"Marvel" – Normal people talking
'Avengers' – Normal people thinking
"X-Men" – Supernatural creatures talking
'Fantastic Four' – Supernatural creatures thinking
"Mystic Arts" – Non-Gamer spells and techniques
[Game] – Game Text and Gamer skills
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, only Elias and the plot of this story.
Shout out to Dark Wolf Shiro for inspiring me to write this fic, allowing me to use his ideas, and for the great amount of help that he gave me while I planned this story. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Shiro!
Marvel Universe Saga
Tutorial Arc
Chapter 5 – Treasure Hunting in Shinto!
02:01, February 4, 2012, Fuyuki City, Singularity F Dungeon
Holding Almighty Five Sights: Spectator in my hands, I'm bursting with giddiness. Why? I hear you asking. Well, because this Teigu is one of the best ones in Akame ga Kill in my opinion. It's overpowered as fuck. It's like a combination of the Sharingan and the Byakugan, and with my Perfect Memory perk, I can actually copy my opponent's moves like the real Sharingan!
Sorry to interrupt your parade, sir, but I have a message from Lord TM11.
"Is that so?" I ask with a raised eyebrow, my happiness going down thanks to Gamer's Mind. "What does it say?"
It seems that he has sent me a patch file for your System. According to him, he found some problems with the System and thus sent the patch to fix them.
I let out a sigh, already knowing what's most likely to happen now. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to be nerfed because of that patch. But it's not like I can do anything to stop it." Letting out a second sigh, I tell Yugi to run the patch file. "Go for it, Yugi."
Very well.
Loading patch file…
.
.
.
.
Loading complete!
Installing patch…
.
.
.
.
.
Patch successfully installed.
"So, what was changed? How much was I nerfed?"
Well, the patch did change a few things. However, I don't believe you have been nerfed too much, sir.
"Is that so?" My voice is filled with doubt over that statement. I've read enough Gamer stories to know that, most of the time, the R.O.B.s only interfere to nerf the Gamer. 'He got too strong too fast,' they would tell the readers to justify their decisions. Hello!? That's the point of the fucking System!
Quite. Here are the changes that were made:
- The drop rate of Stat Shards has been fixed and thus, from now on, they will be much rarer.
- So that the Gamer's growth isn't stalled too much, 5 Stat Points will be given to the Gamer each time they level up, which they can use to increase their stats as much as they wish.
- The drop rate of Summons has also been fixed and thus, from now on, they will be much rarer.
- From now on, the maximum number of Summons that the Summoner may have 'on the field' is equal to the Level of the Summoner Subclass.
- From now on, the Gamer will randomly be given a Summon of a certain type each time they reach a level five times above the level on which they unlocked a Summoning Skill. E.g. at Level 30 of the Summoner Subclass, the Gamer will unlock the Summon Supernatural (Fantasy) skill, which comes with two Summons already. At Level 35 Summoner, the Gamer shall receive one random Summon from the Supernatural (Fantasy) category.
- You no longer need to complete quests to upgrade single skills like [Mana Arrow], [Mana Bullet], etc. Instead, depending on the Proficiency, you need to train and gain experience through combat (i.e. Swordsmanship Proficiency), learn more about the subject (i.e. Chemistry Proficiency), or create/learn new spells and master them (i.e. most Proficiencies involving Magic).
"Ok… Wow. I wasn't expecting that." Well, for starters, trading Stat Shards for Stat Points is a bummer and will slow down my growth rate considering how hard it is to level up the higher level you are. The lowering of how many Summons I can have on the field is another change I'm not happy with, but I wasn't using that many Summons in the first place so it's not too bad.
Getting additional Summons, though; now that is a change I like. Same for the method to leveling up my Proficiencies.
"Hey, Yugi! Are these changes retroactive? Like, can I get the Summons that I am owed?"
Yes, you can. I was about to tell you that actually. Here you go.
You have gained new Elementals!
