So quick reply to the reviews. Jim can't absorb items others are using. If he slaps his gem into someones chest plate it wont do anything. Now if he steals someones sword then he can absorb it. Basucally, rule of thumb it has to be considered an item in your inventory to absorb, or a dead monster on the ground.
Methods haven't been shown to be able to share in canon mid wave so that's something I made up for this fic. So Naofumi hasn't used Glass' methods mid wave.
In regards to methods, they are tied to your og world. So you can't use methods of another world in exchange for losing your own. That's canon btw. Anyhow enjoy the chapter
"I'm sorry, you're what?!" one of Cobalt's friends asked.
"The crafter hero. I'd show off my skills but I don't want to bring attention to the guards. Also, if all you need is invisibility, why didn't anyone with the right affinities try this plan?" Jim asked.
They were currently in an open area with grass and a couple of light sources. The ceiling had a drawing of the sun with a lamp in the middle, and a few clouds drawn around it. The whole prison was said to be underground, so even the courtyard was different to what you see in the movies, much to Jim's dismay. He was hoping he could just swing over the walls, but that idea was shut down.
"There is a field that halves stats, and then a second one set up that cancels magic. But we don't know how that one works so we can't do much about it," Cobalt replied. "But your weapon's sp works off of a different system than our magic, allowing it to work here."
"Damn. That sounds convenient," one of the friends said as he reached his hand out. "I'm Oblek by the way, the group's handyman."
"Nice to meet you," Jim replied, shaking the man's hand. "So how are we pulling this off?"
"Here is the plan. The guards have a routine shift change where they will leave this place, go back to their families and sh*t," Cobalt said bitterly. "This is when they go to the edge of the prison and give back their rings into the vault. That is when we make our move."
"Why?"
Cobalt pointed to the map he doodled into the ground.
"They leave the rings here for the next shift to pick up as they enter the building. This way they don't have to go through the risk of us coming by. Unfortunately, the rings are guarded by a safe, and we couldn't retrieve the passcode. This is where you come in," Cobalt began.
"You want me to turn invisible and look at the code they are using, correct?" Jim guessed. Cobalt smiled.
"Exactly! Once you get the rings, we need to find a way to break you out of the room and throw the rings to us," Cobalt replied.
"I see. If I get the ring, my stats will return to normal and I'll be able to break the wall down. Then I can throw rings to everyone if you wait over here," Jim responds, pointing to the cafeteria on the map. While the exit and vault was on the second floor, the cafeteria was two stories tall with the largest piece of Kryptonite as a chandelier.
"Great, now we just nee-sh*t!" Oblek growled and quickly kicked the dirt the map was drawn in, erasing the blueprint off of the ground.
"What's going on here?" a guard asked, walking over to the trio.
"Just getting to know the people here. I hope that's not against the rules," Jim spat out.
"It's not. But that attitude will get you in trouble," the guard said, patting his baton.
"I'll take a note of that," Jim replied. Suddenly someone called the guard over and he begrudgingly left the group alone.
"Alright, now we just need to get the info out to the rest of the guys. Just no one in the lower deck, screw them," Oblek said.
"What did they do?" Jim inquired.
"Anyone on the higher floors are here for minor crimes. Stealing something, pickpocketing, pissing off a noble and having strings pulled to throw them in here, the smaller crimes. Then the lower floor is assault, murder, scams, and so on. And the floor below is where the rapists and child abusers are kept, alongside serial killers and whoever else they got there," Cobalt explained.
"Gotcha. Keep those guys out of the loop then," Jim replied.
You know, now that I think about it, I am technically helping a bunch of criminals escape. Why am I doing this again?
…
Wait, no. Ring king imprisoned me so… f*ck it, let's f*ck sh*t up for him. He shoved me here first so this is gonna be his problem after. Man I wish I could get some portal skills already. Maybe if I register at all the hourglasses I'll get the portal skill? Wait! Can't I just tp out of here with the wave?!
Jim looked at the timer on his hourglass and sighed. The timer was there, but the hourglass had a cross symbol across it as if showing that it was unavailable.
