What it do?
Been a while? Yes. More on that later… probably.
I would like to note beforehand though, this is going to get strange more towards the end of the chapter. If you do not enjoy deviations from general Gamer stories like this, I would suggest you stop reading.
Chapter 12: Undead dungeon pt. 2
"Fuck me." I mutter under my breath, Dragging myself out of the First room. Having just fought off all the Zombies again I Take the Cog off my back look around the boss room. Sighing, I look up, noticing something I didn't before. There was a pulley system of sorts, with Round wheel-like things holding some chain, all of which was hidden in the wall next to the entrance door. On the wall next to the door, was what appeared to be a slot, similar to that of a lever.
'Oh. I see.' Its a massive lever/pulley system. If I needed three keys, I'd assume that since I have a cog, there's likely a chain, hook, and lever left.
'But that makes four total. Unless the chain has a hook.. I'll figure it out.' Looking up at where I would assume the Missing Cog would be, I actually notice my problem.
"That's like, fifteen feet away from my reach." It wasn't an exaggeration, since even if I could lift this heavy ass cog over my head, It'd still be too far for me.
"What can I do about this?" I ask the system. I don't get a response as the cog only gets heavier in my hands. I set it down and sit on it, racking my brain to come up with a solution.
'Is there a ladder around here, or a wench? Or.. Oh, I understand.' looking around, I notice that the third cog on the roof is the one that's missing, with three before it, and three after.
'That's enough to make a chain go through and pull something up. Something about as large as this cog here.' I nod my head and leave it directly under the empty space for the cog. I look at the opposite door I have yet to explore, and shake my head, walking back to the door on the right.
I think I've come to a bit of an understanding as to how respawning enemies in the Dungeon actually are arranged. For example, the first room with the forty zombies, always spawn in a sort of mass, and face away from the door that's meant to be entered.
So of course, I had to get to work on creating the most efficient, and possibly laziest method of getting through this. To the very far left was a straggler to the central mass of zombies. As far as I know, they only turn around when I make a somewhat loud noise. So…
Unlocked Ability: [Sneak]- No cost
Sneak (Lvl: 1): You enter a stealth state, reducing the noise and odds that someone will spot you in cover.
'Of course, when I think I'll unlock the sneak ability about an hour in, Its a solid week later.' I crouch down a bit and take out my shittier sword, pulling it back and stabbing it through the side of the throat, while grabbing the tip and yanking it back, effectively decapitating it. Before either the body or head can hit the ground, I grab the head and set it down, while gently laying the body in the ground. I then tiptoe over to another and do the same. I stay crouched down and think for a moment before nodding. Using Focused strike, I hold Underdog to my side and charge for a minute and a half. As I do so, I take a step towards the mass and release. In the instant that I do, I jump towards the group and launch off my right foot, starting a spin.
I'll be honest, Its a move I picked up from the Tome of Water. Jumping in a direction and spinning around when you draw your sword. Normally, You're meant to keep your momentum, but the extra force I exerted using Focused Strike, threw me off balance. In layman's terms, I cut a lot of them in half and fell flat on my face. I quickly got up, however, and dashed back real quick, looking at Underdog.
'I wasn't imagining that, was I?' I do a quick count on the ground and find twenty dead, excluding the ones from before.
'That should have connected with like, six at max. Not that many.' I glance at Underdog and shake my head, approaching the rest of the zombies.
About one minute later.
I sat on a step and looked at the decaying corpses in the room and cringed. Letting my SP Recharge, I got an idea. 'Hey, system, how much XP did that fight give me?'
+100 XP
On second though, how about no.
"Grinding isn't an option for me right now. I should get out of here as soon as possible. I really don't want to start traveling without Nora or Ren. Besides, once I see them again I doubt they'll trust me if I just up and disappear. 100 XP isn't enough to grind an area with, for me at least. I need something a bit bigger…" I stand up and walk through the door. I take two steps before taking underdog and performing a half-spin overhead slice, cleaving straight through the Boomer's head, and halfway through the torso. It gurgled briefly before falling straight forward.
'Wait… Do Boomers still explode after you kill them?' I dash back real quick and watch as it collapses to the ground, making a sizeable thud. I wait for a second, keeping my guard up. After a few seconds, I just take a few steps back as I sigh.
'And how much did he give me?'
+50 XP
I facepalm and drag my hand down my face. Just sighing more I walk back towards the door I fought the skeleton in and go through it.
