Chapter 3
"I know I can't understand you, but I can't help but ask why are you exercising before bed?" Hermione said, exasperated.
16, 17
…
I collapsed. I'm doing as many push-ups as possible to see if I can empirically calculate how many push-ups it takes to gain a point in strength. I am on my second set. I don't know how many push-ups the average 10-year-old girl can do, but I doubt it's 17. Gamer's Body supposedly gives me a body that allows the user to live life as a game. How many games operate under the rule that the character requires sleep or rest? The perk says that some rest will restore my HP and MP, but if those points don't ever go down, what's the point in resting? I ate during dinner, but that was more because the food looked good than because I was hungry. No matter how much I ate, I never felt full. I was always just sated. I also confirmed that house elves could understand me because, after a sip of pumpkin juice, I was done with it and asked for water, which they immediately provided. I need to remember to take some food to see if they can restore MP.
…
169, 170
…
I collapsed. My body must not understand the concept of lactic acid build-up because I have just been going through my sets with no soreness despite the lack of rest. How do I know about lactic acid build-up? No clue.
…
3059, 3060
…
I collapsed.
[Through extensive physical training, you have gained +1 Strength]
[For gaining Strength through physical exercise, you have received the Perk: Perfect Body]
Perfect Body
Your body will always be in peak physical condition.
Please, for the love of ERROR, stop doing push-ups.
It has been an hour and a half.
Damn, it closed the loophole. A wave of strength flowed through me. I felt like I could easily bench press, Hermione. Speaking of her, she looked up from her book, seeing that I was finally standing back up after over 90 minutes of push-ups, and her jaw dropped.
"That...that." she trailed off.
"It's time for bed." she decided and, with a resolute shut of her book, prepared herself for bed. By that point, our roommates Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown had already fallen asleep, with our room only being lit by a lamp at Hermione's bedside. A lamp that she was starting to extinguish. Before she did, I gestured to her book.
"What? The Grade 1 Standard Book of Spells? What about it?"
I pointed at myself.
"How do you not have it? It was on the book list for you know what, never mind, just remember to give it back by tomorrow."
I nod and take the book. I wouldn't need to do this if God wasn't shitty and skimped on giving my books.
"Do you need the light?" asked Hermione.
I shook my head. I grabbed the book to see if I could absorb it.
Nothing happened.
I gave the book back and headed to our dorm's bathroom.
'Good night.' I said as I walked away.
"Uh, you're welcome?" Hermione hesitantly responded.
Once I closed the door, I looked in the mirror and saw myself for the first time. I was an ethereal-looking pale woman. Damn, Perfect Body worked wonders on me. I had long, smooth, and wavy black hair that reached my upper thigh. I stared in the mirror, and a beautiful face with sharp features and glowing amber eyes stared back.
That is not my face. Not my skin.
Irrelevant. Stay focused. Hollow Eyes. My entire eyeball and eyelid disappeared, leaving empty sockets with black ooze streaming from its void. I had a karmic value of 0, yet my sin of using those kids as body shields hung on my soul. The ooze constantly streams but never leaves my face. My eyes are hollow, yet I don't see an end to the void. I blink, and my eyes return. The ooze disappeared as well, with my skin unblemished. I did not feel any fear when I looked at myself. Was it because of Gamer's mind or because I could not affect myself? So much for affecting "all" beings.
Status
Name: Fallen, ?'s End
Class: Omni-Slayer (LV.1/1000)
Age: 10
Race: Human/Eldritch Hybrid
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Level: 8 (70%)
HP: 1
MP: 900
SP: 100
STR: 11
END: 10
DEX: 10
INT: 10
WIS: 10
LUC: 10
POINTS: 65
Neutral Evil? I probably deserve that. I am apparently part eldritch. I suppose that helps explain my alternative pair of eyes, my ability to somehow cram every language in the multiverse in my head without exploding, and my ability to warp reality through sheer will alone. Maybe it also explains my slight indifference to life.
If the average person holds 10 points of strength like I think they do, I should have a much higher Strength and Dexterity rating due to a Perfect Body, but I don't. Maybe points don't encompass the total, but something added? So 11 points of Strength, with 10 being the points of an average person, added to whatever my physiology is. A lazy counting system, but it works in my favor.
