DISCLAIMER:
I own neither Naruto nor Solo-Leveling in any way, shape, or form unless it is an OC or a concept not present in the author's original work. Otherwise, many things would have been different.
Also, I will use Japanese names and techniques and write English translations using parentheses. Or I will do the opposite, with the English name and the Japanese version in parentheses. (It will depend on me.)
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hi, everyone. It's me with another chapter for you! First, thanks for reading my fiction continuously and for commenting on my story.
As for the comments, I've heard you both "Rairi Valelira" and "Millerb82" for my English, and to say everything, I'm not an English native.
Thus, I'm more likely to make mistakes in my writing, but I'm trying to ensure there is the least amount of fault in terms of grammar.
The weird phrases are likely due to the application I'm currently using, which gives me weird sentences to "correct" the one I wrote. I'll do my best to look at what my application gives me in terms of "correction" to ensure that there are fewer cases of "weird sentences."
Finally, I've heard your current complaint about the experience. Since I'm already "past the heavy part" where there is a lot of this system, I will ensure all these numbers are less and less frequent and appear at relevant moments when I feel it is worth it to put them.
With everything said and without further redo, let's dive into this chapter.
"Normal speech" / 'thought'
"Biju/Summons/Game System speech"
'Biju/Summons/Game System thought'
Previously, in the last chapter …
"Don't be too hard on that; I had the same feeling that our Ino-chan may grow shortly. Maybe she encountered a boy that snatched her out of this phase?" Said Ino's mother.
*Yelling* "No! I won't let my Princess be snatched out like this so easily!" roared Inoichi.
To be continued…
Current Chapter: Ascension of the Leveling-One - Fourth Part.
- One week after the reconciliation –
*Boom* "Dand it! Another failure!" I yelled.
We found our main protagonist here trying to encompass a new sealing array that would enable him to understand sub-elements better and possibly allow him to learn any, but certainly at a slower pace.
*sigh* "Another failure yet, isn't it?" asked Hinata – to which I answered positively.
"It's not an easy task; none has ever done it, but you're the closest to it. Don't let it down!" she cheered.
"Arigato!" I replied before sighing.
"It is this sensation again? It has been a month or more since it began, and you don't have a clue?" she asked.
"Indeed, it began with this faint pang down there, but now there is uneasiness on a near-constant basis," I answered.
"hu? A pang down there, you say? The last time I heard or read about it was during a lecture about spiritual energy in my early years of training, where it was said that spiritual energy is partially linked to the soul. Maybe something in the Uzumaki's library about souls or the Skiki Fujin may help." She said, making the room silent.
*yelp* "Arigato, Hinata! I'm so stupid for not thinking about it!" I said before I traced toward the library.
*chuckle* "Even with all his buffs and quirks, he still needs help for it," said Hanabi, who perked up the doorframe.
"Indeed, Imouto. You're indeed right, and that's why I like him, if not love him. And since you are here, suppose you finish the part I asked you to read?" she replied.
"Hai! And to say, there is so much here to learn! You made the right call for your boyfriend, Onee-Chan!" she teasingly said.
"Hanabi! We are not in a relationship or engaged!" she replied blushingly.
*chuckle* "Say the girl, who had a crush on someone, was successful in befriending him, had a dispute with him and to reconcile with. If I didn't know better, I would say you are a married couple tha … *boink*" she was trying to say.
Just before, Hinata boinked her on the head and said, "That isn't your concern. You are a tad bit too young to get interested in that subject. Let's return to the compound, as the training session will come."
- Time Skip of an hour –
"That's it. *sigh* it seems that the Reaper Death Seal used for the 9-tails sealing had a lingering effect that affected me when my Naruto's half had thought many times to let go of life.
Hmm; it seems that Minato Tou-san hasn't done the sealing process 100% like it should have been done with the Shinigami's Mask and specific … Oh no, these symbols … don't tell me … *sigh*.
I may know what my job search might involve, but that still explains why I had that feeling and heard whispers and seemingly shadows in my peripheral vision.
These symbols are runes … not made from chakra … but magic. And with the fact it is used with a sealing technique to summon the God of Death – it means that these runes are death runes, and the only universe and game that had these that I can think of are World of Warcraft & Warcraft with the Death Knights & the Lich King." I said with the realization of what it entices in terms of consequences.
"The only place I can find answers to it is Uzushio … and the Mask Shrine … maybe using some runes inside the shrine may help me into it." It was my vocal reflection before I dwelled deep inside the library and my research.
For a good week, I dwelled on my research, which led me to the fact that I needed to go inside the shrine to apply some runes and dwell on what would come out of it. But I don't know any rune, nor how to use magic.
Once, I put a book I didn't need back where I picked it up in the private library that only I have been able to access in the last decade since my parent's death. I heard a *click*
"Huh?" I deadpanned when I saw the part of the library where I put the book slide backward in the wall, to then slide to the side.
Warning!
The job-changing quest chain will begin now if you choose to go in! Once it has started, you won't be able to go backward. You may only have another possibility if you use this one-time wish card you made with your second wish back then.
Do you accept the Job-Changing Questline?
[Y/N]
*sigh* " 'Easy Life is overrated,' they said? I've been doing that since day one; why should I stop now? Of course, I accept!" I replied to Gaia.
Job-Changing Questline accepted – the objectives and rewards are unknown and will only be revealed gradually as you progress!
Before I went downstairs, I used a brush, paper, and ink to write down my thoughts and orders before reading them fully. Then, I created a Shadow Clone to pop it out so it could give the message to every clone.
I used my reverse-summoning tattoo to bring a backpack full of provisions and useful stuff, storage scrolls with equipment, and spare clothing.
Once I had put everything in order, I passed the door, which prompted it to close behind me. The torches lit up progressively as they went down.
"Now is where the fun begins! Let the Game begin!"
- At the High-Council Room in the underground facility -
"Thank you, my dear fellow High-Lords! We are here now, as our boss has begun his job-changing quest." Said Kael Kyrian – 1st High Lord and Lord of Civic.
"Indeed, he has! But I beg to question how it began so soon as he is level 17 as I am aware of." Added Nicholas Tesla – 3rd High Lord and Arch-Magos.
"It may be a job-changing quest that specifies a certain level for it to occur but begins sooner, so when you finish, you end up at the required level?" asked Steven Cohen – 2nd High Lord and the Diplomat-Trader Lord.
*breath* "Both your question and remark are good on their own … but we are in a position where everything is possible … "Easy life is overrated" was his saying – and him going into it so soon is possibly and likely a foreboding of what might be coming.
Thus, we can prepare faster and better. Hence why, we must begin our plan and actions about the reconstitution of the Uzumaki Clan by retrieving any living member of it and all the remains of any dead ones to bring them back to Uzu while we rebuild it out of sight of everyone." Said Mathrac – 6th High Lord and Supreme Master of Silence.