[Murmuring Elemental] [Mountainfire Armor] [Spirit of Flames] [Volcanic Hammerer] [Volcanic Queen]
You have gained new Monsters!
[Psi-Beast] [Fire King Avatar Kirin] [Hydra Viper]
You have gained new Living Artifacts!
[Magician's Robe] [Sulfuras] [Barrier Statue of the Torrent]
Nice! From their descriptions, most of these are nothing to speak of. They're strong as per their level, but they don't have any special abilities. There are a few gems here though.
Like Psi-Beast, who possesses psychic powers that it uses to sense nearby targets through a psychic field, and to cause [Fear] in others. The three-headed Hydra Viper can spew out poisoned mist; it won't be effective against Undead, but it sure will be against living opponents. Magician's Robe is the enchanted robe of Dark Magician; it decreases the damage suffered by all types of Magic by 15% and reduces the cost of Dark Magic spells by 15%. Too bad I don't know any Dark Magic, but it should still be useful since it has 200 points of END/armor rating. Sulfuras is a spiked hammer that can bypass one's END and deal burn damage. Finally, the Barrier Statue of the Torrent nullifies the summoning of Summons not of the Water Attribute. Right now it might not be that useful, but once I come across other summoners, it will certainly be.
"Gotta say, I'm happy with these changes. Better than I expected," I state. My attention is then taken by the Shadow Ragers I sent looking for bronze chests hidden on the bridge. The Shadow Elementals stop before me and present me with three of the little chests, which I quickly open.
You have gained a new Item!
[Steel Sword]: A normal and generic steel sword. It deals (STR+10)*AGI damage to those you wield it against.
[Golden Wine Jar]: A golden jar of wine that holds wine from Ancient Babylonia. This wine tastes better than any wine in the modern world and increases the drinker's stamina by 500 points for 5 minutes.
[Steel Ingot]: An ingot of steel. Can be used for smithing.
"Huh. No Summons this time. As expected, I guess. Though, what does this mean by smithing? I don't recall seeing Blacksmith as an available class."
Production Classes like Alchemist, Blacksmith, and Artificer can only be accessed once you have maxed out one other class.
"Ah, I see. Well, better keep that ingot safe for possible future metalwork."
Summoning Magician's Robe and donning it, I then change my roster of Summons. Five Mountainfire Armors, each given a Sulfuras, three Psi-Beasts, and five Volcanic Hammerers. I also quickly equip Spectator.
With a grin of excitement, I state, "That should be enough. Now let's see what this side of Fuyuki has to offer."
02:37, February 4, 2012, Fuyuki City, Singularity F Dungeon
The answer to that, it seems, is "very much". I don't know if it is because of that patch or something else, but the Undead I've found in East Fuyuki so far are much tougher than the ones on the Westside of the city.
Case in point is a platoon of sixteen Undead Legionaries. All of them are at Level 23, except for the leader, Undead Captain Legionnaire, who's at Level 25. So, not only are all of them stronger than most of my available Summons, but they also know how to use tactics! The first platoon I came across fucking ambushed us!
"These fuckers are getting annoying!" I state as I fire at a bow-wielding Undead Legionnaire atop a two-story building with AMG Series: AP Shot. The fucker, like its friends, actually dodges my anti-magic bullet by hiding behind a wall, my anti-magic attack doing nothing against the concrete wall, and returns fire. Thankfully, its arrows can't pierce my Mana Sphere as I float above the battlefield inside it. I had to make this spell when the archers had one of them distract me while two others flanked me. Nearly got hit in the head for that one if it hadn't been for the Magician's Robes moving my head away.
Firing another shot to make the archer move, I quickly shoot another homing anti-magic bullet to where he'll be. The AP Shot hits the fucker in the torso and it takes a step back as a quarter of its HP goes down. Then the second shot curves around and goes through its head and it goes down along with the rest of its HP bar.
You have gained 167 XP!
You have gained 115 Credits!
You have gained 2 cups worth of Bone Meal!
You have gained one Hunting Bow!
You have gained one Iron Armor!