[Due to your nature, your exact stats are impossible to count]
[You have the peak physical condition of a Human/Eldritch hybrid of your caliber]
My nature? Hmm, I suppose that explains why my SP remained maxed out despite my workout. Seemingly unending stamina bound only by the strength of my body?
[Your eldritch nature defies reality, as such, I can only count your human side]
[As a bonus of your nature, you can not be observed or scryed]
[Those who do will get a headache that, if prolonged enough, can drive them into insanity]
Very nice. Do I have an eldritch form I can unlock? I'm getting sidetracked.
If Strength had been working like I thought it would have, I would have to save my points for the higher end of my limit because of min-maxing and all that jazz. I probably should, but I won't be as pressed to because I can't grind for stats.
…
Well, at least for strength, that is the case. How am I supposed to gain Endurance on 1 HP? Doing push-ups to failure counted as Strength only, so sprinting? But I have a body at peak physical condition.
Ugh, I need to test the limits of what 1 HP even is. When my SAVE point is available tomorrow, I'll test it out. Ugh, tomorrow is not going to be very fun for me at all. Hmm, Dexterity is an interesting one. It sounds like something I can improve, yet I can't think of anything off the top of my head. Is it the same as agility? Intelligence can increase by reading books. Wisdom is generally about decision-making, right?
…
Hello? System?
…
I'll just assume I'm right.
[For making a correct intuitive decision, you have gained +1 WIS]
Fuck you. I can increase it by just betting, right? Since that's all about intuitive decision-making.
Same for Luck since I can just flip a coin and call it.
[LUC can not increase through "grinding" or points]
[Only lucky events born from sheer coincidence or quests can grant you LUC]
[Also, no. You're going to have to work harder than that to increase stats]
Double fuck you. Well, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom should be my primary stat dumps.
Dexterity so I can dodge, and Intelligence and Wisdom for the magic. Strength and Endurance are neat, but I won't focus on them since a paper cut can kill me.
…
Although, if my Endurance is high enough, I would theoretically be immune to weak attacks. I'll decide later based on how much damage 1 HP on 10 END can tank.
Regardless, magic can cover my weaknesses. A simple magic shield around my body, alteration of body properties so punches hit as hard as pillows, and outright negation are things I can think of that would be doable in the first year. What happens if I go even further? Magic is just so overpowered I need to grind it anyway.
The unique thing about the Gamer's power is that I can equally divide my points, so I am perfectly balanced, but a jack of all trades will lose to a master of one. An endurance dumper could theoretically tank anything physical and have the stamina to run forever. A strength dumper could probably cleave mountains with a punch. A dexterity dumper could reach insane speeds, maybe even Flash level. Magic, though, could beat all of those. The problem is I would have to dump it into two stats since I assume Intelligence connects with capacity and Wisdom connects with mana regeneration.
[For making such an astute guess, you have gained +1 WIS]
Then, if I were to divide the points, I would put 5 points in DEX, 30 in WIS, and 30 in INT.
What if there are bonuses for reaching milestones? Fifty points in INT might give me a good bonus that would make it worth it to give up points in the others. If my WIS is too high, does it stop giving me free points?
…
Fuck it. I am wasting too much time. 30 points to WIS.
…
Woah. The fog over my mind just cleared. Fuck, this is obvious. I neglected DEX because of INT and WIS's connection to my magic. But, INT only represents my capacity, so if my WIS is high enough, I can regenerate what I lose instantly. Sure, I won't be able to cast more powerful spells, but Intelligence is also the easiest to increase since I just have to do my schoolwork. I'm willing to bet that there are bonuses for every 50 or 100 of each stat. Let's test that out, shall we? Put 7 points to INT, 20 points to DEX, and 18 to WIS.
…
Well, that was a rush.
Status
Name: Fallen, ?'s End
Class: Omni-Slayer (LV.1/1000)
Age: 10
Race: Human/Eldritch Hybrid
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Level: 8 (70%)
HP: 1
MP: 970
SP: 100
STR: 11
END: 10
DEX: 30
INT: 17
WIS: 50
LUC: 10
POINTS: 0
No bonus? Whatever. What's the deal with my Titles?
[Your Titles embody your accomplishments and tell your legend]
[Your Titles grant you bonuses, although not all Titles are created equal]
[The more Titles you hold, the stronger your existence becomes]
[The stronger you become, the more options you have]
Does equipping one Title over another grant me anything?
