Chương 102: Chapter One-Hundred-and-Two

< < Relics Sold > > < Slime Core (Common) x29 > < 5410 Points Remaining > I think I'll just keep going and evolve Blood Singer, Adam decided while absentmindedly swirling his three balls of blood around. He still wasn't able to move them independently, which made the evolution kind of pointless, but he figured he'd get there with enough practice and some upgrades.

< < Weapon Upgrades Purchased > > < Invocation Speed (Epic) > < Invocation Speed (Rare) > < Invocation Power (Uncommon) > < Invocation Speed (Uncommon) > < Sigil Damage (Uncommon) > < Sigil Effect (Uncommon) > < 2710 Points Remaining > With the single Sigil Effect upgrade giving a 20% boost, Adam could suddenly move two of the three blood orbs independently from each other, while the third randomly followed one of them.

It felt like the threshold for how much of a responsiveness boost he needed was much lower, thanks to the training with Warder. Although I wish I'd relied less on Alepheria's Mandate. I might've not needed any effect upgrades at all if that were the case. It kind of feels like responsiveness is more of a mental gymnastics thing than something that'd be impossible for me to practice, like increasing my speed beyond what's possible for a human.

Given enough practice, I should be able to fold a barrier several times without even needing the Effect upgrades at all. This time the evolutions gave Adam a grim insight into the potential of his chosen weapon type, as well as hinting at something he'd yet to actually experiment with.

< < Select an Evolution > > < Flesh Shaper — Unlock the ability to manipulate flesh as well as blood > < Blood Speaker — Halve the threshold of target blood required to manipulate them > This explains why Yenna gave me such a disapproving look earlier. Thea also seemed to regard him somewhat differently than in past loops. But when I have the potential to literally warp flesh and blood, it is no surprise. The sigils for Flesh Shaper were black like soot and the control part had changed completely.

It was no longer a flower with three music notes in the middle. Instead it was like a recursive pattern of fingers that got smaller and smaller as it wrapped around his hand and reached to his palm, like a messed up Mandelbrot set. In the palm part of the tattoo was a detailed mouth with an eye partially obscured by blocky teeth.

Blood Speaker was pretty similar to what he already had, except the music notes were shaped into teardrops that swirled around each other to form a ball, and in the palm the circle with the gap was exchanged for a jagged half-moon symbol. It had also turned bright red, making it much more noticeable than the dark-crimson from before. The description of Blood Speaker makes it clear I can do something when I've absorbed enough of an enemy's blood. If it was currently 1 litre, then with this it would be 5 decilitres.

It doesn't seem that profound of a difference, but I'm willing to bet that it is. After all, if I can 'manipulate' an enemy, only my imagination would hold me back. Just off the top of my head there are a bunch of fucked up ways to kill people that I can think of. And more, I probably don't even need proximity. Say I found the blood of someone in Stage Five. I could just use that to kill them from afar. Perhaps.

I'd need to figure out how exactly to do that, but it must be why Emelia was so worried about Blood Mages.

"How would flesh manipulation work on enemies?" Adam asked the Eye. [Flesh manipulation follows the same rules as blood manipulation.] That's not super helpful. Although I guess that means I could theoretically do the same trick of using a part of someone's body to harm them from afar. It might be powerful against bosses that have a lot of limbs, like those weird octopus monstrosities from Stage Six. I could probably cut off a limb and use it to destroy the rest of their body or something.

Or turn it into a spear to send flying back at them. The possibilities seem endless.

"Does that mean I can shape my own body too, since I can already use my own blood?" [Correct. Imbuing your flesh with Mana would allow you to manipulate it if you chose the Flesh Shaper evolution.] So, theoretically, I could fire off my fingers like missiles. Adam laughed. Why was that the first thought I had? That's so dumb. I bet it would be very unpleasant though. Like, sure, I could shape my arm into a sword, but I don't think I'd be able to make the transformation painless.

Might even damage my Health a fair bit. But maybe, with enough practice, I could simply manipulate my body in a way that the nerves didn't get sent any pain signals. Leaning into that power would definitely send me down a dark path though… Adam scratched his stubble. I think Flesh Shaper is much more versatile, and probably applies to enemies that don't have blood too, broadening my options for enemies I can fight.

Whether or not that includes elementals like the Statues in Five is a good question though, but I'd assume not. Wait… If I can manipulate my own flesh and blood, wouldn't I be able to move my own body like a puppet? I could make myself move faster than my stats currently allow. I might even be able to lift myself and fly. Just gotta keep the experimentation light, since I have to survive until Stage Five or I get Neuralyzed by the big guy. So, no accidental self-implosion from straining the power too hard.