Guess this place blocks teleportation. Well, this wave is the Ring's problem. But if I escape, where do I go? Not here obviously, I am a wanted criminal. I got the vassal ring hero's methods, and the other guy is lost, so I don't need Starke for anything. I guess I could go to Jarvestia if things go to sh*t, or I could go to a smaller country and chill there until I get like 150 levels worth of stats from my upgrade methods and equip bonuses. Then no one would be able to touch me and I could wander around wherever I wanted. Eh, I'll pick whatever when I get to it. Right now, escaping is top priority.
"After we get the news out to the top levels, we would need to get the date and time for this and use that to get out of here," Cobalt mumbled.
"I have an idea. So the wave will hit Starke soon, meaning that some manpower will be shifted towards external defense of the capital. And if it hits in the capital, then lots of the knights will be more focused on the waves and less on us," Jim suggested.
"The wave? You have a timer for that as well? How much time is left?"
"Two days and an hour from now," Jim replied.
"Perfect. We will be in the cafeteria at this time so it will be easier to get in position. Just need to make sure me and my boys will be at the right table," Cobalt said, thinking of a plan of action.
"There is another thing. I have this hammer that they can't take away. It has several ways of giving me stats even if I am damped," Jim explained. "If you can help me, I can get stronger and raise our chances in case the plan goes off the rails."
"Alright, what do you need?"
Jim looked at the list of weapon forms.
"I can get power from high quality materials, and turn trash to energy for upgrades. Also, money helps raise the chance of the buff succeeding," Jim replied, scrolling through his list. "So in a nutshell, money and materials, as much as I can get."
"Hm… yeah, we aren't getting money down here, unless we pickpocket a guard, but resources are plenty. Rocks will work right? Cause we got a lot of those," Oblek asked, turning to Jim.
"Anything will work. Also, didn't you mention that you work with materials from monsters as well?"
"Yep, anything that gets sent to us we work on. Speaking of, we did recently get a lot of wolf bones and some hide. The guards said it was from the first wave so you're in luck. But it will have to wait till tomorrow, since that's when they take us out to the forge," Cobalt explained.
"Gotcha. Damn, too bad I didn't get more money, I could buff my best form by so much if I do. Would definitely raise my chances since I got this great one from a day ago," Jim grumbled, looking at the mirror hammer.
Royal Mirror Hammer N
Abilities Unmastered: 5 Magic Attack, 2 Magic Defense
Special Effect: "Reflective Bash"
[O, O]
"Money you say," Cobalt mumbled.
"Something the matter?"
"I may know a way for you to get some," Cobalt said, smiling.
"This guy?" Jim inquired, trying his hardest not to point at the man in the corner. The man was reading a book, seemingly unbothered by the atmosphere around him.
"He may not look like it, but this man is absolutely loaded," Cobalt replied. Then his smile vanished as a muscular dude approached him.
"Ah sh*t, that's a new guy," Cobalt mumbled. "He's about to learn the pecking order really soon."
Jim looked back at the man and saw that a small crowd gathered around the large man and the book reading fella.
"Oi, heard you were the top dog round here. You don't seem very tough however," the larger man said, glancing at the two. However, the man continued to read his book, ignoring the larger man towering over him.
The man grumbled and grabbed the book out of the guy's hands. "Oi! Ya deaf mate? Did you not hear what I said?" he yelled, getting up in the man's face.
Damn, someone peaked in middle school.
The guy who was sitting down looked at the man before him and glanced up and down.
"Return my book and get out of my face, your breath stinks," the man simply replied, holding out his hand waiting for his book. The grunt spit in the hand of the man and smacked him across the head with his book, knocking the guy to the floor.
"The f*ck you said bout my breath? I better teach you a lesson on respecting your superi-HEY!"
The grunt looked to his side and saw one of the guards grab him. He tried to elbow the guard but suddenly several guards pulled out their batons and began beating the man senseless.
"AGH! What the hell?! What did -ACK- I do?!" The man tried to protest, but very soon his screams died down and he was dragged away. Jim noticed a small vial of red liquid inside of the rich man's hands that he quickly gulped down. He then picked up the book and sat back down, continuing to read as if nothing happened.
"Damn… kinda feel bad for that guy," Jim mumbled.
"Really?"
Jim looked at Cobalt and thought for a moment. "Yeah… nah. Feeling passed. Anyhow, if he is loaded, why the hell doesn't he just buy his way out of here?" Jim inquired.