[No, they are all applied simultaneously]
Same deal with my classes?
[No, you may only equip one class at a time]
[Classes use EXP to progress but will not take away from your level progression]
[Certain classes may have a higher or lower EXP curve]
[For example, you will reach LVL 1000 before you become an LVL 1000 Omni-Slayer]
Equip my Witch class.
'Is there a house elf that can help me?' I spoke aloud
After a few seconds of silence, something cracks behind me. A rather young-looking gremlin is what I see. Observe tells me the elf's name is Mugsy.
'Hello Mugsy, how has your night been.'
"A most auspicious night it has been. How may I help you?" she looks at me curiously.
'I am looking to go to the come-and-go room. May you help take me to it?'
"Of course! It would be a great honor to help a creature as horrific as you."
'...Thank you.' and off we went. It turns out apparition doesn't make me nauseous.
'Thank you, Mugsy, and I would appreciate it if you were to keep this request a secret.'
"Of course, most atrocious one. Have a splendid night." and with a bow, it left.
I never thought I'd appreciate being called atrocious, but it's nice I'm recognized for the monster hybrid I am.
'I wish for a room that holds all the money lost over the years.' I said aloud.
From the ceiling, hundreds of coins rain down on me.
Dodge Roll
Dodge Roll
Dodge Roll
I refuse to die a death this stupid-ow. Ok, I guess it'll take more than a coin to kill me.
…
It's going to take forever to pick this shit up.
…
Two hours later, I emerged 329 galleons, 503 sickles, and 1240 knuts richer.
'I wish for a comfortable room with every grade standard book of spells, books on transfiguration,
occlumency, legilimency, and a dummy.'
A door appeared behind me. I exited and re-entered the room lit by a chandelier and furnished with bookshelves, a recliner, and a wooden dummy.
'Thank you.'
It's grind time.
…
'Can I get a time check?' I asked aloud.
On a stand next to my recliner, a clock appeared. It showed it was 6:56.
Skill List
Bloodlust
Curtain Call
Dodge Roll
Flying Mastery (Lv.2/50)
Hollow Eyes
Instant Dungeon
Intermediate Transfiguration (Lv.7/20)
Mana Manipulation (Lv.9/100)
Meditation (Lv. 1/100)
Observe
Spell Casting (See list)
Swordsmanship (Lv.1/200)
Taunt
After some meditation, granting the skill, I could feel magic in my core and bring it out, unlocking my first level of mana manipulation. After that, I learned up to my 3rd-year spells. My system doesn't allow skill book absorption. Otherwise, I could've mastered magic in one night. I think my system made learning spells and transfiguration easier than it should have been. Once I got it down the first time, I just fundamentally understood how to do it perfectly, and I would repeat it with perfect form every time I used the skill. The skill level increased through every use. The higher level I achieved, the more steps I could skip. Once I maxed a spell at level 10, I could do it wandlessly.
Speaking of my wand,
[Fallen's Wand]
Fallen's wand is a 15-inch Yew and Dragon Heartstring wand. It has sworn allegiance through life and death for such an extraordinary user. It promises incredible power to its wielder.
+100% Spell Power
+10% MP
I even got in a bit of flying practice in preparation for today. I'm pretty sure it increases through the total time spent. I'll be working on that later, along with legilimency and occlumency. Even if I don't need occlumency, I think the ability to recall memories with 100% accuracy has its use. A book I briefly skimmed mentioned that it was also a crucial step in learning legilimency.
I've also discovered that I don't need sleep. Overall, it's been a productive night. It's time to head back.
'Mugsy, are you still awake?'. A pop behind me answers that question. I need to learn apparition.
"Good morning, vile one!" She greets me cheerfully.
'...When do you sleep?'
"House-elves like Mugsy don't require sleep. It would get in the way of our duties."
'I see. Can you bring me to an empty hall next to the Gryffindor painting? I'd prefer if it is devoid of anything that can observe me.'
"Certainly! Anything for one most horrific!" and off we went.
'Thank you for your service, Mugsy. Like last time I would prefer you keep our interactions a secret.'
"As you desire, heinous one." she left with a pop.