'It shouldn't respawn, right?' I silently ask myself as I glance around, not finding anything. I nod and walk right in the middle of the room, finding the scattered pieces of skeleton around. I Take a glance at the walls and glare at them. Its a hard feeling to explain. The walls look like they're meant for bodies to go into, like if you've ever seen those really old templar tombs, where they'd seal away tons of people, laying them in cubbies in the wall. The more unnerving part of it was the fact that they were empty. I took a closer look and drag my hand atop one of the crevices, noticing that my hand didn't collect any dust.
"... Okay…" I mutter as I turn around and head to the one other door in the room. I prepare Underdog as I inch it open, taking a peek inside. I slip through the door and take in the room. The first thing that I notice about this room, is that there's nothing in it, except a big-ass hole about six feet in front of me. I purse my lips and walk over to it. Peering over, I find nothing but a patch of dirt, and a pop up window.
This is the Lower area or the "Second floor" of the dungeon. In each main dungeon, there is a second floor that is almost an exact mirror of the previous one. In this area, XP is doubled, but so is the difficulty of enemies.
I dryly lick my lips and nod. 'OK. I'll have to take note of this and come back later. But it might not be worth it if I have to fight the damned skeleton and its harder.'
This is also how to complete the side objective of this dungeon
'Oh, you son of a bitch.' I think to myself, turning around and going through back through the door. 'Of course that's how you progress. High risk, high reward, I guess. Not to mention that I have to plant the tree there… I still have no Idea how that is relevant at all, but at least I have a method of leveling a bit quicker. I just really don't want to do it longer than I have to. I don't have all that much time if I'm going to put my plan into fruition..'
I head through the boomer door and quickly slice its stomach open without much of another thought. I head through the center door and find a vast open Hemisphere room, with dirt in the ground and spikes in the ceiling.
"... Fuck." I mutter, listening to the sound of machinery clicking as the roof of the room descends upon me, Spikes starting to protrude from the ground. I bolt about as quickly as I can to the other side of the room as I attempt to open the door.
"Openopenopenopenopen." I mutter to myself pulling and pushing as the door jiggled, trying to open. I slammed my shoulder into it repeatedly, the roof now pushing down on my head, and the spikes on the ground starting to poke into my armpits.
I give one last heave, and bust through the door. I stumble as I avoid getting crushed and close the door behind me.
"That was close-" I'm interrupted, however, as I feel a slashing sensation at the back of my neck.
-100 AP
I flip out for a second before sensing another strike, Parrying it with Underdog.
While time was slowed for the moment, I took a moment to inspect my attacker.
'Observe'
Skeleton (Armed): Lv: 25
HP: 6,000,6,000
Undead
… So Apparently that first strike couldn't make me detect it. But it didn't do a whole lot.
'System?' I say as I actually watch the skeleton, seeing a few more form from stray bones. I sidestep around it and put some distance between the two of us, out of range of its… Weapon…
'It's using a spare arm as a weapon.' I think absentmindedly as I watch it swing again and shamble after me.
[Sense Danger] Will work for a variety of things, however if you are distracted, its effect is lessened, as well if the enemy is attempting an actual sneak attack.
I open my mouth and close it, opting not to say anything, instead analyzing the area.
"... Four total. Not a big deal." I Take an open stance, and let the Closest Skeleton approach. It heaves the arm over its head as I step aside, watching it swing down the arm into the ground, taking the bony hand off the rest of the arm. I swung Underdog sideways aimed right at its neck, Effectively decapitating it.
Without much of a second thought, I Move on and rush towards another, which had a club in its left hand. I Jumped up a little and kicked it square in the chest, finding my leg crash right through the ribcage as it collapsed instantly. I fell forward as My knee smashed into its head. The skull, however was intact, as the skeleton below my knee gripped onto its club and swung towards my head. I leaned down and attempted to duck under it, only to sense a strike to my exposed back.
Diving forward, I sprawl out on the floor as the skeleton I slammed into the ground begins to get up. I quickly recover and stand facing the rest of the Skeletons. I take note of how the one I decapitated earlier took its head and stuck it back on.
'Right… Crush the skulls?' I think to myself as I approach one, taking a sidestep and slicing its head off as I walk by. The skull Falls to the ground as I quickly stomp on it, only to find it rolls away as it completely slipped from under my foot.