At least not until after the Altar. He knew it was probably a safer bet to go with Blood Speaker, given the Stages that were coming up before the Altar, but if he was going to survive that long, he figured he might as well go as far as he could. I should probably start thinking about what Absolute I want to go with, since I'm in for the long haul. No way I'm picking Tome Keeper again though.

He'll just send me off on another quest to get myself killed, and if I refuse he might fuck up my memories or something as a punishment. If I use Sylvia's Conflagrate scroll again, I can unlock Morrligt. He might work well for me. The Eternal Serpent might be good too. After all, he didn't punish Emelia for not finding the egg for her quest in Stage Six. And his boon allows me to pause time. He had no idea when Emelia had used the boon, but guessed it had been during their final fight before they both died.

It didn't seem like an ability that let you move around while time was paused, since that was clearly way too powerful compared to the rest of the boons he'd seen. It was more than likely just a useful tool for when a situation got too hectic and you needed to take a breather to figure out your next move. Such as when a Voidspawn is about to stab you to death with its tentacle… Adam sighed and finally picked his evolution.

< < Evolution Selected > > < Blood Singer => Flesh Shaper > < < Mastery Shard Obtained > > This puts me at 10 Shards. I think I will buy the Vanity tonight and use it on Yenna. Even if the instrument weapon is difficult to use, I'd like to just see how it works. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Although maybe I should get the Challenge Stone instead?

I might have to eliminate someone ahead of Stage Five, since I'm thinking I'll use the Orb of Insight to get a read on my opponents. After all, the All-Seeing System didn't specify whether or not I had to survive the convergence of dimensions, so I'd like to play it safe. I guess I'll decide between the Stone and Vanity when I go see Alivida tonight. Before he left the Market, he went to Lucca's stall and bought a slime glove that was available from her options, putting him at 2210 Points.

Specifically, it was the purple glove that could create a spike. Since he couldn't equip the Relic due to the black sigils on his hands, it dropped to his feet and he was forced to use his orbs of blood to carefully transport it with him to the Player House. The acidic nature of the Relic slowly dissolved the blood, but on the island he had plenty of time, so he could just summon more, though it was prohibitively expensive in terms of Mana per volume, even with his several cost reduction upgrades.

Strangely, the Slime Ring didn't imbue his blood with any acidic element that might have negated the corrosiveness of the glove, but it was perhaps due to the way projectiles were categorised. After all, when he moved his blood around like he was currently doing, it was doubtlessly classified as a spell rather than a projectile, and thus the ring's effect wouldn't take hold. If he instead fired off the blood, it could possibly change, though he wasn't sure. It would require testing.

I suppose I could try and shape my hand into something resistant to acid maybe, but I'm not too keen to try, since it's bye-bye skin and flesh if I get it wrong, and I only get one attempt… When he reached the Player House, the Glass Acorn lifted out of his pocket and planted itself in the garden. Once again, Finnian was hanging upside-down from the apple tree while the little blue slime bumped into him repeatedly. I should do his quest too at some point.

But I think I want to wait until I have three of the special denizen quests, such that I can unlock the ability for the quests to be permanently completed. Spending cores and trophies to get weapons I'm not gonna use just seems like a waste right now. I wonder what denizen I'd get for perfecting Stage Four. Maybe it's the alchemist that Nova told me about. Adam looked at the little hole in the garden where the acorn was embedded firmly. That thing turns into a tree when it's fully done, according to Emelia.

I wonder if I can use the Rotmaker on it to summon something special. He'd only seen the Glass Sapling it turned into, but apparently the Glass Tree that it would become after Stage Nine would give +10% to all his stats after he cleared a Stage. Adam looked into the Relic Saving chest to see if the two Lucky Stones were still in there, but like he'd expected, since he hadn't seen them at the start when he reset, they were gone. What a waste… But there's nothing I can do about it now.

After dropping off the Purple Slime Glove into the Relic Saving chest as insurance for his next loop, he went towards the island's centre. If I should die before Stage Five and the All-Seeing System wipes my squishy hard drive, hopefully the Saved Relic will persist and give me a leg up in Stage One despite having no memories. He had three more slots left in the chest, so he was hoping to find another Rare Relic to drop in there. I think the Fool has to be the answer to defying the Trials.

The Realm Traveller seems quite integral, and I'm pretty sure I need the gimmick weapon type to get him to appear. After all, the Tome Keeper told me, ' Only a fool would seek him out. And they would be lucky to even survive the encounter.' I think that means I have to do a loop as the Fool that reaches the Altar in order to see the Realm Traveller. I might have to pump up Luck as well.