I turned the corner and walked up to the Gryffindor painting. She appeared to be sleeping.
'Good morning, Fat Lady.'
She woke with a start.
"Good heavens, what are you doing out so early? How did you even get out?"
Observe tells me the password, but curiously it does not tell me anything else.
'What is your true name?'
She paused.
"You know. Not many have bothered to ask me. Most are content to call me Fat Lady. The person who I encapsulate was a good-natured soul who found humor in being remembered as such. As is her wish, my piece has been named the Fat Lady, so that is who I am."
'After all these years, are you still happy being remembered by that name?'
She smiled.
"Of course, I get to see Gryffindor flourish, and I enjoy the eternal company of my friends. Who cares what they call me? I am who I am. If you wish to find who I was in life, I am sure one of the textbooks mentions me."
'I see. Thank you for answering my questions. Caput Draconis.'
"It has been many years since a first year has talked with me. Thank you." The painting swung open.
I saw Harry sitting all on his lonesome next to the fireplace. I used Observe on him. Observe told me all the abuse from the Dursleys haunts him. Their conditioning was so thorough that he automatically gets up at six every morning. Observe informed me about the scars that littered his body and bones that did not mend properly. As I recast Observe over and over, it told me a new story each time. Harry earned a scar, and this was how. Harry broke a bone, and this is why. I learned a time when the beating was so bad Harry pissed blood for a week. I discovered Harry feared spiders.
I continued watching until Hermione left our dorm room for breakfast. I went with her, leaving Harry to his thoughts. I watched Harry for just over half an hour. Every time I cast Observe, I learned a new story. Every. Time. That shitty God made Harry's life so much worse than it was in canon, and for what? So I'd have to get involved with the story because this Harry Potter would be too fucking damaged to handle doing Dumbledore's job? Disgusting.
After Hermione and I ate breakfast, well, she ate breakfast while I stuffed food into my inventory, much to Hermione's confusion. We chilled out in Gryffindor's lounge, waiting till it was time to go to class. Hermione was reading her potions book while I leveled Meditation. It continued like this until McGonagall entered the room and told me Dumbledore summoned me. She led me to a wall with a griffin carved into it.
"Professor Dumbledore will be waiting for you," she said before she turned to the wall.
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans." The griffin door accepted the password and swung itself open to reveal a rotating staircase. The ride-up was a slow one. My mind drifted to Harry.
A very ambitious thought crossed my mind. —-
-Dumbledore-
Harry thankfully sorted into Gryffindor despite his rather unfortunate childhood. The beatings and starvings that boy had gone through held a heavy weight on his heart, but it was necessary. If his plan to defeat Voldemort was to work, he needed Harry to be in the right mindset for his role. He hoped that Gryffindor would provide him with the love that Tom was missing and that Harry would come out the better for it, fighting for the sake of it rather than from a lack of it. Tom was here, latched on to Quirrel underneath his turban. He had to disable the wards to allow Quirrell in. It would be impossible for Dumbledore not to know. Soon, after the Flamels deliver the stone, he will have the perfect bait, and Harry will gain the experience he needs for his role. The pieces were falling in place.
There was just one person out of place, Fallen. Albus had read the first-year list. He knew every student on that list. He had read the first manuscript that held the finalized list of the children's names written by the magical quill and where the letters went. There was no Fallen.
As the young girl walked up for her sorting, he heard Trelawney say, "Fate weeps, for all the work she has done has proven meaningless." He and the others looked to question Trelawney when "she" spoke. Alien noises echoed in the hall. Alternating noises and breaths somehow held weight, a long malfunctioned screech, and an occasional fog rang from her mouth. Her words had formed as nonsensical symbols in black space. They moved in conjunction with that offensive language that spilled from her mouth. Although they were behind her, even they could see them. Her very manner of speaking defied reality. Its unnaturalness shook his very soul. The worst part was it's not even some clever combination of conjuration or dark curse that formed it like he first thought it was. When he asked the Sorting Hat, he confirmed that she was just speaking in a magical tongue and that, although unnatural to it, was perfectly understandable. The Hat also mentioned that it was impossible to read its mind. Every time it tried to connect, it "slid" off nothing. When the Hat questioned why that was the case, she said it was because she was something more, something not wholly human. The hat believes her to be a god, but Albus is skeptical.