'... That didn't work.' I think to myself as I take a couple more steps away from the Skeleton that's crawling its way to it's head. I hop back and try to analyze what's happening.
'It takes like, 500 pounds of force? Is it Newtons, To crack a human skull, doesn't it?' I'm left dodging the constant attacks of the Skeletons as I struggle to come up with a way to actually kill the bastards.
'This is different from the Skeleton lord. The way I Killed that one was to use its own magic against it. It presented the opportunity to kill it itself. But this is far different, I can't actually kill them unless I crush their skulls. I assume at least, but no matter How many times I chip away at this fucker's skull, It won't die.' I think to myself, As I dash back, in an attempt to keep some distance.
Taking another step back, I bump into something. Looking at it, I notice a door. The exact one that I entered the room from.
'Well Escape isn't an option. The only thing behind me is the death room that'll spear me. If… Can they leave the room?' I think to myself, Reaching behind me, I Pull the door open and leap back into the room.
The Skeletons, without any resistance ran into the trapped room along with me. They spread out, Blocking the door we just entered from, leaving the door open.
I stood in the middle of the room and waited, watching the Skeletons slowly encroach on me. I eyed the roof and holes in the floor as spikes started rising and falling from them.
Taking a closer look, I notice every other Hole has a spike, which should allow the Roof to Close in Flush with the floor. Nodding my head, I Take a few steps back, nearing the door.
'... If I exit this room, will the Skeletons teleport back in the room I found them in or will they follow?' I think to myself, quickly dashing past them. The Skeletons raised their weapons and all aimed to strike at me.
-100 AP
-100 AP
The other Skeletons missed, swinging at empty space I already left. 'Opportunity attacks. I see. Now, let's see if this works.' I dive through the door and close it, effectively locking the Skeletons in the room. There were some bumps at the door, almost giving in before they ceased, a grotesque crunching sound emanating from the room behind him.
'Why did I hear something squishy? There wasn't even anything to go squish!'
XP: +500
Looking at the screen before me, I went slightly slack-jawed at the prospect of getting 500 total XP from the skeletons alone. Smirking a little bit, I say:
"This might take a while."
Three Hours later.
'Going through all of that took far longer than I expected.'
Bryzan Jade: LVL 24
Title: Master of Yugai: +50% ATK when using the Yugai sword Style.
Sub-title: Bane of water: +25% ATK when fighting any water-aligned creature.
Class: Swordsman
Career: N/A
XP: 250/10,000
HP: 4,400/4,400
AP: 45,000/45,000
MP: 50,000/50,000
SP: 980/980
STR: 66
AGI: 81
DEX: 98
VIT: 46
END: 43
INT: 51
WIS: 108
CHA: 89
LCK: 5
Available stat points:35
I sigh and stretch a little bit, somewhat satisfied with the results.
'If only… For some reason or another, the System doesn't want me to grind here… I got 500 XP from fighting those guys the first few times, but it immediately cut in half… Any help, system?'
I stared at the space in front of him, before tilting my head and saying Out loud:
"Hey, System."
Once more, the system was silent for a while before the text window appeared.
If This information is given, the Player can use it to exploit the Game.
I sigh and lay flat on my back, looking up at the ceiling.
'It's one step closer to figuring out how to find a crack in the system, sure, but its annoying. There's no reason to drop the XP gain from creatures I've fought for so long. Come to think of it, since I've gotten on Remnant, I've never Encountered an XP drop from anything. It might be from just the dungeon in of itself… If it keeps getting cut in half, It won't be worth Grinding anymore. Is this the game's way of telling me that I can't just stay and level in a dungeon forever? Or am I overthinking this?' I sit up again and rise to my feet.
"Whatever. I guess Its time to move on."
I only passed through three rooms, gaining a small amount of XP before I started Hearing music.
It wasn't death metal or punk or anything like that, nothing extremely edgy like one would anticipate from a literal Grave Dungeon. In fact, it was pleasant. Ballroom music. Coming from The door before me. The Door was unlike any other in the dungeon this far, being nearly twice my own size, and etched with a great many rune-like signs on it, almost like hieroglyphs depicting skeletons celebrating.
Looking down, I saw a note written on the ground, similar to the one before, by The Player.
Player: Zander Rust-True Level 62- Witch Doctor. Status: Alive
I faltered reading the name, crouching down to make sure I read it correctly.
'Zander… not an uncommon name, but not common either. I know a Zander, likely my best friend. Granted his last name isn't rust, But my last name isn't Really Jade either. Strange.'