"You are right; having such an important event so soon for him just speaks volumes about hard times coming and sooner than one would want it to happen. For my part, I will already begin a search campaign for new possible recruits so we may be able to have a private army that will help us with funding and have additional intel." Said Macharius – 5th High Lord and Lord-Commander.
*sigh* "That's troublesome, but we'll need the manufacturing production for it to work—Tesla, Macharius; we'll need to know at least what kind of "army" is required and research the most important things we will require to produce the gear to support the said army.
Kael and Steven, please make a prospect with any resource possibilities you can find. Try to find any ore deposit unique to the world of Warcraft, like Saronite; we all know what it would look like, so it would be where to find it that is the problem. But then, do it for any fantasist mineral deposit unique to a fantasy world." Said Belisarius Cole – 4th High Lord and Fabricator-General.
"Every major theme has been layed out before us. Now, we need to precisely plan to ensure the maximum chances of success for them to happen accordingly. For the Uzumaki Clan part, I suggest we look for Kusa and make sure she does come in Konoha instead of Uzushio, as it would be invaluable to us …" said Kael.
With this, the Council of the High Lords continued their planification for the upcoming events.
- Hokage's Office at the same time -
*shivers* 'Why do I feel that a storm is brewing and will cover the Elemental Nations? With the new intel I get from this source and my investigation, I need to have Kakashi step it up to me in the shadows for what's coming!' thought Hiruzen before he asked for Kakashi to come to him with the order of not being late for even a second or the punishment will be severe.
- Back to me and the stairs –
As I descended the stairs, I felt the ambient temperature go downward. 'It was nice; I added a temperature control seal!' I happily thought.
After 2 minutes of going downward, I entered a room with a dim blue light that felt spiritual. It resembled a catacomb with mortuary items, some seemingly coffin-like, and torches from which light emanated.
*sigh* 'It seems I must rely on spiritual stuff. Frankly, my Fuinjutsu knowledge is good enough to allow me additional protection.' I thought before taking out an empty canvas, a brush, and ink to go on then to use them to create a series of seals that would ward off any "low to medium" spiritual attacks that I based on my [Gamer's Mind] perk and spiritual sensory to amplify my [Kagura's Shingan] perk.
When finished, I used my chakra to transfer every spiritual ward seal to every bit of gear I had while I engraved the Spiritual Sensory Seal onto my pinkie finger ring. I also promised to make a "physical Sensory Seal" to engrave onto the ring, thus possibly creating an "Amplifying Sensory Ring" for myself in the long run.
Once the sensory seal was engraved, my senses went high, with my [Gamer's Mind] preventing me from hyperventilating and going into panic mode. I immediately sensed my surroundings and could say that several items seemed cursed, others had traces of negative energies, and the lights were indeed spiritual/magical.
Finally, my impression of these coffin-like items was confirmed to be coffins with dead people inside, seemingly awaiting to be awakened.
*tsk* "Likely to have necromancer(s) or lich(s) down there – *sigh* – well, I may already begin to prepare myself for upcoming darkness to come, thus depriving me of any light." I said while emitting a thin layer of chakra and [aura] around me, continuing with the next room.
For the next thirty minutes, I went to 10 rooms, taking time to look at each room and taking notes of everything I witnessed in a notebook. This enabled me to easily remember each detail, possibly have Tesla and Belisarius decipher it, and get as much stuff out of it as possible.
While I went on, I felt that energy whirled around me into three spots that I rightfully thought were spirits that "spied" on me for whatever master of theirs. When the tenth room was reached, and I was going into the eleventh one – I heard this notorious clicketing sound that many fantasy characters heard.
When I turned around, I saw the "infamous" undead skeleton taking a dulled sword in the right hand.
*sigh* "Well, there is a first to everything – *breathing* – is there any way that allows us not to fight each other? That I can deliver you from any torment you have if your soul is still there, attached to this skeletal form of yours?" I asked while putting my right hand on the handle of my sword on my back without taking any fighting stance to ensure no misunderstanding.
*silence*
*guttural growl* - with the growl done, the skeleton surprisingly lifted his left hand to point behind me and did nothing after that. Showing that it understood me and wanted liberation.
"Thanks, I would hate to cause any unneeded ruckus here and bring more problems," I said before going to the next room.
*whispers* 'Maybe, just maybe, he is the one to bring peace and retribution for us, and cursed may the two people who summon from the swamps become …' said the whisper.
As I progressed through the rooms, whispers, apparitions, and shadowy figures behind me in the shadows began to amass.
'Thank goodness that my [Gamer's Mind] is present with the setting it has. Otherwise, I would be a sobbing mess by now,' I thought when I saw the beginning of a portal with the bottom left and right parts there, but above it, nothing. I suspect it might have been destroyed either as collateral or on purpose.
*whispers* "It seems that another pretender has come, coming from the clan which made a pact with Death itself … One that possesses potent dark-ish energies in him … One that tasted death itself effectively twice and far more on a lower level …" whispered the dark voice.
*silence*
"Does he have the willpower … the tenacity … the courage to face the undefeatable? The unavoidable? Let's let the game begin!" said the dark whisper, sending a shiver down my spine.
With that, different stones levitated before reassembling the "destroyed portal," with the skull of a horse with horns, which activated once restored with a seemingly whirling portal of icy-blue and purplish spiritual energy.
'A Death Gate, a portal that leads to a flying necropolis, is unmistakable for those who recognize it … wait, what was the voice like? Oh, I pray it isn't a Dreadlord or anything like it.' I thought.
Warning: Job-Changing Quest Update!
[Objectif uncovererd]
Explore the catacombs.
You'll be able to find out the Job-changing Quest Dungeon entering's door.
[Bonus Objectif completed]
Reach the portal without having to resort to violence.
Earn the respect of the residents of the Great Beyond who lingered here.
[Rewards]
Reputation with the unknown faction goes from Inamical to hopefully amicable.
+ 750 exp
+ 30,000 Ryo
+ 75 FSP
*sigh* "Well, I do hope I do get grey hairs with all the sighing cases I got recently – *humming* – I don't think it would do well if I use my free wish pass I got from "unused wish" from the time before I reincarnated. More problems I can account for will likely occur if I do such a thing. In both lives, I dealt with things straightforwardly, so I don't think I will change the formula right now, shall I not? *chuckle* Let's go!" I mused before going straight into the portal.
- Inside the Dungeon -
When I could see again and took a good look at where I was, I noticed that I was unmistakenly in a place that was a mix between Naxxramas – the flying bastion of the Arch-Lich Kel'Thusad and the hallways of Torghast – the Tower of the Damned.
