. One moment she was there, standing beside him in front of the dying tree of life, and the next she was gone, her existence scrubbed away so fast it was almost as if he’d imagined her presence. A half second later, he was greeted with a system message.
Your partner has decided to exit the locus of power and forfeit the challenger of the final layer, A Test of Endurance. Would you like to do the same?
YES/NO
Arthur instantly rejected the offer. He was itching for a fight right about now, and he hoped the final layer would provide that challenge. It had a very generic sounding name and he was almost certain that it had nothing to do with the trials Hercules had undergone in Greek mythology. He could be wrong though so he didn’t let it concern him.
A test of endurance is a floor consisting of several waves where you’ll have to survive against stronger and stronger enemies. With a maximum of ten waves, seven must be completed to make you eligible for the final reward. As a floor where the challenge starts instantaneously, you’ll be given five minutes to prepare yourself before you’re teleported there.
Get ready.
Arthur grinned. This was perfect. He wanted a chance to test his newest abilities and an opportunity had just been handed to him on a silver platter. Choosing The perfect homunculus as his class had evolved his capabilities as much as the dragon's core had, arguably more so.
True to its description, it was a consolidation of everything that had led up to this point, every core he’d consumed, every fight he’d won, even his pre-system experiences that defined who he had become.
Still, things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows, though. Alyssia hadn’t been lying to him when she said he’d very quickly outgrow the planet. He just hadn’t realised how literally the words would apply to him. The ether density on a tier-1 planet, even as concentrated as it was within the locus, simply wasn't enough to maintain his existence. He had to spend ether just to stay alive.
Warning, the ether density in your current location is too low to sustain you. Regeneration rates will be halved. 2000 ether/hour shall be consumed to maintain your presence.
For most others, receiving a similar notification would almost be a death sentence and light a fire under their arses to leave the tier-1 zone as soon as possible. With his unique abilities, however, it was merely an inconvenience, especially after the boons his class had provided him. He pulled up the notification to read through it again, properly this time. Alyssia’s sudden departure had distracted him.
You have selected the class The Perfect Homunculus (Legendary/growth) [+20 Draconic Vitality + 50 free stats per level]---(adjusted due to titles)-[+36 DV+90 free stats/level]
All regeneration rates, strength, agility, willpower and Charisma shall be increased by 50%. This increase applies after title and evolutionary enhancements unless otherwise stated
With the boon from his new class, his absurd regeneration rates had ballooned to truly epic proportions and with the added 100 draconic vitality from all the golden apples he'd eaten, his health was getting closer and closer to a hydra's.
Draconic Vitality- 2,050 (1226x1.52.1.1) [Previously-1883 (1126x1.52x1.1)]
Health- 263,835/263,835
Health Regeneration-43,533/hour (26,384x1.1x1.5)
Even with his regeneration halved right now, it still translated to over 20,000 health per hour. With a three-to-one conversion ratio for ether, it meant he was generating just over seven thousand ether every hour, more than enough to pay the cost of sustaining his existence in the ether-starved locus. Arthur was a little worried about whether the penalty would jump when he exited the Trials of Hercules and returned to the real world where the ether wasn’t so concentrated. He didn’t think he’d be lucky enough for the 2000 ether/hour penalty to stay at a fixed value.
It at least explained why you didn’t get insanely powerful aliens throwing their weight around in freshly tiered-up worlds. They literally couldn’t, or at least they couldn’t for extended periods of time. Still, Arthur knew just how much damage someone as strong as he was would be able to do in the few hours they’d normally be permitted on a lower-tier world. With his upgraded class skills, Arthur was a force to be reckoned with and his propensity for destruction was unmatched across the planet.
No one even came close. Not when he had so much energy to fuel his spells with.
The First Consolidation shall Occur at level 101
Class Skills
Shadow:
-Cloaked Darkness (Epic)
-Shadow Step (Epic)
-The Cloaked Blade (Legendary)
Poison/Water:
-Poisoned Fang of The Hydra (Epic)
-Molecular Water Shot* (Epic)
-Reflective Shield (Epic)
-N/A (Gained at level 105)
Healing
-Overcharge (Elite)
-Augmented Recovery (Epic)
-A Homunculi's healing
Soul:
-Armaments of The Soul (Legendary)
-The Souls Splinters (Legendary-Ritual)
-N/A (Gained at level 110)
Pinnacle skill:
-The Homunculi Hunts (Legendary, Domain skill)
Authors Note: I could have put skill descriptions in this chapter but felt it would flow better if I showed them individually in action throughout the next few chapters as Arthur gets used to them. I think it'll read a lot better than just dumping them all here.