"A waltz for the ages. A real challenge."
'…With that writing style, its gotta be… but he was still alive and well when I Died I think… I can't be certain. That's all he wrote? And what's with the "true Level"? Like concealing your level? That's dope, but why would that show here?'
I stood up and sighed, stretching a bit.
"Cant afford to Move at a snail's pace. This place is exhausting me.."
I hesitated opening the Door going in before I checked my stats, satisfied with my MP, HP and AP, I went in, before realizing something.
'I forgot to allocate more stats.' But it was too late, as the door immediately snapped shut as I was plunged into darkness.
For whatever reason, I wasn't exactly scared as I was… anxious. That was before the spotlight shone down on the figure.
If one were to think of Skeletons as they would be portrayed in Dia De Los Muertos, it was similar to that. Pink, green, black and blue etchings painted- or even carved into the bone drew the face of a previously beautiful young woman, as the illusion of the visage would fade whenever it stood still.
The skeleton wore no clothes, yet the way the markings that were painted on pure white bones made it look as if a dress was waving as it moved.
It looked like a professional dancer in the way it moved, but the thing I was most focused on was what was in its hand.
A baton. Nothing special, simply a white rod with golden bits on each end.
'That's it. A lever. She's holding a lever.' Staring at the skeleton, I realized that not only was it just about my size, it was smaller.
Taking a few steps, it stops, the leg above the head slowly came down, on its toes as it spun around to face me.
The horrific grimace from the skeleton did not falter, as the mass of bones Curtsied.
'Respectful too… Well this'll be a hell of a fight.' I thought to myself as I Leapt forward, Going in for a heavy sweeping strike.
Time almost slowed down as The Skeleton deftly moved out of the way, not missing a beat, using the lever to knock away my blade.
"Eh-". I was interrupted by a bony smack to the face, that hit far harder than it should have.
-300 AP
-100 HP
You have taken [Lasceration] Damage!
[Lasceration] Damage pierces a small percentage through Aura, and Damages Health.
"Owwww. Good to know, but GOD that-" I didn't have time to finish my sentence as the Dancer took wide sweeping steps away, and with near lightning speed, Blitzed towards me, sweeping me off my feet.
-130 AP
It didn't end there, either, as the Dancer then grabbed me by the wrist mid-air and gently tossed me in the air.
I floated for a brief moment, letting go of Underdog to put it in my other hand, before I was heavily slammed into the ground, With enough force that anyone without Aura would immediately have their ribs and spine shattered.
-3,560 AP
"GGHHHFK" is the approximation of what came out of my mouth as Underdog clattered away on the stone floor.
My vision briefly went fuzzy as I struggled to breathe on the ground.
Paralyzed!
[Gamer's Body] Could not negate!
The assault was far from over, as The Dancer picked me up once again, now allowing me to stand on my own two feet. Still incapable of breathing, I tried to take a step back, as to literally catch my breath, before the Dancer performed a graceful thrust to my abdomen.
It was a far stronger hit than it should have been, judging by how little it had moved.
I flew back a few feet, Barely managing to Observe the Skeleton.
Lady of the eternal dance
Level: 40
HP: 10,000
I cringed at the discrepancy between not only myself and the dancer, but that of the Skeleton lord and the lady.
'What?! How can this one be such glass cannon without me being able to hit it even once?'
My thoughts ran at a million miles a minute, as I smacked into the wall. The skeleton didn't give me time to think for even a second as it advanced, tiptoe steps increasing rapidly with the ever- Increasing tempo. I clambered back to my feet, only to be tripped up by the skeleton.
Knocking me on my stomach, I tried to roll out the way, only to be met with a crescendo.
While getting stepped on is the dream of many men, Its not one of mine, and is certainly a desire to be thrown out the window at Mach 3 when its a full- frontal assault on the spine like mine.
The skeleton stepped on my back, every step feeling like a gunshot, even through both my armored robes and aura.
What felt like Ten thousand little steps assaulted my back, even puncturing through my aura for some of them.
-1,300 AP
- 400 HP
-1,005 AP
- 450 HP
-1,030 AP
-500 HP
-2,000 AP
-550 HP
-2,200 AP
-650 HP
-3,005 AP
-800 HP
"FGHGHKKLGHK!" Is all that escaped my mouth as the skeleton finished her assault, and the music thusly descended from its peak, and the skeleton descended from my spine, but not before taking extra care to smash my face into the floor.