"A mix between the necropolis of Naxxramas and the headquarters of the Jailer of the Shadowlands (= afterlife in the universe of Warcraft) that can be found in the "Maw" region (= hell in Warcraft) of the Shadowlands? …" I mused.
*exasperated sigh*
"Let us not wander any longer! As my welcome comity as come before me!" I said while putting my right hand on the handle of my sword.
"Wait, Living-One! We didn't come to fight you but to bring you the word of our leader; please hear us out!" said a levitating figure adorning in greyish robes, a skull belt, and metallic gloves whose color mimicked bone's coloration.
Spiky armbands of the same color as the gloves are located just below the elbow. The Shoulder pads are bone-ish in color, with two curved spikes around the shoulders on each one and a blue gem at the bottom.
To conclude, the whole gear has a cyclic helmet around the face, thus letting see a glowing spark that seems to be the "head." The helmet's upper part appears to be a partial peacock's tail that adorned a skull at the top.
(A/N: if you have a hard time seeing what I meant by the description, type the name "Fatescribre Roh-Kalo" – it should be in the first few links for a better understanding of the description made.)
*sigh* "I'll definitively ask her to make sure I don't have any grey hairs by the end! You can speak your mind, Roh-Kalo san. But beware, my mind isn't trackable like other "mortals" you have faced before." I answered.
"I could feel that, dear Maw-Walker! Your mind is stronger than any mortal I've seen before this encounter. You can surpass them all, and to top it off – you have another source of power inside you and the mark of death itself onto you. Thus, you are likely the one to redeem the dire situation we are currently facing! Let us go on a walk to speak of it more!" said Roh-Kalo.
"First, let me ask you how much you know about us. Maw Walker!" it asked.
On queue, I told him everything I knew about them, a.k.a. telling him all I knew about the Warcraft Verse, beginning with the "Warcraft games" and ending with "World of Warcraft" and its "last extension" of the game, passing by the original World of Warcraft game and its extensions like "Wrath of the Lich King," "Mist of Pandaria," "Battle for Azeroth," and "Shadowlands."
Roh-Kalo listened to me intently, asking me precise questions at certain points for clarification. He hid with his subordinates but not me to an extent, as he's old, and my sensory abilities can't fully capture his feelings. However, surprise and astonishment were among them to an extent.
"Fascinating, really fascinating! You have a really deep knowledge of our world's situation for an "outsider" – truly remarkable indeed. Now let me fill you with what happened next that you don't know about, shall I?" asked Kalo.
With that said, Roh-Kalo went on that millions if not billions of years ago, after the "Shadowlands" events – things went downhill gradually, with the different planes wars between two planes of existence. Like the Shadow & Nature War, the Order & Arcane War, etcetera.
In a final battle to restore equilibrium, the residents of Azeroth, coupled with several representatives of the different planes of existence, bent together to enact the "Final Startle of Creation," a protocol deeply embedded in creation itself, or at least this part of creation.
Allowing anyone who had the consent of all planes of existence in any way, shape, or form to "reset" things up –unfortunately, due to the betrayal of some representatives.
It was only partially successful, as the "original effect" was to reset everything down to the most minute details, thus preventing anything from happening before the reset. The Shadowlands, which testified to it, confirmed this.
Because of this, the realms have been decaying for a long time, while new domains and "deities," as we call them, have popped up in replacement but are unstable.
"And that would summarize everything, dear Naruto. The failure to fully reset things up to null puts this part of creation in jeopardy, and things need to be rectified. How? Things are unclear without any figurehead and leader to lead the way." Said Roh-Kalo.
"In summary, things went downhill; then, when it should have reset, it flatly didn't; decay appeared during the "new order" but not as intended because of the betrayal. Is that it?" I replied
"Yes, it is! Such an insightful sight to behold!" dispaired the being.
"I do suppose that my coming will be a game changer and bring harmony to an unharmonious setting?" was my second question.
"Indeed, it is what I and others who felt your coming from the portal felt at that moment. As of now, you are far too young and inexperienced for that to happen truly. But with time and dedication, you will become the person who brings back the Equilibrium. With your little fit, we felt when you could temporarily conjure the spirit of these three diseased ones to "life," thus enabling closure for them." Said the Mawsworn Archivist.
"I see. That thugging is deep inside me was a calling … a calling of those from the Great-Beyond the Veil. A calling … for what? I don't know, but I hear them – even now, the thugging is here but greater than ever." I said while taking a breath, kneeling on one knee while closing my eyes, and letting my senses expand to allow the feeling of my surroundings in and out.
"A quite delicate situation, Maw-Walker; indeed, it is truly a situation not everyone can be located in, and even less would there with the mental strength to support it as well as you did and still do. No matter this quite auspicious perk of yours, not even Arthas, with all his benevolent will and strength, was able to sustain away the whispers – not Anduin, who, even after a lifetime, was able to get rid of thy odious stench of guilt that death put upon him when the shard of domination was implanted inside of him to be then removed after the fall of the Jailor." He added.
*silence*
We continued in silence for a couple more minutes before we reached a door leading to a belvedere overlooking a desolated and grim landscape dotted by greyish rocky formations – which are themselves dotted for some of a phosphorescent greenish flame of the sort I recognized as the "The Beast Warrens."
A place that Mawbeasts and other Mawsworn entities of all sorts inhabit. Far away, in the right below, I could see the place that used to be the refuge of Venari – a merchant of sorts – and the stone that the players used to go in and out of the Maw straight to Oribos – the Capital of the Shadowlands.
"A not-so-lovely sight. The place dwindled from what it was at its prime; it was at least a tenth of its size back then. It's still impressive, but more is needed.
I could go on and on to convince you to accept or not, but the truest way of convincing you or not is to let you wander throughout the lands; maybe you will be able to access the other congregations' lands to see what state Shadow Lands are!" said Roh-Kalo.
"Indeed, my dear, I thank you for your time and explanations you gave me! I'll be on my way to wander." I replied with a bow.
Once finished, I used the stairs to wander, but not before the Mawsworn Archivist appeared next to me to say:
"Before you go on your errand, here are two items of the utmost importance for your journey; this skill of yours can consume the first, and the other is automatically refilled when you make an encampment," he said before handing me a map and a gourd.
*laughing* "Well, with that addition of the map, I won't get lost ever again! And this gourd, I can sense it's enchanted to refill –thank you, my dear! It will sincerely be helpful for me! And is it possible to send a message to someone?" I asked.
"Only one message, my dear, is all that can be afforded," replied Vena'ri.
"Oh, nothing much!" I answered before scribbling my message – "Give it to Keal Kyrian! And here is the location where the message is to be retrieved." I added before leaving.
"Farewell, Maw-Walker, may your journey be fruitful! Please, my dear servant, send it to the localization!" he asked before some steps were heard behind him.