"Javier doesn't have to to basically live like a free man. And apparently he had political problems with the new king regarding elves or something? He doesn't exactly talk to many people here. But either way, all we know is that he stays here cause he gets to live out his life away from the political drama," Oblek explained. "You said your weapon gains power if we feed it materials and money, right? He can provide the money alright."
"So how do we do this?" Cobalt questioned. "I mean, if we bother him too much then he won't want to help us. Worse yet, he may make it harder for us to leave if anything. You got any ideas Ji… JIM!"
Cobalt turned to his side only to realize that the hero was already approaching Javier. He was about to stop Jim, but Oblek grabbed his hand and pulled him back.
"You wanna get killed too? God damn it, what is he thinking?!" Oblek whispered to his friend.
"Hey, my name is Jim. Whatcha reading?" Jim inquired, sitting down next to Javier.
"A book. Why?" the man answered flatly.
"What's it about?" Jim asked again.
"Why do you wanna know?" Javier asked, not even raising his eyes from the book.
"Just curious. Haven't read books in a while," Jim responded.
"I see," Javier blurted out. After a short pause he opened his mouth again. "The book is about a bunch of teenagers with superpowers and a hierarchy in the school they are at."
"Oh, does the main character have the power to copy other powers?" Jim asked, remembering a webcomic from his world. Javier finally tore his eyes away from the book and glanced at Jim.
"Yeah… how did you know?"
"Oh, I read a similar book back in my world. Shame what happened to the main character in season 2. Or I guess that's book 2 maybe?" Jim mumbled.
"Huh? You mean when the man beat the entire royal team in his school with one hand?" Javier asked.
"What? Nah, that happened in season 1. I guess if a half season counts for 1 book, then book 3?" Jim rambled.
Cobalt and Oblek exchanged glances.
"I think they're getting along well?" Oblek whispered to his friend.
"What are you talking about? There are only 2 books. A few spoilers for book 3 were released, but the author didn't release the third book yet," Javier corrected him.
"Damn, this world only got like half way? This is where the main character was ambushed by the king, right?" Jim questioned.
"Yes, and his best friend was the strongest in the school," Javier continued.
"And there was a vigilante trio with laser, hunter, and thunder abilities?"
"YES!" Javier yelled with excitement. "Finally! Someone that actually reads that stuff!
"Of course I do. But man, you are missing on book three and half of book four," Jim mumbled.
"How did you get your hands on the unreleased books?! I couldn't even find the author with my connections!" Javier yelled, standing up from his seat. A few prisoners looked his way, but a glance from Javier forced them to turn back around.
"Eh, I have my ways. But I don't wanna spoil the story for you though," Jim shrugged, getting up slowly. But Javier stepped right in front of him and raised his hand.
"Name your price. I want every detail you remember from said books," he demanded.
Jackpot.
"Well, there is something I need at the moment," Jim mumbled.
"Name it!" Javier insisted.
"How did that actually work?" Cobalt asked. While the rest of the prisoners were left to their devices, Javier took Jim to his private prison cell. There, Jim got a bit of money upfront, and began to retell the webcomic from memory.
"He did what?! The guy is gonna get himself killed, going off on his own!" Javier exclaimed.
"And he almost was! He met a high tier opponent and was nearly killed just as he thought he was safe!" Jim retold.
"So how did he get out of that?"
"An even stronger man saved his ass mid fight!" Jim continued.
.
"So they had a whole base?"
.
"What kind of cracked agility is that!"
.
"WHY DID SHE BREAK THE RECORDER?! WHO DOES THAT IN A STANDOFF?!" Javier yelled, slamming his head on the table.
"I know right! You had one job, and you still managed to f*ck it up!" Jim agreed, smacking the wall next to him. "Welp, I'll get back to you tomorrow. Tho the rest of the story isn't cheap."
"Huh? WAIT HUH?!"
Overall, the discussion got really heated. But by the end of it, Jim got an entire bag of coins that he quickly absorbed into his hammer before the guards noticed.
"No clue, but a bunch of gold is a bunch of gold," Jim grinned. "Who knew I would find a fellow neet here?"
'Look mom! Comics did help me in life!' But for real. That story seemed just like a pure copy paste of the story I had in my world. Not a single change in names or plot was made. I guess a previous hero or one of the vassals went nuts in terms of literature.