-5,000 AP
"Fuck!" I manage, getting to my feet whilst clambering for Underdog. The blade felt heavier for some reason, despite being the same weight it always has.
AP: 25,600
HP: 1,050
Gamer's Mind Negated the Effect: Despair
Gamer's Mind could not Negate the Effects of Terror!
I really didn't need the System to tell me that I was feeling terror. I stared the Dancer In the Lifeless eye sockets, as She had Curtsied, standing stock still. I Take a deep breath, Before taking the other Sword from my Inventory, Dual wielding.
'Okay, She's allowing me to make the first move, but…' Pain welled up in my back, as I felt it bleed slightly. I sped up my breath, Attempting to keep as much oxygen in my system as I could.
'I can't win this as I am, unless there's an opening I can exploit, which there are tons of them, but the issue is I can't get to her without her hard countering … Fuck It, I need to Use my points now.'
I backstepped back, before Distributing my points.
AGI: 100
DEX: 100
CHA: 100
For Reaching level 100 in AGI you have learned the move: [Flash-Step] (Active)
Flash-Step: Sacrifice Half of your SP and 5,000 MP To Move at Near Instant speeds within a 10 meter range. This cannot be integrated with an attack while traveling.
For reaching Level 100 in DEX you have become: [Ambidextrous] (Passive)
Ambidextrous: When using attacks involving both of your hands, You do full damage.
For reaching Level 100 in CHA You have learned: Defusal.
Defusal: In situations that have not become hostile yet; Calm down everyone within range.
Two skills that could be helpful at the moment, one of which I didn't even know I was handicapping myself with. I took a look at Flash-Step and came up with an Idea.
[Focused strike] Activated! -10MP/sec.
I held position for a second, gritting my teeth.
'I can't afford to fuck around right now. If I mess this up, I might actually Die. I still have a token, but it won't do shit if I Can't kill her before she kills me. Not to mention I don't know How tough the final boss of the dungeon actually is. This might be my only shot to get out of here alive.'
Flash-Step Activated! -490 SP! -5,000 MP!
Flash-Step felt incredibly strange. As I had targeted an area, and my body felt as if It moved on its own. Time slowed down to nearly a stop, As The air itself felt as if it would set me ablaze, Friction felt like a mere suggestion to my body, as It moved through the air at ludicrous speeds.
And in an instant, I was standing behind the Skeleton Dancer, as I released my Focused strike.
"YAAAGH!" I belted out, Swinging in for a pommel strike to the back of the head.
-40 MP
[Shield Breaker] Activated! -200 MP
By activating the skills, I had effectively made a makeshift Stealth Sledgehammer.
The Skeleton turned its head at an unholy speed, but failing to either dodge it or block it at all. As the pommel of Underdog Connected with the skull, I saw it crack the surface, slightly.
Taking a deep breath; I let out a growl, curling its head against the hilt of Underdog, before Smacking the forehead with the skull, As I kicked off its Tibia, only separating us by about a foot.
"I can do more!" I yelled, mostly to myself. Reaching into my inventory, I pull out an item that I didn't take much stock in thinking about until now.
Water elemental Core x10
I took one out, taking a deep breath before slamming it into the ground. The dancer was instantly on me, a shuffle of bare bone feet on the stone floor as She's about to Jam the Lever into my throat, as the Water elemental core shattered, instantly enveloping the immediate area around us in water, halting both of us to a stop.
The bubble of water felt like a reprieve as sounds ceased, and the skeleton looked blankly at me, as I slowly let out my breath, opting to drop my off hand blade, Instead Facing the skeleton head-on in the water.
Blade of Water: Unyielding Tide
The Unyielding tide is a move best used underwater, And normally is meant for more lockdown, I had little other choice at the moment.
I tensed my muscles, holding Underdog in both hands and slamming down with the pommel, In recurring, Unyielding strokes, as I switched up my grip, grabbing underdog by the blade, and slashing at The Skeleton in a mix between two and one- handed motions.
-100 AP
-80 AP
-170 AP
-130 AP
-120 AP
I tried to ignore the cutting edge in my hands as I kept on, only dealing an additional bit of damage as the Water bubble collapsed, sending us both sprawling on the floor, the skeleton's head clattering to the side..