Oh yeah, this is another thing I've found to have come with the patch. The mobs now actually drop loot and money. Too bad I can't turn Credits into Dollars. According to Yugi, Credits are the only currency accepted by the Gamer Shop, a feature that I'll unlock once I've finished the 'tutorial'.
Sending the notifications away with a thought, I focus on the battle below.
The Undead Legionnaires have proven to be too much for most of my Eidolons – yes, I've started to call my Summons that; it's easier. Because of that, I've been forced to bring out my stronger Eidolons in the Volcanic Queens. With a squad of five of the huge, winged fire serpents out and about, the collateral damage is much worse. Thankfully, Yugi told me that I don't have to worry about hidden chests being damaged since they were replaced with the loot drops.
Back to the battle, three of my Queens are dealing with the close-ranged Undead Legionnaires. The last two are tag-teaming the Undead Captain Legionnaire, which matches them in level. In stats though, my Queens trounce all of these undead fuckers.
Undead Captain Legionnaire
Level 25
Race: Undead Skeleton
Rank: Tier 2
HP – 1000
STR – 50
END – 50
VIT – 100
AGI – 35
DEX – 10
Thoughts about you: Hates you. Wants to kill you.
Volcanic Queen
Level 25
Race: Fire Elemental
Rank: Tier 2
HP – 600
STR – 210
END – 210
VIT – 60
AGI – 120
Thoughts about you: You're her Master. She hears and obeys.
So, yeah. It takes me and my Eidolons little time to take care of these undead fuckers. Though I do take care to finish most of them off on my own so I can level up my Proficiency with Anti-Magic.
Once these weaklings have been dealt with, I look at the best loot dropped by this group.
In total, I've gained 2706 XP, 1850 Credits, various pieces of Iron Armor and weapons, and the Steel Hammer of Devouring.
[Steel Hammer of Devouring]: A Warhammer made of steel and enchanted to absorb the HP of those hit by it. Absorbs 30 HP/hit and deals (STR+15) damage.
Something I've noticed is that, while the normal Undead Legionnaires have lesser weapons, the Captains always have an enchanted weapon from what I've seen so far. The hammer falls behind the Spear of Leeching I got from the Captain of the first platoon in terms of damage, but I prefer HP Absorption to Stamina Absorption, so that's a point in the hammer's favor. The Mace of Shock the Captain of the second platoon dropped also loses in damage dealing, which makes the Hammer of Devouring the best weapon that an Undead Captain Legionnaire has dropped so far.
"Hopefully, I'll come across more platoons. I want to see if their Captains will drop better weapons."
02:53, February 4, 2012, Fuyuki Harbor, Fuyuki City, Singularity F Dungeon
Fuyuki Harbor.
Here is where the Fourth Holy Grail War truly started. This is where the first battle of the war took place. This is where six of the seven Servants that were summoned to battle for theirs and their masters' wishes met.
So, of course, I was going to visit it. The probability of there being a mini-boss here is too big. Had to deal with one more platoon of Undead Legionnaires before I could get here though.
Walking around the harbor in Magician's Robe, I look around for any sign of enemies. The two Volcanic Queens behind me carve a path of destruction as they barge through anything in our way with their huge bodies and the three Psi-Beasts walking around me use their psychic abilities to help in my search.
My wish for battle is answered by my Psi-Beasts being headshot by an arrow each and me getting hit by two arrows, one in the shoulder and another in the chest.
I hit the ground with a huff, the air knocked from my lungs. Thankfully, Magician's Robe turns my fall into a backward roll and I'm immediately on my feet again.
-62 HP
-62 HP
HP – 251
With a thought, a Mana Dome forms around me, just in time to block three more arrows fired at me. Looking at my Volcanic Queens, I see that they have already taken action and are burning everything in sight to flush out the archer.
Turning my dome into a sphere, I levitate into the air to get a better field of view and minimize the attack options of any companions that the archer may have.