When the child and the chicken battled, they appeared to match each other blow for blow, neither able to hit the other. That was until the child's eyes vanished. Albus had only caught it for a second. Those hollowed eyes held a visible void that had no end, and from that void, blood spilled just as everlasting. He was so small and insignificant. He felt he was staring at something and yet nothing. He felt like an ant staring at a boot, waiting for the drop. The child blinked, victorious in her battle. Then, he could move. The previous pressure felt like it was but a dream, and yet the nightmare was plain to see. It took him many cheering charms to calm down the hall. He suspected the ministry would hear of it soon when the first wave of letters had made its rounds. Politics could wait. What was the priority matter of concern was her eyes.
Albus was in a very fortunate position where he had access to numerous books and treatises on esoteric matters. He had read books that detailed events that the history books were not inclined to tell. The oldest of the books details the gods that walked among men. The history books available to the public describe the gods as muggle-baiting wizards and witches, which for most was true, but not for all of them. One of the books detailed the history of muggle obliviations. The first known mass obliviation was in 1165 B.C, during the Late Bronze age collapse in an event the author called the Godsfall. It was unknown which gods were first infected, but the symptoms were the same, blackened eyes that eternally bled and then madness. The destruction was catastrophic. Every city between the Pylos and the Gaza was gone. It was the apocalypse. Only the most powerful gods resisted the madness and tried to contain the mad gods. Unfortunately, as powerful as they were, the number who were infected far outweighed the mighty few who were not, and the chaos went uncontained. Gods subsided off the faith of the people to live. Thus, the gods resolved themselves and called upon wizardkind. Through their combined effort, they had obliviated all knowledge of the gods from the minds of man. The only evidence of their existence lay in the rubble and the books of wizardkind. The mad gods sufficiently weakened, and the few battled the rest to their mutual end. The mighty few before their noble sacrifice left a seemingly senseless message: "It awoke, and it knew. It saw its surroundings, and already it knew. It looked beyond, and it knew. It attempted to remember why it was there and did not know. It felt enraged, and it knew. That day we all knew. That day man shall one day know. We pray that it gives mercy to you. Oblivion is the alternative." Albus had thought the tale unsuitable for children, so he put it in the restricted section. If the stories are true, that child can not be a god, for they are dead. If the hat mistook the child for a god, what is she? Why did she carry those same eyes the mad gods did? It was Albus' duty to ensure the motive behind the monster who wears a child's skin. She did not exist before the sorting, and McGonagall swore she was not a part of the crowd. She does not appear on Hogwarts' wards. The ghosts have been under the impression that she can kill them. The house elves whisper about the great abomination housed in the walls. The timing and circumstances for when she appeared are too suspicious. He must know why she is here.
The door opened, and she walked in. Albus stood in the upper loft and watched.
She spoke in her strange tongue and looked at the Sorting Hat.
The Hat inclined itself in greeting.
"I don't suppose you could give the sword back, could you?" the Hat asked. She ignored the Hat.
She turned to Fawkes and tilted her head. She appeared to pose a question. Fawkes immediately started singing.
"Er, could you please not do that?" the Hat pleaded. She laughed in a horrid and layered tone.
She looked up at Albus and stared. She scowled. Albus took the opportunity to test her occlumency barriers, but none were there. She had no mind. No, something was there. The deeper he sent his probe, the stronger he felt it. It wasn't visible, but he could feel something. The closer he came, the more he concluded he was off course. His magic is picking up feeling but not connecting with something, but in the nothingness that her mind should be, there was just feeling. Albus felt incredible resolve from the young girl, so much so that he was starting to feel it himself. Then she tilted her head and spoke.
"Albus, you bloody old goat, stop! You are going to get yourself killed!" the Hat cried out.
Her eyes turned black, and his previous invigoration vanished. He was so small. Despite his occlumency barriers being at their strongest, he had the impression that she knew everything. His sins crawled along his back, and the weight on his heart magnified 100-fold. Fawkes tried to sing to alleviate the stress put on him, but when she turned her eyes on him, the phoenix froze. Satisfied that Fawkes was sufficiently cowed, she turned back to him and walked up to him. He attempted to break his spell, but a wave of warning washed over him. His body screamed at him to stop. He felt himself become overwhelmed by malice. It was just like the chicken from before and just as effective. She held out her hand, and Gryffindor's sword appeared out of nowhere and thrust through his heart. His knees buckled, no longer having the strength to carry himself as he fell. Crouched over him, she laid her hand on his face and slowly drew out a purple stream of light as she pulled it away. She drew the light across her opposite arm outstretched and dragged the light towards her heart. He felt so hollow. As his world faded, he heard the Hat and Fawkes screaming, but the words were too muffled to understand. The last thing he saw was Fawkes crying over him, his body lying beside where he watched.