Lady of the eternal dance
HP: 5,348
I took every moment to Get up that I could, Pouncing On the skull, only for it to not only slip between my legs, as well as For the rest of the bones to lay an absolute assault on me. The bones each used their pointies bits to lay into me, aiming for exposed sections on my outfit, most of which piercing through my Aura.
-1,600 AP
I barely got up As the Skeleton re-formed, grabbing my free hand, as It then pulled me in, Throwing me off to the side. I tumbled, Recovering relatively quickly before being beamed in the face with the lever, as the Dancer had thrown it at a frankly ridiculous speed.
-1,000 AP
I had barely stood up, before The Dancer advanced.
Flash-Step Activated! -490 SP! -5,000 MP!
Once again stepping behind the Skeleton, I Take a deep breath, Before preparing for a strike.
SP: 0/980! [Fatigue] Applied!
My heart nearly stopped at that, as My body refused to move.
'Fuck! I didn't pay enough attention to my Stamina!'
I took a single step forward, as the Skeleton simply looked at me. I looked at the Skeleton as it stared back with empty, but somehow sorrowful eyes.
I raised Underdog to block, Only for the Dancer to move at blinding speeds, as she had gone in for the final blow, not using her weapon, nor a graceful move, but with a simple jab to my throat with the fingers.
Aura Punctured!
Critical on Vital area!
[Gamer's body] could not negate Bleed!
Aura Broken!
[Healing] will not commence until Aura is restored!
[Death Imminent]
HP: 510
Bleed Damage: -100 HP/sec
I try to gasp for air, instead only inhaling my own blood.
"Ghhk BLAGH!" is all that comes out of my mouth, along with a torrent of blood.
'I- what?' i can barely think as I swing my blade twice, half-assedly missing both strikes.
I collapse to the ground, dropping Underdog entirely.
'Tch. Fuck this hurts. A lot. Is this it? How it feels to die… I can try again, but… Can I? Can I go again? Can I even beat her?' I drop flat on my face, feeling blood pool beneath my face, closing my eyes.
'Fuck fuck fuck. I can do this… I just need a nap. That's all. That's all I need.'
I lose consciousness, allowing myself to drift away.
Death Imminent-
Activating Semblance: Summon
ERROR: Summon not possible- Class incompatible
ERROR: Semblance Trumps Class Compatability
ERROR: Gods of Remnant refuse Semblance Unlocking during death.
Balancing…
Balancing…
Semblance change: Open server
The thirsting of evil gods ignores the call
The indifference of Necromancers ignores the call
The Players of The Game shall Answer the call
Waiting for players…
Waiting for players..
Waiting for players.
Player 2 has Joined the server
Player 3 has joined the server
Waiting for players…
Waiting for players..
Wait-
Player 4 has joined the server.
Waiting for player 5-
Player 5 awaits to respond to the call.
Server Closed to new players.
Welcome to the Game, New players.
ALERT: Player 1: Bryzan Jade Has expended One life; His last Life remains.
I can't recall what exactly happened in the last remaining moments of my life. My second one at least. However all I remember is witnessing The shadowy figure of a woman entering the room. Sprinting all she can towards me.
It didn't take a genius to know that Even though the world has changed, Nothing will
ever be the same.
A/N: This took far longer than I either intended it to, as well as the fact I lost a will and drive to write any more. I mean, Two years and some months is wayy too long to go without updating a story you want to finish as much as I do with this one.
Like I stated before, Nothing will be the same. This will involve multiple OCs with the "Gamer" ability. While this was always meant to happen, i Didn't exactly intend on doing it this early; although I've changed both my mind and plans for how this story will handle these people, as well as how the major players in the game may or may not respond.
But look forward to Sneak peeks at the Other players in the next chapter.
In addition, if you want me to explain a little more about how stats and Levels work- please tell; Either in an author's note or whatnot, Cause I think My way of thinking of handling levels is different than what other people do- which is fine, but I'll explain to people who reallywanna know.
While the first half of the chapter was made years ago, I only finished the other half in the past two days. So forgive a couple inconsistencies. But I read the reviews, And decided to change up things a bit. I decided i want to learn from what people say, not just in my writing format but also how Bryzan , and subsequently other Players are handled and portrayed. Granted back then I really wanted to lean into the 'trashy Anime MC' of Bryzan as a guy, and less than a serious person, but I'll lean off the gas on that at least for now.
But I take criticism much better now I believe. So all I want to say for now is:
Let me cook.