His thoughts were interrupted by silvery scales lazily drifting down from the clouds above and the Eye floating next to him freezing in place. The large white moth fluttered down towards him, alighting atop a nearby roof. Adam belatedly realised that the buildings were all back to being their dumpy selves, and not melted like candlewax like in the previous loop.

"Adam," Luvicidix said, her tone cold.

"Sorry about before," he immediately told her.

"I should've heeded your warning." Her expression brightened, insofar as it was possible for a moth to smile.

"I was afraid the All-Seeing System would punish you more severely. This punishment is fitting however."

"Punishment?" Adam asked.

"Oh, you were not aware?"

"Aware of what?" he replied, not liking the sound of what she was about to reveal.

"You are in the same universe as the one where you were the sole survivor. But the All-Seeing System used its great power to shift you back to a previous timeline. Specifically, the last timeline. I believe it is a challenge made for you."

"So I was right!" Adam exclaimed.

"The time-looper in this universe must've died without leaving a successor! And without a time-looper, there can be no new layer, or timeline as you call it." Luvicidix nodded.

"Exactly."

"But why is it a punishment?" he asked.

"I cannot say," she replied.

"But you must know what the All-Seeing System wants you to do."

"It wants me to keep the time-looping going," Adam said, picking up on what she was implying. Which means that I either have to save whoever is the time-looper here, or become the time-looper myself… I'd imagine the former is easier than the latter, since I haven't gone past Stage Seven yet. Luvicidix didn't confirm his guess and instead just said, "Would you like to see my meta upgrades?"

"I'm good for now, actually," he replied and added, "I will be paying Alivida a visit later though."

"She was quite pleased with your last purchase, though she blames herself for how you used it," Luvicidix said.

"I guess I should apologise to her as well," Adam replied.

"I completely brushed you two off, despite your very real warnings." Luvicidix nodded.

"She would be happy to hear that."

"By the way, is there a specific reason all the other denizens treat me weirdly because of being a Blood Mage? Or is it just general disdain for this type of magic?"

"It is because of who the school of magic originates with. The Blood Witch is not an Absolute many tolerate, for good reason."

"Do you mean the Flayed Lady?" he asked. Luvicidix nodded.

"Take care, for she surely has her eye on you, as well as any who possess the art of blood." With that, the moth returned to the clouds and Adam continued on to the Tavern, a queasy feeling in his stomach. That Absolute seems to only bring trouble. If she shows up at the Altar, I'll just not pick her. She might hold a grudge, but she'd hardly be the first. Adam took a deep breath. Since I'm sticking around, I should check out which people, if any, got the achievements for Stage One.

He'd been ignoring it for the most part in his recent loops, but he knew that he'd go crazy if he didn't talk to anyone at all for the next several days. And I might get a bead on potential allies and threats, for this loop and the next. As he walked through Interim Island, he continued to play around with the balls of blood. He didn't feel ready to experiment with manipulating his own flesh until after he'd gotten a feel for it against the goblins first.

Sylvia was coming out of the Tavern as he went up to the door and nearly bumped into him. She paused the moment she saw his blood sigils.

"You have chosen a fascinating path, Adam," she praised. Given that she was the apprentice of the blood mage Ezral, boss of Stage Three, as well as a practitioner herself, she'd know.

"If you'd like, I can sell you some special Spell Scrolls for your unique affinity," she said.

"They wouldn't work without the Blood Sigils as the catalyst though." Adam blinked.

"The sigils are a catalyst for spells??"

"You weren't aware?" she asked.

"It is how my master casts his summoning spells." This changes everything! I can use the blood sigils like the wand to cast spells!

"What can you teach me?" he asked.

"Since the sigils are bound to a specific affinity, not all of my common spells will work, specifically the Frost, Conflagrate, and Zap spells. Blink and Shade Barrier can effectively accomplish the same with a blood-focused catalyst, but they function differently. Tangle and Desiccate work like normal. But have a look at my scrolls. Aside from the three I mentioned, I can teach you the rest." Sylvia flung out her right arm and revealed scrolls hanging on the inside of the cloak.

There were three new ones amongst the rest, their parchment bone-white and covered in glowing-red curling script.