My Mana Sphere blocks nine more arrows fired at the same time and I quickly look in the direction they came from. Thanks to Spectator's Farsight and Clearsight, I see a figure clothed in dark leather standing upon a crane about half a mile away from my position as clear as day.
Death Archer
Level 30
Race: Undead Skeleton
Rank: Tier 2
HP – 1000
STR – 60
END – 60
VIT – 100
AGI – 50
DEX – 20
Thoughts about you: Hates you. Wants to kill you.
[Yew Bow of Multiplication]: A bow made of wood from a magical yew tree and enchanted to multiply all arrows fired by three. Arrows fired by this bow deal (STR + Arrow's Base Damage)*3 damage.
"Ok, you're a bit stronger than the Captains," I think out loud. Forming six arrows of anti-magic, I prepare to fire them at the archer when I hear my Volcanic Queens cry.
Looking at my Eidolons, I see them being attacked by four armored individuals.
Death Knight
Level 30
Race: Undead Skeleton
Rank: Tier 2
"Death Knights? They don't look a lot like the ones from Overlord," I muse. Observe tells me that each of them is at Level 30 and that their weapons are enchanted. One wields a long sword that deals frost damage, another has a zweihander that deals shock damage, a third uses a short sword that produces air blades, and the fourth Death Knight wields a spear that possesses the Drain Life enchantment.
"Two-on-one? Not very honorable of you," I comment in amusement. Getting a burst of inspiration, I summon six more Volcanic Queens, making it eight with the other two already on the field.
"Now, while they can't use the Susanoo, I can still reinforce them! Do you want me to do it?" I shout at the Death Knights below, each of them now in a two-on-one situation, as I channel my inner Madara. "I'll take your silence as a 'yes'!"
Eight Reinforce Summons later and I'm down 800 MP but each Death Knight now has two 20% stronger Volcanic Queens to deal with.
Leaving the pests below to be dealt with by my Eidolons, I focus back on the Death Archer, only to find it gone.
"Shit," I curse. "Bugger must have changed positions while I was distracted. Not that it will help him any, nothing can hide from me while I have Spectator!" With a grin, I use Farsight and Clearsight again to look for Death Archer.
Finding the fucker moving among the shadows of the containers to my right, I quickly deduce that he's trying to flank me.
"Found you!" Smirking, I send the six homing, anti-magic arrows at the bugger. The Death Archer quickly takes notice of the arrows as they approach and puts all of its agility to work in dodging the projectiles. And the fucker manages to do it, avoiding my anti-magic arrows by making them hit the containers or even shooting them with his own arrows.
"Huh! That was kinda cool. How about this then?" Casting an Anti-Magic Bomb in my hand, I fill it with 3000 MP and then use Tactile Selective Apparition to teleport it right in front of the Death Archer. The dipshit barely manages to jump before my bomb detonates once it hits the ground. The explosion range of my bomb covers a radius of 10 meters, completely engulfing the Death Archer and killing it.
You have gained 257 XP!
You have gained 150 Credits!
You have gained the Yew Bow of Multiplication!
"Hm, I don't think I like the nerfing done to my Mana Bomb and Anti-Magic Bomb spells."
Blame Lord TM11, sir.
"Believe me, I do," I reply with a frown. My bomb spells, among others, were affected by the patch. Now the damage dealt by them is equal to 1/3 of the MP I use to cast them and the range of their explosions is 0.01 meters per 1 MP used to cast the spell. Against enemies with high HP, this kind of spell is going to cost too much for One-Shot Kills.
Turning my attention to the Death Knights facing my Volcanic Queens, I'm impressed. The undead fuckers are actually working together to make up for their 2-on-1 disadvantage. And it is working, considering I'm only seeing six Volcanic Queens still around.
In the end, the Death Knights manage to take down a third Volcanic Queen before the other five finish them off.
You have gained 1023 XP!
You have gained 600 Credits!
Hmm, not bad. All of these enchanted weapons will certainly fetch a good price at the store. Then again, maybe I should disenchant them if I go the way of the Artificer? A thought for the future.
