Gestation John Gold (13 ebook reader TXT) 📖

one of his officers with the boy’s own sword. If you hadn’t gotten involved, we would have lost our first potential chosen one.”

“That problem is taken care of now. The weapon has been taken away until ten similar items have been created in the world or until the boy gets to a higher-order world. The second option will probably happen first. There isn’t anyone capable of creating weapons like that. The gods are supposed to keep track of their wards, too.”

The coffee maker whistled, and Tiamat poured coffee into cups. Fifteen hundred cycles had gone by, and he still had the same habits when it came to food and drinks.

“What do the locals think of that? Was Akashi able to pull off what he was thinking about?” Tiamat may have been responsible for the world, but he didn’t care much about those who had left it.

“Oh, absolutely. He created his own nation: Lunar. His entire team, along with everyone who left the crossroads of worlds, are living separately on one of their planet’s moons. Lunar is selling access to it, claiming to be the developers. Really, they just localized it, although, many who got to the crossroads do the same thing.”

“They certainly didn’t make much of a first impression, but he outdid everything anyone could have imagined.”

“Don’t worry, Tiamat. You think we were nasty to take away the boy’s power and weapons.” Hot coffee and cookies made Idzumi talkative, and Tiamat knew that. He’d been missing the chatterbox.

“Yep.”

“The whole artificial level was created to boost the intellectual abilities of the chosen ones. If they get through, they can leave with the skills and abilities they’ve earned relative to their intellect. If they die, they lose everything and have to create a new character. The plan was to have well-coordinated groups go through the trials and move farther in together. Nobody planned to have a chosen one show up and beat Hell, boosting his resistance over a year and a half local time. The other groups and lone chosen ones didn’t have the same wisdom and patience. We left what is most valuable: skills, smarts, and experience.”

“But an activatable weapon! Do you realize how many we’ve had beat the trials with one of those?”

“I do. You’re underestimating the boy, though. He’s a smart one. He’s the exception to the rule. If I’m right, he’ll be able to pick up much more than he lost. We left him a certain something, too.”

∞ ∞ ∞

A light sea breeze ruffles my long hair. I have grown over the past year and a half. I’m more muscular now, a little taller, and there is even some gray hair on my crown. My arms are very strong.

All I have in my inventory is the sack of books. All my rings and weapons are gone. But I’m alive! And almost home. My home, father, mama… I’m coming!

My map shows me that I’m on the other side of the world though. The fact that the in-game planet is three times the size of Earth means that it would take at least a month to swim that far, and that’s at my speed. Although, I’m not too excited about something eating me in the Ocean of Terror. That’s exactly what it’s called.

∞ ∞ ∞

Achievement received: Titanbane. First rank.

Kill an opponent fifty levels higher than you.

Reward: +5 to all attributes

…..

Achievement received: Titanbane. Fourteenth rank.

Kill an opponent seven hundred levels higher than you.

Reward: +5 to all attributes

Achievement received: Styx Swimmer.

Anyone who can get across the Styx is a hero. The river offers the bravest some of its abilities.

Reward: One of Our Own, an ability that means all spirits will take you as one of their own

Achievement received: Genius.

You conquered all conceivable self-improvement goals twice over!

Reward: Access to probation with the Hunters

The probation will begin in seven months and fifteen days in the city of Zirda.

Go to the Three Solo Trips and order three portions of Koryak mussels.

∞ ∞ ∞

Skill received: Body Power.

This skill lets you empower part of your body with an additional magic stimulus for your nerve endings. Using it costs mana and health due to the strain placed on your body.

Body enhancement: +1

Body enhancement effect: +1%

∞ ∞ ∞

Well, I got achievements as soon as I left. There’s some logic there, I guess. The devil said something about a trial, so you only get rewards at the end.

“Naïve children! They think they can stop me by taking away what I collected? Attribute window!”

Name: Sagie

Level: 0

Experience: 0/100 (100 left until the next level)

Race: Human

Class: None selected

Basic attributes

Strength: 90

Agility: 90

Stamina: 90

Intellect: 90

Wisdom: 90

Available attribute points: 0

Additional attributes

Speed: 90

Athleticism: 90

Morale: 90

Survivability: 90

Derivative ratings

Physical damage: 45 (strength/2, but no less than 1)

Carrying capacity: 225 kg (strength*10/4)

Mana: 900 (wisdom*10)

Health: 900 (stamina*10)

Strength: 900 (stamina*10)

Health restoration: 900/minute (survivability*10)

Mana restoration: 900/minute (morale*10)

Strength restoration: 900/minute (athleticism*10)

Running speed: 36 km/h (1+speed/10)

Defense: 1

Resistance

Physical damage: 1.72% (damage ignored: up to 421/second)

Poison: 1.27% (damage ignored: up to 211/second)

Skills

Cooking: 250

Trap setting and disarming: 19

Archery: 250

Swimming: 250

Breath-holding: 250

Stealth: 250

Life Magic: 250

Mind Magic: 250

Space Magic: 250

Earth Magic: 250

Water Magic: 250

Fire Magic: 250

Air Magic: 250

Light Magic: 250

Dark Magic: 250

Meditation: 250

Hand-to-hand combat: 92

Perception: 166

Necromancy: 250

Chimerology: 250

Blood magic: 250

Ritual magic: 250

Artifact creation: 250

Body enhancement: 1

Professions

Herbalist: 250

Fisherman: 250

Tailor: 250

Blacksmith: 250

Carpenter: 250

Skills

Imp eye

Undecuple consciousness

One of our own

Gifts

Meeting deferred

I got +70 on all my attributes for that Titanbane and pat myself on the back for that. And I sure earned that Genius achievement. The Hunters intrigue me, especially since it could be a class I might have the ability to get earlier than I’m supposed to. If it’s a faction that not just anybody can join, even better.

They took my demon ability, though they gave me a replacement that will hurt me to use.

I’m going to have to work on my resistance again. I need a different way of adapting to this world. I’ll need at least one victim, preferably not somebody who follows someone from the main local pantheon, but with a lot of energy and a good spot well away from any temple. Nobody said anything