< < Spell Scrolls For Sale > > < Frost — Your next attack inflicts Frostbite, halting all of target's regeneration — 200 Points > < Conflagrate — Your next attack inflicts Conflagration, dealing periodic burn damage to target — 200 Points > < Zap — Your next attack inflicts Electrification, periodically draining target's Mana — 200 Points > < Desiccate — Your next attack inflicts Wither, increasing damage inflicted to target by 50% — 200 Points > < Tangle — Snare indicated target — 500 Points > < Blood Crystal — Crystalise targeted blood — 600 Points > < Heart Lance — Launch a beam of pressurised blood — 600 Points > < Blink — Teleport to indicated location within your line-of-sight — 750 Points > < Beckoning Crimson — Pull all spilled blood within 10 metres to you to replace lost health.

Excess blood turns into a flexible layer of armour — 1000 Points > < Shade Barrier — Negate the next attack that deals damage to you — 2000 Points > Blood Crystal seems to work like Fiendbarb's Blood Burst effect, so it should be super powerful. Heart Lance might be a good anti-armour spell, since it's pressurised, which is something I've yet to really figure out how to do. And Beckoning Crimson is probably a must-have since I have no Defence and can't buy upgrades for that until Stage Three.

"How would Blink and Shade Barrier change with the blood sigils casting those?" Adam asked.

"If you just use the scroll versions, they would work like normal, of course, but if you were to learn them from me and invoke those spells with the sigils, then Shade Barrier would use your own blood to help you negate an attack. Blink would require that you swap places with your own blood or the blood that is familiar to you."

"Familiar?"

"If you infuse your Mana into a sufficient volume of another's blood, you may manipulate their blood like it is your own."

"Are you saying I could use Blink to teleport inside their bodies?" he asked, slightly horrified.

"Indeed."

"How much to learn it?" he asked with a grin.

"15, 000 Points for Blink."

"Sheesh," he muttered.

"And Beckoning Crimson?"

"18, 000 Points."

"But Shade Barrier was 20, 000 to learn?"

"Yes."

"Why the discount?" he asked. Sylvia shrugged.

"Do you want to buy my lessons or not?" she responded.

"No way I can afford those," he replied.

"But I will buy a scroll of Beckoning Crimson."

"That one is my favourite," she said.

"So much hidden versatility in the spell." < < Spell Scroll Purchased > > < Beckoning Crimson > < 1210 Points Remaining >"The other two blood spells, how much were they to learn?" he asked.

"12, 000 Points each," Sylvia answered. Man, learning her whole catalogue of spells would cost a fucking fortune. But wait… If I can get Alepheria's Mandate again, then I can use its power to learn the spells by simply touching the scrolls. As he said his goodbyes to Sylvia for now, Adam hovered outside the Tavern door, thinking about how to try and recreate the Wand spells and the Spell-Tome barrier with his blood sigils. It would probably take a lot of experimentation.

I'll check out the roster of Players with potential real quick and then go back to the Player House to practice, he decided. After Adam entered the Tavern, Charlie came over to him.

"Hello, Adam, my name is Charlie," she introduced herself.

"Would you like something to eat?"

"I'll have a croissant and strawberry milkshake."

"Coming right up," she replied cheerfully. Adam quickly stopped her from running off.

"Wait, do you do deliveries?"

"Certainly!" the red ant replied.

"Can you bring me something hearty and full of iron in a few hours when the sun has set? I'd like it delivered to my Player House."

"Anything specific on your mind for what kind of food?" she asked.

"I'll leave that up to you," he said.

"I'm not a picky eater, so I'll be fine with whatever."

"Understood!" she acknowledged and strode towards the kitchen that didn't actually exist. Adam watched her go before finding a seat. I wonder what I'd get for giving her the Vanity. Probably something cooking related. He found a stool, shaping it into a recliner as usual, and immediately his old query caused another Player to appear opposite him. It was a tall white guy in his fifties or sixties, with short frizzy greyish-white hair.

The wooden staff of the Spellcaster leaned against his chair, which was a recliner like Adam's. Adam felt a pang of nostalgia at the sight of the guy.

"Beck?" he asked, confused. At his words, the old guy turned to look at him, his spiralling purple eyes boring into Adam's.

"Adam," he replied as a way of greeting.

"I was wondering when you'd show up. The Tome Keeper told me you'd find me here, but he didn't specify when. I've been waiting for like two hours, you know." Adam swallowed on instinct, not knowing what to say.

"It's strange that you know my gamertag though," Beck went on.

"The Tome Keeper said you knew me, but it's still weird." Adam finally found his voice.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"How do you know the Tome Keeper? How did you know I'd be here!?" Beck grinned and it was like Adam was back in his fourth loop again, surrounded by friends.

"It's kind of a funny story, actually."