Floating down, I dispel my dome and, before I can take a single step, I feel something small hit me in the small of my back.
-17 HP
HP – 358
[Poison] effect has failed to take hold thanks to your VIT!
Throwing a backhand as I turn around quickly, I hit nothing but see a sixth leather-clothed figure jumping back, a pair of daggers in their hands.
Death Assassin
Level 30
Race: Undead Skeleton
Rank: Tier 2
HP – 1000
STR – 50
END – 50
VIT – 100
AGI – 60
DEX – 30
Thoughts about you: Hates you. Wants to kill you.
[Steel Dagger of Poison]: A steel dagger cursed to poison those its blade cuts, giving them the [Poisoned] status effect. Those poisoned by this dagger lose 1% of their total health bar per second.
I immediately fire an AMG: AP Shot at it and the fucker actually cuts through the bullet with his daggers. It then throws one of its daggers at my face, but I saw that coming with Spectator and dodge it. My Teigu also showed me the Death Assassin dashing at me with the intent of stabbing me in the eye and I bring up a Mana Shield to block it.
Channeling Mana into my eyes, I bind the Death Assassin where he stands and then shoot him in the eye with AP Shot.
You have gained 256 XP!
You have gained 150 Credits!
You have gained the Steel Dagger of Poison x2!
I swipe the notifications away with a gesture of my hand, my thoughts on another place. This is the second time that an Assassin manages to attack me from behind.
"Good thing I have Magician's Robe," I compliment the living piece of clothing, from which I feel a sense of happiness and gratitude. "Yeah, thanks for the save, mate."
Dismissing all of my Volcanic Queens except for one which I float onto, I look in the direction of downtown Shinto. "Now, next stop: Hyatt Hotel."
03:40, February 4, 2012, Hyatt Hotel, Fuyuki City, Singularity F Dungeon
Having taken care of two Undead Legionnaire Platoons on the way, which leveled me up to Level 26, my Eidolons and I reach the Hyatt Hotel. Looking at it, I take in its appearance. The building has 45 floors and though there are some broken walls here and there, the hotel is actually the least damaged building I've come across in this dungeon so far.
"Considering that this was the base of one of the Masters of the Fourth War…" I think out loud. "The probability of most of the floors to be full with mobs and traps is quite high."
Shrugging the danger that may be inside the hotel off, I replace my five Volcanic Queens with ten Volcanic Hammerers and summon a Sulfuras for each of them. Ordering them to then form up around me, we march inside the front hall of the hotel.
The front hall looks like those generic ones seen in hotels in movies if a bomb had exploded here. It has an open concept and is big with a few pillars spread around and a small decline that leads to a sitting area in the middle. The front desk is opposite the entrance and there's an elevator to the left and the door to the stairs on the right.
Oh, and I almost forgot. There are ten Undead Legionnaires, two Undead Captain Legionnaires, and one Elder Lich waiting for us inside. Said Elder Lich is at Level 30 as well for that matter.
Elder Lich
Level 30
Race: Lich
Rank: Tier 2
HP – 1000
MP – 50000
All of the Undead look at my group in silence for a moment before the entrance doors close by themselves and the Elder Lich bellows.
"Kill them!"
The other Undead obey and charge my group, except for four archers that stay back and start nocking arrows on their bows. The Elder Lich also stays behind and sends a blue beam from its hand.
"Attack!" I order my Eidolons as I reinforce my body and jump up. The Volcanic Hammerers give a battle cry and run to meet the Undead. I spot one of them being hit by the blue beam fired by the Elder Lich and it is partly frozen instantly. Thankfully, its body heat is more than enough to melt the ice.
Creating two small mana platforms for my feet so I can stand in the air, I fire nine Magic Killing Arrows at the Elder Lich and four AP Shots at the Undead Legionnaire Archers. The Elder Lich tries to block the arrows with a magic shield, but the anti-magic in my arrows breaks through its defense like it's not even there and hits the Elder Lich. The Undead is pierced by all nine arrows, which then explode.