"It seems that the one who will allow us to return to our golden age or a somewhat similar state has arrived. Let us see throughout the journey if he is worthy," said a seemingly angelic being with blue skin.
"May his confrontations show his valor!" added an orcish woman with green glowing eyes, a quite skeletal armor with a skull as a belt, and two green-glowing axes.
"Some phantoms of the past still torment him – may he find harmony and inner peace," said a blueish dryad/centaur-like being with horns pointing toward the back and green leaf-like armor.
"He is tormented, yet he has the seed for greatness and compassion! Let us see his … journey to see how he coats and harvests his true potential," said an aristocratic vampire-like being.
"Indeed, we shall see and pray that he is the one that shall bring back balance – but I have yet to feel that people connected to him shall help the other realm.
For which, one is assured to go the Light but can become an ally to maintain balance, another one is doomed to become part of Disorder and bring chaos to us all, a third one is aligned with Order, a fourth one he spoke a little bit of is aligned with Life and would be a great ally. At the same time, I am still waiting to see one for Shadow. But the one for disorder can also be a candidate for the shadow," said Roh-Kalo, describing what each person is.
"It is indeed preoccupying that one can be a candidate for two sides of the equilibrium – this Sasuke Uchiha is to be kept under surveillance to study further his path to come." Said the angelic being.
"It shall indeed be!" said Kalo before they went somewhere
- Outside the Shadowlands in Konoha – Underground Meeting Room -
"What is it this time that requires an urgent meeting?" asked Macharius.
"A message scroll from the Original came out with a seal that … from what I recognize, means many things," said Kael while showing off the scroll and its seal, making five other High Lords widen their eyes in recognition.
*Nervous laughter* "To say this moron has fallen upon this specific Job-Changing Quest! Either he is becoming the Arbiter or the Lich-King or something along the lines. Heck, he may become the Lich-King and then the Arbiter or something!" said Tesla
*sigh* "Frankly speaking, because he rubbed shoulders with death for many occasions in both lives, it isn't surprising! He could have been a Shinigami from Bleach or the Rider of the Apocalypse from Darksiders. While on the other hand, I now know what kind of equipment I would aim to produce." Replied Belisarius.
"Indeed, it also narrows what to prospect in terms of resources and people to recruit as we don't want any people that would become psychotic with the powers of death itself. We may have found a good way for you to have a better spy network, Mathrac.
"Indeed, the scourge and the Covenants had good spies in the Venthyr Convenant and its Dreadlords. I shall prepare as much as possible by researching their data." He replied.
"Militarily speaking, I can go two ways – for one, I could go with Maldraxxus and his Necro-Legions, but I have the feeling it could be restored so it wouldn't be truly functional on several instances if it is the case – on the other hand I could create the Ebon Blade and its Death-Knights, but even then it depends on the Original to add the last bit of intel about it." Though Macharius out loud.
"Indeed, but the Venthyrs could also be useful for diplomatic purposes! And these merchants were named … ah, yes, the Brokers! If they still exist, they can help!" said Steven.
The second preparation meeting for my return continued for a long time.
- With Hinata -
*sigh* "I miss him a lot even though I know he is gone for his important mission," she said, with Hiashi nodding.
"I can see that even after so much drama that occurred, you are still on the same side as you were before the revelation, aren't you?" said Hanabi teasingly, making Hinata blush and trying to explain it.
"While I know I have no real right to know, what kind of quest that Naruto went on are you speaking about, since he is still "here" and doing stuff?" asked Neji with Hanabi, showing that she was on the same page as Neji.
*sigh* "The Naruto that you see is a reinforced Shadow Clone that is here as a masquerade to fool everyone and live as a true Shinobi should be – training in the shadow and striking true at the moment noticed. And for the Important Mission, the true Naruto went on; no real details were given other than that it was a life-changing one of the utmost importance, as if he failed to reach his fullest potential … it wouldn't be pretty. The closest case would have to be the transplant of the Sharingan eye from Obito to Kakashi, which happened on the battlefield of the 3rd Great Shinobi War and just before Obito's death." Hiashi explained roughly.
The rest of the audience gulped at it, thinking how important it was not to mess up such a thing.
- Somewhere else –
*whispers* "It does seem… that the great beyond the veil powers have chosen their champion – so do we! We'll need to see how it turns out to be before making our attempt!" said the whispers, with other ones assenting to it.
- Back with Naruto's journey –
Time is one of the greatest mysteries, alongside the six other mysteries of creation. They are known to me as The Pillars of Creation – referring to Time – Space – Life – Death – Concept/Notion – Reality, and Causality. These govern everything, with Causality reigning supreme, one that not even reality can truthfully beat without destroying itself.
While inside the maw, I lost the notion of time while I visited every crook of the place that sparked my interest while sensing its residents, which, for the most part, were feral. Others weren't and had formed warbands and cults to survive. I finally finished my journey at the Vena'ri's refuge with an interesting event.
When I approached the stone of travel, some magic circle surrounded me with a voice that let me know what was speaking to me.
"Who are you? No living one has ventured there since the Jailer & world of the Living War – which saw the living ones triumph against the jailer! But most importantly, how do you have a death Shard on you and a second power source? And why are you here?" said the voice from my right.
"Well, as you said, I'm a living one from the realm of the living. For the second question, I "received" it at birth as the second source you feel is an energy-based being that other humans call a "demon" in their ignorance – and my father used a forbidden technique that required the sacrifice of one soul to the deathly entity in exchange for being able to seal within oneself any opponent you face.
The "Yin half" of the being is withheld within the deathly entity while I got the yang half. So, I'm marking you with this Deathly Shard you refer to.
For said being, it is one known as a Biju or Tailed Beast, with the one known as the Kyubi or the 9-tails Fox.
Finally, for your last question - *sigh* - I've wandered for an unknown amount of time here in the Maw to find my path. And if I'm not mistaken, you are Vena'ri?" I replied with honesty, which was taken care of.
*humming*
"I feel no deceit in your words, Maw-Walker. This containment method is one risky way of dealing with the power I feel from this second source. Why? Why are you searching your path in such a desolate place? And yes, I'm Vena'ri." it replied.
When asked the question, I honestly explained the reason.
…
*silence*
…
"A very interesting tail that you have, one kind of story I haven't heard of in a long time, if not ever. One I can understand. But if you want to find your "path,". You need to understand each place's story, what it is, its function in the great scheme of things, and its past and present to find your path better. I feel the shimmering fate of this place intertwining with you.
Do you agree with my request to allow me to show you the path of this place?" asked Vena'ri.
Ding! New Update to Your Job-Changing Quest.
[Objectives]
Visit all places of the Maw - 9/10
Meet the residents of the Maw - 17/40
Meet Vena'ri -
The vision of comprehension found -
The vision of comprehension completed – Impending.