Well, I won't look a gifted horse in the mouth. Money is money and I will abuse this for all I can get.
"What the hell is a neet?"
"Don't worry bout it. So, when should we start? Tomorrow is when I stock up on materials, right?" Jim asked, looking around at the guards.
"Yep. So get a good night's rest, we wouldn't want our main star to be exhausted in the morning," Cobalt agreed, leading the two into the prison cell. Jim jumped into his bed and began to sift through his status.
"Alright then, good night," Jim responded, but Cobalt was already snoring away.
Wow. Falling asleep quickly is truly the best ability. Anyway…
Royal Mirror Hammer N
Abilities Unmastered: 5 Magic Attack, 2 Magic Defense
Special Effect: "Reflective Bash"
[O, O]
I have a bunch of garbage from the forest, and a few useless monster drops. I guess I'll keep the herbs for when I unlock recipes, and some of the clothes, but the weapons will have to go. If I turn these into energy and use the money method to get a 100% chance, then…
[Quality Up Successful]
[Quality Up Successful]
[Quality Up Successful]
[Quality Up Successful]
[Quality Up Successful]
Royal Mirror Hammer D
Abilities Unmastered: 5 Magic Attack, 2 Magic Defense
Special Effect: "Reflective Bash"
[O, O]
YO! Its stats have risen by a decent chunk! And since it was a high quality to begin with, its stats are way over what I expected, since its level requirement was only 25. Man, that mirror was kinda a cheat. Now what do I synthesize into it? Rope is a must, that effect is a life saver for real. But now I have to choose between a flaming hammer, and a paralyzing one. Kinda want both, not gonna lie… WAIT! Can't I use the money method to upgrade the methods?
Jim opened up the method list and saw a few more options appear.
So I can upgrade the method itself for a ton of money, and all forms get an extra slot or two, or I could buy slots directly onto a specific weapon for a cheaper price? Well, I know what I'm picking.
Royal Mirror Hammer D
Abilities Unmastered: 5 Magic Attack, 2 Magic Defense
Special Effect: "Reflective Bash"
["Rope", Burning Mallet, "Stone Guard"]
Let's hope Stone Guard does what I think it does and works with this hammer. I got an extra slot just in case to use it. And this hammer has Reflective Bash I have yet to try out.
Jim looked at his money count in the corner and sighed.
And I'm broke again. I guess I'll have to talk to the neet again and sell him the rest of the story to buff my methods next time.
With that in mind, Jim closed his status and slowly drifted off to sleep.
"So you guys just have these crystals lying around?" Hol questioned.
"Yep. They can be found inside particularly large monsters by normal people, sorta like a mana battery. Powers their attacks and stuff. And it's a very common item drop, tho skills just work better so I don't use 'em often," Leona explained. "Though your magic is weird, man. Does everyone in your world just chuck stars at things?"
"Well, yeah, we focus on making stars out of mana, then draw constellations to make a spell tha-," Hol began to explain but Leona turned away, completely uninterested.
"Yada yada, magic shiz, whatever. Just use those if you wanna spam magic so *hic* badly. ERST STRIKERUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Leona screamed, hurling a blast at the nearest monster that committed the great sin of existence. She chugged on another bottle of booze as she continued demolishing the forest with skill after skill, throwing attacks in random directions when she didn't see any monsters nearby. Hol shuddered as he followed her, gaining a bunch of exp and new weapon forms. Thankfully his equip bonuses stayed with him, even if most of his weapon forms were no longer available, but he was quickly stocking up on new equip bonuses to unlock.
Hol formed four small stars made of mana and moved them into a straight line. The spheres of mana morphed into a glowing white arrow and flew into a nearby monster Hol shot them at, blasting its head off and granting Hol more exp. He looked at his empty bar of mana and crushed the stone in his hand.
[150 EXP]
"HUH?!" he yelled, glancing at the notification.
"Wazup?" Leona asked, walking up to the man.
"This stone you gave me… it just gave me exp. I mean, I knew it worked with consumables like alcohol, and sometimes potions, but you had a limit on how much you can drink at a time! This just…"
Hol smiled and glanced at his status. If he could get exp so easily, then just how fast could he get to his previous level in this world? He turned back to Leona with a wide grin on his face.
"How many of those you said you got?"