While the archers all drop after being shot in the head, the Elder Lich still lives. This makes me frown as I recall how the patch nerfed my favorite spell. Granted, my Arrow spells cost much less now but also do less damage.
Killing the Elder Lich with an AP Shot, I take a look at how my Eidolons are faring against the Undead Legionnaire Soldiers and the Undead Captain Legionnaires. What I see is not to my liking, as my Hammerers are losing ground despite the Sulfuras' ability to bypass a target's END.
I had already seen this coming the moment I Observed the Undead though. The Hammerers' objective never was to defeat them but to distract them while I dealt with the archers and the Elder Lich.
Forming one Magic Killing Arrow for each of the remaining Undead still standing, I fire them at their heads. The arrows all home in on their targets, who fall upon losing their heads and the critical damage they suffer.
Doing a check of the entrance hall for more enemies, I relax upon finding none. Dismissing the notifications of how much EXP and Credits I've earned and all of the loot I just got, I let out a sigh and I look at the Hammerers that survived the battle with a pondering look.
"It will take too long to clear the hotel if every floor is full of Undead, especially with such subpar backup," I think out loud. "I don't have enough MP to go around reinforcing every one and each of them. I could go for quantity over quality, but I don't want to waste more time here. This is all getting pretty boring."
Thinking my problem over for a bit, I get an idea and smile. Dismissing my Hammerers and Sulfuras, I walk outside the hotel and Sky Walk to the rooftop of a building about 50 meters away from the hotel.
"Let's see if this works."
Summoning twenty Volcanic Queens, I quickly give them my order as I point at the Hyatt Hotel.
"Bring down that building!"
Roaring in understanding, my Eidolons proceed to do just that. Every one of them breathes tongues of flame or fireballs at the 45-stories-tall building. The hotel is bathed in flames and is brought down after more or less half a minute of continued bombarding.
"TIMBER!" I shout and laugh as the building comes crashing down. Taking a look at my notifications, I let out a shout of joy.
You have earned 19418 EXP!
You have leveled up!
You have earned 13950 Credits!
Elias Xavier
Class – Summoner – Level 27/50
Race: Homo Superior
Rank: Tier 2
HP – 600 [160 per minute]
MP – 7290 [234 per 30 seconds]
SP – 1200 [160 per 30 seconds]
STR – 35/2 = 18
END – 40+200 = 240
VIT – 40
AGI – 35/2 = 18
DEX – 30
INT – 270*1.5 = 405
WIS – 97.5*1.2 = 117
CHA – 30
LCK – 25
"Yes! Another level in the bag!"
*Rumble*
*CRASH*
Looking at the ruins of the hotel, my joyful mood evaporates as something big emerges from debris, bringing up a cloud of dirt. Not that a bit of dirt is enough to cloud the vision of my Teigu. Upon looking at it though, I let out a curse.
"Oh, come on dammit!"
The cloud disperses as the thing lets out a roar, showing its bony, skeletal form to anyone watching.
Bones, the Skeleton Dragon
Level 45
Race: Skeleton Dragon
Rank: Tier 3
HP – 10 000
MP – 100 000
"What hellish tutorial is this!?"
Lord TM11 created Bones in case you tried to do what you just did and bring down the Hyatt Hotel.
"Fucking dammit!"
Update 26/03/2022: Changed how Proficiencies level up. I've decided to just get rid of the Upgrade Quests altogether.
I'll stop here. Seems like a good spot to do so.
I hope you like the changes I made to the System and to how I'm writing this story. I've learned from my mistakes and will try to show less of the Gamer aspects. Gotta say, reading Solo Leveling really helped me find a middle ground between storytelling and System exposition.
From now on, if nothing changes, I'll be updating once a month. Now that I've reached Chapter 5 in this story though, I'm thinking of giving A Most Improbable Caster some love.
Also still trying to understand all of this Pat-reon thing. I should have an account made next month or so.
Anyway, see you all next chapter!
Ja ne!