[Reward]
20,000 Ryo
200 Exp.
"An indeed interesting power that you have! One that helps to put things straight up. But are you strong without it, or are you dependent on it?" said the merchant.
*silence*
"How about I go on this path you asked me without my system on?" I asked back.
"An interesting proposal I feel is equitable for both parties. Now, let's go to the place to begin your true journey." He said.
"Gaia, is it possible to do what I proposed?"
"Indeed, Naruto. But beware: The system's deactivation will normally last a week, but it might take longer with how time flows here. From what I could gather, it seems from the moment you began wandering up to this point. Three normal days have occurred while you seemed to have "aged" by three years already." Said Gaia, making me go wide-eyed.
"So, it is a day-to-year conversion with one day of real-time equal to a year here. I do hope I won't turn to dust when I return to the realm of the living." I nervously chuckled before adding, "Please, Gaia, deactivate the system momentarily. I will deal with it alone … thank you for your aid!
You have saved me a crap load of time with my training. But truthfully, I felt I'd been relying too much on you and the system. So, not having you beside me will give me a pause in all that! I may even find a way to upgrade it; it won't be overbearing in the future!" I said with enthusiasm.
I appreciate your concern for me! Take your time with it; put yourself first! I would understand if you would not reactivate me even after your journey there.
"Don't be like that. You are an integral part of me, and deactivating you forever would be the same as chunking a bit of myself. So, if I can find anything to help you, Gaia, I will retrieve it." I replied with a genuine Foxy Grin of mine.
Vena'ri observed my interaction and thought, 'He acknowledges his overreliance on his power and is ready to part from it, yet he also believes it as a part of himself. And he is prepared to do everything to improve it; from the way he spoke, he seemingly wants to create an avatar of sorts. It is yet to be revealed what purpose he wants it for.
How considerate of him, he does not seem to consider his somewhat sentient power as a mindless tool to do its bidding but as a companion of the sorts.
*chimer* He might rightfully be the one to settle things up there. May you look over him, dear adventurer and members of the Horde and Alliance! He might be the one you spoke that will restore things!'
With all things said and thought, I joined up with Vena'ri, and we both went to the orb that I remembered to be the one used to go inside Torghast – the Tower of the Damned.
Once we reached and used it, we were inside the Tower. We then went to a specific place I don't recall at all that Vena'ri called the hall of recalling. He explained that it would allow me to see everything I needed to understand the situation.
"Farewell, Maw-Walker, this journey ahead of you will be difficult beyond belief; ambushes of all sorts will await you at each corner! May fortune smile upon you!" he said.
"Thank you; I wish you fortune until I return!" I waved back before going to the pool and diving in.
- Timeskip of 30 years in the Shadowlands, which is equivalent to 1 month of real-time | World of the Living –
During this month, the council felt that I was still alive through their link with me as they were my clones, and this inner change they felt through our connection and knew I was on the right track.
People were scouted, and stories were made to ensure they could be recruited without attracting suspicion. A Merchant Guild was born and named the Whirlwind Merchant Guild – WMG for short – that would ensure I got a constant flow of cash, goods, and connections.
A Delivery Guild was created under Tempestuous Delivery – TD in short – that delivered any package wherever you wanted in record times and safely.
Uzushio's old defenses were restored and renewed in secrecy from the center of the village to the shores to ensure that none could sense the disturbance immediately.
As for Hinata, she continued to improve herself while not showing too much progress too quickly – as the elders noticed a change in her, Hanabi, Neji, and Hiashi.
Thus, it began to stir turmoil in the Hyuga clan but was mitigated for now thanks to the plan that Hiashi and my clones – except Mathriac, as he is the black ops leader, only a full consensus of all six clones and myself could allow anyone to know the existence of Mathriac – the existence of the underground facilities, the clones shocked them to their inner core again.
Making them swear to me and my never-ending stream of secrets and shenanigans to never piss me off to the point I would unleash any more secrets onto this world.
As for the rest of the world, everyone felt cold-shivering creeping their back about things to come that would go worse soon in some form; even Black Zetsu began to worry at this feeling that something big was coming to crash his plans to resurrect his "mother" while Obito and Pain worried deep down about their plans being put into jeopardy.
This shivering made every major player realize it would be better to amp up militarily, but doing so would jeopardize the precarious stability. Thus, they met with each other to ensure that things would go well with a Kage summit shortly, with Kiri included in the lot.
Somehow, the Civil War ended with the "rebellion" and the "loyalists" putting their grudges in the back with something about the 4th Mizukage being out of character, thus launching the Civil War – another thing to ask later.
- Same time within the Shadowlands -
"Ohayo, Roh-kalo, Vena'ri! I do hope you are doing well enough!" I said with a grin.
"Indeed, we are doing good! Your training as a Death Knight seems to be going well in every aspect. Your swordsmanship is spot-on for someone that young.
Your proficiency in the unholy specialization (= Necromancy and DOT damage through plagues, broadly speaking) is advancing quite nicely while requiring some refining here and there, but nothing to scoff at overhaul as you are forty-two years in Shadowlands years.
Your blood specialization (= tank specialization) and the use of dark energy to sustain yourself are the weakest, yet by your world standards, they are still good. With time, you'll become a true juggernaut once mastered.
As for your frost specialization (= instant damage through frost, not to confound with ice release from the Yuki clan), it is the most advanced of all; the Yuki clan of your world would blush in jealousy at such a sight and from what could be collected, at least one survivor remains. Thus, it would become imperative to secure it in any way." Said Vena'ri.
"Indeed, all of this is true. But where you truly shine is your ability to assert dominance through your presence; your aura ability is a great addition. To top it off, 85% approximatively is under your control, with at least 10% being Torghast itself.
Additionally, you have come a long way on the road of the Archivist and trader, two things your Blood Clones will appreciate greatly once you share with them." Said Roh-Kalo, with Vena'ri nodding to it.
"If I were to say it nigh for you to forge your own Mourneblade, you have Runeblades and different armor sets for most of the situation. Yet a true ruler of the Shadowlands, but for now, the Maw requires a signature weapon. Thus, the Mourneblade will be your first signature weapon, symbolizing many things with your complete rule over the Maw being the first thing." Said Roh-kalo.
"Indeed, I will have to conquer Torghast. If my memory serves me well, there are six primary wings with eight layers of ten floors each, making 480 floors to traverse in six wings.
There are ten secondary wings and twenty minor wings, and all the non-primary wings follow the same pattern, thus ramping up the number of floors to 2,480.
*sigh*Sheesh, it will take a while for me to do it, but not impossible. And frankly, I'm not surprised that there are that many floors in total." I said.