What
is
…
—-
-Fallen-
Not this shit again!
Damn. I really should have saved my progress before I did that.
Name: The First Chicken
Title: Cock of Cocks
Level: 11
HP: 150
MP: 2000
SP: 90
STR: 9
END: 9
DEX: 9
INT: 400
WIS: 270
LUC: 30
Reputation - Despised
"It is in a state of disarray. Why does it feel so much more powerful? How is it back again?"
I looked at my skills list. Holy shit, I learned a lot from absorbing Dumbledore's soul. This fight isn't even going to be close to fair. I pointed at the chicken.
Petrificus Totalus
Accio First Chicken
I held up my sword in my opposite hand. The chicken went flying towards me, helpless to stop it. A simple swipe and off goes its head. Its body crashed onto the chair behind me, toppling it over. Its head flew onto the steps which led to the teacher's table and bounced off them. I walked over to its corpse and held my hand to its heart. I hesitated. What if I kept repeating this process? I could multiply my stats after absorbing a lot of souls and then the chicken.
No. I could only do this because the chicken did not know what was happening. I can't afford to get greedy and doom myself to an infinite death loop because I made the chicken too strong. It only takes one hit to kill me.
Curtain Call
That addicting high rushed over me, and I guided the soul to mine, channeling it through myself.
[The First Chicken felled]
[You have harvested the First Chicken's soul]
[Drops deposited into Inventory]
[Quest Cleared: Bawk-Bawk Mother Clucker]
[Your antithesis has shown its presence]
[Kill or be killed]
[Objective: Kill the Chicken]
[Bonus Objective A: Kill it without taking a hit]
[Bonus Objective B: Kill it without dying once]
[Rewards: 1000 EXP, 1 Gacha Token, Title: Chicken Slayer]
[Bonus Objective A Rewards: 500 EXP, 1 Gacha Token, 10 Stat Points, Skill: Bloodlust]
[For killing a monster ten levels above you, you have been rewarded bonus EXP]
[Quest Cleared: Eenie, Meenie, Minnie, or Moe]
[Pick a house, any house]
[Objective: Get sorted into a house]
[Rewards: 100 EXP, 5 Stat Points, Class: Witch]
[Quest Cleared: Lord of the Light]
[Drops deposited into Inventory]
[You felt that this was for the greater good]
[Objective: Remove Dumbledore from power]
[Bonus Objective A: Kill Dumbledore]
[Bonus Objective B: ?]
[Bonus Objective C: ?]
[Rewards: 5,000 EXP, 5 Gacha Tokens, 10 Stat Points, Skill: Alchemy, Title: Grand Sorceror]
[Bonus Objective A Rewards: 10,000 EXP, 10 Stat Points, The Elder Wand]
[For killing someone fifty levels above you, you have been rewarded bonus EXP]
[Level Up] X20
Why is the game rewarding me for killing Dumbledore? Shouldn't-
"Albus? Albus?" I look behind me and see a lady shake an unmoving Albus Dumbledore. Ohhhhh.
Curtain Call lives up to its name, huh? I looked across the table and found Quirrell.
We made eye contact, and he fainted, once again a fake.
An ambitious idea crossed my mind.
All the teachers rushed over to Dumbledore's side to try and figure out what was wrong with him. All of them, except Quirrel. I walked over to him.
I heard a voice whisper sharply to Quirrell, "Get up! Get up, you fool!"
'Too late, Tom.' I swiped my sword beheading him.
Before Tom had time to escape, I grabbed his head.
Curtain Call
The more observant students had called out to the professors to warn them about me, but I had already finished. The teachers pointed their wands at me and told me to drop the sword. The idiots should have shot. I impaled myself.
"You're lucky ERROR isn't here, fucking munchkin." Death Toll: 3