"A great challenge to overcome, but you have yet to acquire the last bit of component for the weapon that is coincidentally located in the last bastion of resistance to oppose you truly. How will you overcome the situation?" Vena'ri.
"While I could blitz directly through it, it would let an indelible trace upon the mind of everyone – a diplomatic approach? It's not worth it, as it would easily go back to fighting and could mess things up. The best choice is stealth; even though I know they are the anti-stealth portion of the Maw, it would be the best way to retrieve the last component while earning their respect." I replied.
"It's a wise choice; let us prepare it!" said Roh-Kalo before we went to the room to prepare the plan to the most minute detail.
- Timeskip of six months of Shadowland's time or twelve hours in the realm of the living -
I crouched low while being stuck near the bottom of the wall, the last bastion of resistance, using my shadow walk amulet ability, which enabled me to go through the shadow for an hour before having a 3-hour cooldown.
'Part one done. Now, I have to sense the right timing for the patrol to use the other ability of the amulet, which would enable me to go through matter but at the cost of lowering the time I have to sneak in the shadows by half while adding an extra 50% time to the cooldown.' I thought while using my Kagura Shingan to sense them and waited for the right moment.
A moment that would come ten minutes later when a patrol of Maw Guards, one Maw Caster, and one Soul-Seeker (= a Mawsworn whose job is to detect intruders) passed and went to my left on the other side of the wall.
In contrast, other Soul-Seekers look in different directions, thus enabling me a safe passage of about two minutes. Which opportunity I took up and bomb-rushed through the wall and, in a series of swift acrobatics and parkour moves, went up to the bottom of the inner walls of the dungeon.
'Now, I got only twenty minutes of concealing time. And one shot at traversing matter before becoming too risky for it to do it and run away.' I thought and waited again.
For two minutes this time around, I found the perfect angle to do it with one Shade (A/N: see them as spectral ghosts that can also be detected through sight and are invisible to normal eyesight) turning to the right direction, thus enabling a split-second to go out for this angle.
Once I'd bypassed it and all subsequent guards that were easily dodgeable, I stood up in the artifact chamber where the last component of my blade was stored, which I could take while bypassing the security without triggering it and putting a fake one.
'Done! Now, I have to leave!' I thought while on pure instinct, I went to the only place that would enable me to hide and leave the chance to escape fully.
*humming* "What a magnificent piece of raw material; what a shame I can't access thy place to forge it with other components for a good weapon against the boy. While I have to admire his tenacity, among other qualities, he is unfit to rule the Maw and, subsequently, the Shadowlands if he truly wants it." Said Dalora – a Herald Mawsworn who served the Jailer at one point.
While she continued her monologue, I spotted the right time to leave through the tower's only window (A/N: the only building among all buildings inside the Maw to possess such a thing) via my amulet. To add salt to the wound, it was aimed at a location outside the outer wall of the whole place.
With my sacking done when I landed outside the place, my concealing charm dissipated, thus prompting me to run as fast as possible while not using any abilities as it would alert them of my presence. Once I was far ahead, I used my [Death's Advance] Death Knight ability to increase my speed by 35% while being unable to be slowed below my normal maximum speed. This prompted a reaction from some guards that alerted others of my moving away presence – once at a distance where projectiles wouldn't reach, I used my ability to summon my Archerus Deathcharger – aka, my deathly/undead white glowing poney – and made it go to ride hell for leather toward my encampment.
"Hmm, it seems that you are not as unworthy as I thought you were, Naruto – *chuckle* – well, let us see what weapon you will forge and how you will conquer Torghast and its 2,480 floors and 50 wings." Said Dalora.
- To my encampment -
"My congratulations, Naruto, your prestation is up to par with our expectations of you!" said Roh-Kalo.
"Indeed, it is commendable to infiltrate such a place while not on the same level as Torghast when the Jailer was alive and active. It is nevertheless a good prestation! If you weren't leading the way you are leading now, I would recommend you to be one broker as I am (Broker = merchant and archeologist at the same time, broadly speaking)." Said Vena'ri.
"Thanks, guys! It took some time, but I could achieve it thanks to our prep time together!" I cheered up and then nodded at it.
With that said, we all went for preparations for the raiding of Torghast and the forging of my weapon.
- Another six months skip at my encampment -
"Well, all preparations are done! Now, it is only up to you, Naruto, to achieve the unsurmountable! Going inside Torghast up to the forge section, the forge that saw Frostmourne, the Helm of Domination, and many other instruments of the Jailer were forged. To conquer Torghast, making you the one true leader of the Maw." Said Roh-Kalo.
"Indeed, it is a monumental task ahead of you, my dear Naruto! A fit that I truly believe only you can achieve!" said a giggling Vena'ri.
"Indeed, by the way. Will I be able to see souls from before the Cosmic Restart?" I asked
"Possibly! Nothing is sure about that! Yet, if you can retrieve some of the souls of old that may have a link with the Ebon Blade and its Death Knights, it will bolster your forces in the Shadowlands and help your troops in the realm of the living." Said Kalo.
"Just for confirmation, is it okay for me to reactivate my system for Torghast?" I asked
"It would be wise to activate it again; thirty years in the shadowlands without it enabled you to be weaned from dependence on it. Besides, I won't surprised that … changes occurred to it." Said Kalo.
With all said again, I went on the orb that would land me where countless players of a certain game had landed before! Torghast!
- Inside the Tower of the Damned -
If one describes the entrance room, it would be a metallic, dismal greyish-blue color, all in a gothic style with spikes and sharp edges and a seemingly central brazier emitting a constant stream of Anima – the energy unique to the Shadowlands to go up to another one oriented toward the first one with five statues of hooded persons in the back of the room, overlooking the major wings.
If you were to look upstairs at some of the ceilings, they would look like floors if you looked upside down, with the floor being the ceiling.
(A/N: if you can't visualize it or want to know what it looks like, you can type "Torghast first room" in the picture page of your browser, and it should be the first top left image to visualize what the entrance room looks like – for the upside down description, the 2nd image to the right of the 1st would encompass the description.)
On my right along the corridor was a door that I remembered leading the players to the room where Primus was. He was the founder and leader of Maldraxxus, one of the four convenents of the Shadowlands. At some point, he was imprisoned by the Jailer.
He served to help the players in their ascension of the wings of Torghast until we learned it was the Primus since we didn't directly know it was him. Once saved, a spectral apparition was created to fill the gap left by our rescue of the Primus.
I went into the room to see if anyone was in there, and, to my surprise, there was one. To what I could tell, a girl or woman was inside a crystal fettered to the walls by chains on which runes were inscribed.
"Is someone here? Please … tell me that finally, someone is here to liberate me from my torment …" said a voice from the crystal.
*humming* "Yes, I'm here, and I didn't really … expect someone to be there in the first place … are you from one of the four covenants of the Shadowlands?" I asked.
"Indeed, I'm from the former Maldraxxus covenant – from what I can sense, you are like the Maw-Walker from the time when the Jailer was still alive, and you are a Death Knight to boot it. Can you please liberate me?" she asked again.
"Well, since I know the Primus used to help the Maw-Walker in his ascension of Torghast before being liberated by the Maw-Walker, so I'll help. So what do I do for it?" was my reply.
"Thank you for your help in liberating me. You'll need to reach the last floor of the last layer of the left Skoldus Hall wing when you leave this room. There, the one maintaining my crystal prison residence, it won't fully liberate me, but alas, I would be able to move a bit. Of course, I will provide equipment when I'm half-liberated until I'm fully liberated …" Replied the voice until I interrupted.
"Let me guess; I need to recuperate the common resource known as a [Soul Ash] as the main catalyst for the equipment; to enhance it, I'll need some [Soul Cinders], and possibly to perfect it, I'll require a [Cosmic Flux], neh?" I asked.
"That is indeed correct! You are knowledgeable about the process; it isn't your first time. Or are you well informed?" the voice asked.
"The latter! It would be; I'll be on my way now for the wing! Cya later, since it will take a little while for it!" I replied, letting the voice go to its device.
"What a strange individual; the feeling I got from him indicated things that need visual confirmation," muttered the voice.
- With me in front of the wing, I needed to complete -
*sigh* "Well, now I will fully enjoy the grind to obtain all the stuff to pimp myself up and conquer it – now, let's go onto the reinitialization of my Gamer System." I said before I mentally pushed the switch on for my system.
Gamer System reinitialization is in progress.
1% … 2% … 5% … 17.5% … 38% … 64% … 85% … 100%
Reinitialization completed!
Once the system's voice said that the reinitialization was completed, an apparition of a magnificent woman who looked like a priestess in her battle robes emerged.
…
*silence*
…
Ding! All the features of your Gamer System are back!
"Dang it! Why the first woman I encounter after so long has to be my Gamer System Avatar …" I said with Anime tears falling from my eyes while I was on my knees and my hands near my visage.
*discomfort* "If you want Naruto, I can change my voice and appearance to fit better!" said Gaia
"No need; it will do, and the image cannot be unseen!" I said.
"Okay, now let's see how strong you have … become … what these updated stats and techniques are in the name of the divine! It … it's quite literally five times over what you had before the deactivation of the system, and you are also level 50!" gawked Gaia
"Let me see my updated status!" I asked
[Status Window]
[Name]
Uzumaki Naruto
[Age]
43 years old – in Shadowlands time
[Level]
Level 50
[Title]
Gamer | Kyûbi Jinchuriki | Death Knight
[Race | Gender]
Human | Male
[Allegiance]
Yourself | The Maw – near full allegiance from it.
HP: 1,687,500 | Regen: 48,214.29/minutes
Energy: 12,000,000 | Regen: 71,705.88/sec
Runic Power: 0/150 – Runes: 6/6
CC: 75%
STR: 8,000 | VITA: 22,500 | DEX:8,000
INT: 4,600 | WIS: 4,600 | CHA: 100/100
LUC: Lucky B***ard | DMG RDCT: 20%
SPD: 40 km/h with weights | 80 km/h without weights.
FSP = 5,000
Money: 4,150,000 Ryo
Notification: Since your magical potential has been awakening through the fact you became a Death Knight that uses Domination Magic, otherwise known as Death Magic – both mana and chakra fused to become one; thus, your control has increased significantly on top of every workout you made to improve it.
Secondly, two other resources have been added to your energy: the Runic Power and the Runes – which amplify your Death Knight abilities. A rune automatically recharges every 15 seconds once used. The runic power is generated through normal and energy-based attacks.
Thirdly, as you become a Death Knight, a soul-binding stone has been created, thus liking your soul to it, therefore making you, for all intent and purposes, Immortal in battle as your soul will be attracted to your body and reintegrate it. But you will reappear from the closest graveyard of any kind.
Beware, you can still die of old age, but with your Uber Uzumaki heritage, you can expect to live up to several hundred years; with your Death Knight Status, it has easily been bumped to two millennia – but thanks to your situation, you can choose whenever you want to "pass out."
(A/N: In the lore, any Death Knight is immortal for all intents and purposes until they repay their grievance, which can last forever.
But they can still rot and decay as they all are brought back from the dead by dark ritual – as for Naruto becoming one.
Due to him having been "touched/blessed" by the Shinigami while being, which has been used as a catalyst for his transformation into a Death Knight while alive, it allowed him to bypass the rotting and decay aspect of it)
…
*Silence*
…
"Well, I now know what I have to do to make sure I don't enter into a depression … I either need to make sure that any wife I'll marry in the future can live as much as myself or I "pass on" to the other side," I said while I deflated at the idea.
"Don't be pessimistic, please. I know it is a lot to take on, but it isn't as bad as it could have been!" Gaia tried to cheer up.
"Indeed! Now that I'm better armed than ever, let's rock and roll!" I boastingly said while passing by the portal of the Skoldus Hall.
"Ah, it's the gloomy, misty wings where we are on the ceiling if the cages being suspended from the "floor" is any indication! Now, let's go!" I muttered to myself before I took my Runeblades attached to my hips, thus making me take my frost specialization.
I was on a bridge running at break speeds until I saw two Mawsworn warriors, mages, and a Mawsworn dog.
"[Frost Strike]," I yelled before imbuing my weapons with icy powers of frost, thus enabling me to add +53% frost damage to Runeblades.
-375hp times six 2 Mawsworn guards, 2 Mawsworn mages, and 1 Masworn dog dead.
The three remaining warriors appeared on three sides of me in a second while the two Mawsworn mages/casters prepared their [Domineering Bolt] skill to launch on me.
I used my [Empower Rune Weapon] & [Pillar of Frost] combo to increase my agility and strength while generating 5 Runic Power instantly, with five others coming every 20 seconds up to a minute.
This caused my [Killing Machine] capacity to activate, thus making any [Obliterate] skill I used in the next 10 seconds to land a critical strike, which I capitalized to pulverize the three opponents that were about to hit me by striking them with a critical strike of my [Obliterate] skill – shattering their armor at the impacts like you would smash to pieces a piece of ice with a hammer.
-1,200 hp times three 3 Mawsworn guards dead.
I heard whistles coming at me, signifying that the [Domineering Bolt] from the three mages was launched. I used my [Anti-Magic Shell] ability to create a barrier that absorbs up to 30% of my maximum health as magic damage to tank the bolts, making me immune to status problems.
I then used my [Death Grip] ability to pull one of the mages to me so I could hit it with my [Howling Blast] ability to launch a howling burst of frosted wind to him while it was empowered by my [Frimas] talent – thus empowering the howling by 225%.
350hp 1 Mawsworn mage dead
I then used my [Remorseless Winter] ability to create a storm of ice that rotated around me, like an ice Rasengan – whose effects were to continuously damage any enemies inside the radius of it while slowing up to 30% of their speed and time reaction. Then, I used my Shunpo to go between them, striking them suddenly with my rotating frost tempest.
-125hp times six, all remaining enemies dead.
"Well, that's a chilling victory, isn't it?" I smirked when I saw a black swirling orb that I knew was an Anima Orb, which gives me a buff that only stays up until I defeat the final boss.
I activated the orb to get my choice of buff: [Unbreakable Cuffs] – [Skull Bloomer] – [Undertaker's Crown]
"Wut! All three are good, dang it! Either I take a piece of a combo that will allow me to clear mobs of enemies damn quick or a Giga buff to the damage of my main frost damage ability and my healing strike + more healing from the said strike.
Or I take the buff that enables me to automatically launch a distance attack each time an enemy hits me to one target to damage one enemy, or it launches the projectile onto myself, which would heal me in turn.
It's a tough call … all are pretty damn good, but you know what? I'll be taking the [Skull Bloomer] – I won't spit on more damage and healing for two techniques I'll likely be spamming like crazy.
With that in mind, I continued to move on; I searched every corner and bit of space I could; I destroyed any pots I saw in case they had an Anima Orb. I ground up all the floors, killed every enemy, every mini-bosses and boss I could find, and took all the Anima Orbs I could get my hands on!
Surprisingly, the third floor was welcoming since I saw another Broker like Vena'ri.
- Author's Style: Flashback technique -
"Oh, my vision! Another Maw-Walker! What a sight; how about you tell me why you are here? I'll give you a one-time offer by allowing you to get all four buffs I can offer you to complete this floor." Bartered the Broker.
"Deal!" I answered before we went on about why I was there. He listened attentively and filled everything out in his notebook.
"Magnificent! It's truly a piece of intel that is worth so much! Of course, I know whom I don't want to contact about it! It would ruin everything, and I hope you'll wish for me if you do other wings of Torghast! Now, here are your rewards!" the Broker enthusiastically said.
"I will do," I said before taking the buffs.
- Author's Style: Flashback technique release –
When I finally reached the fifth floor, I saw the boss of the first layer of floors; I automatically remembered it: The Watchers of Death.
An enemy boss that will split up into three lesser ones – which, in fine, requires quite an agile approach and a lot of technique interruption casting from me – meaning I'll need to interrupt their technique(s) as much as possible.
With said techniques being damn nasty, with:
'[Fearsome Howl] is the most dangerous cast; it causes fear for 4 seconds and causes a lot of damage. And the fear is long enough for him to hit me with multiple other casts. It also bypasses any mind protection perk the target has.
[Steal Vitality] is a short cast whose damage scales with its target's current health; this makes it especially problematic for those with high health/Vitality, such as me. I will need to interrupt it as much as possible!
[Prophecy of Death] is another short cast that causes swirls to appear under me. If I stand in there for too long, I will take quite some extensive damage and receive a debuff that reduces my maximum health by 20%, which is stackable.
Once in P2 – Phase 2, I'll need at least to take out one of the three mini-me bosses as soon as possible to reduce the stress it will pose.' I thought while I nervously chuckled at the challenge in front of me.
When I felt ready, I popped up two bottles of liquid that granted me +150 to my strength and agility before entering the provoking range, thus beginning the match.
As predicted, the P1 – Phase 1 – was easy enough that I did blitz through it. But the P2; Aïe! It was as expected from this f**ker. It had divided itself into three, and I began to spam my [Anti-Magic Shell] ability every time it went down, and I could use it as I could only use it every ½ minute to avoid the fearing effect of the howlings.
To top it off, the flasks on the ground that deal damage and reduce my life; well, I found out I had some "talents" for … "dancing" per se, where I had to avoid like crazy the flasks that were coming by seemingly the dozens.
For the [Steal Vitality], I found out I could cancel its use if I stood behind one of the boss's three mini-mes.
Thus, the strategy revolved around three things: 1/ Spam your shield ability; 2/ Danse around to avoid the flasks; and 3/Use one of the mini-me bosses as a decoy to interrupt a technique.
*sigh* "Whelp; that's my life for you!" I said before I continued my war of attrition!
(A/N: This leads to a small detail that needs to be mentioned: when it's in P1, the boss has 15 million HP. In P2, this is only triggered when the boss is at 10% hp, and each of the three mini-mes of the boss possesses 6 million HP that are at full health when they spawn.)
Frankly, I was so damn glad that I farmed these Anima Orbs. Otherwise, it would have been strictly impossible to deal with it. With [Skull Bloomer] buff stacked at five times, my main solo-targeting technique was dealing quite a chunk of damage = 20k each strike, and my healing strike can deal 12.5k and heals me for 5,000% of the full damage dealt to me.
Other buffs included my [Anti-Magic Shell] to absorb 75% of my max life and last thirty additional seconds
It took me a good ten minutes to kill one of them and take out half of the health of the 2nd one, as it required me to avoid the puddles, taking "hostage" one of them to suffer the damage of some techniques launched at me. All the while, I chained up my abilities as Death Knight, dealt damage, and healed myself.
1:10 minutes is remaining before the time has elapsed.
"Crap! I do hope there is no Tarragrue that will spawn!" I cursed, knowing that this Mawsworn juggernaut is virtually indestructible and will generally one-hit kill you.
(A/N: The Tarragrue is a huge Behemoth that, in WoW, instant-kill any player it touches and doesn't sustain any damage. To know what it looks like, just type "Tarragrue" in your research bar and look at the picture section, and you'll see what it looks like)
Once I cursed, I began to use other abilities of mine like my [Rune Strike] – [Horn of Winter] – [Pillar of Frost] – [Asphyxiate] – [Coldthirst] to unleash an avalanche of strikes while interrupting any of their attempts to launch any abilities with my [Asphyxiate] & [Coldthirst] abilities.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1
"Arrggh!" screeched the last of the Watchers of Death trio.
1st Layer of the Skoldus Hall Wing is terminated!
[Loot]
*70 [Soul Ash]
* 2 [Soul Cinders]
* 0 [Cosmic Flux]
+ 15,000 Ryo.
[Number of Kills]
*200 common enemies
*100 uncommon enemies
*50 rare enemies
*10 mini-boss
*1 boss
Once the two boards disappeared, I was returned to the main hall of it.
"Well, it was a good run for me! I know; get to know how it is done!" I said with my usual grin before adding: "I now need to go for it since I got 70 floors remaining before I get to liberate her!"
With that, I went back at it!
To be continued …