Rise of the Deathbound Knight: A LitRPG Apocalypse, page 22
An exploratory swing from Epitaph was stopped dead by the shield of ice, showing it was very much fit for purpose despite the boss having been deceived into making it. Icy spikes emerged in retaliation, missing Emma as she backpedaled, segueing smoothly into a shield bash, the boss demonstrating surprising acceleration for something so large. She phased through his charge with a well-timed Oversoul, the Leech King now a viable target for the tactic, being only Level 8 compared to her Level 9. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Emma managed a heavy slash across the boss’s back that nearly split him in two. Regrettably, such a wound was not instantly fatal to an elemental, though it was undoubtedly serious judging by the purple rivulets pouring from it, courtesy of the Weeping Scar enhancement. Perhaps retaining the benefit of insights from previous floors, or simply more intelligent than the Earthbound Immortal had been, the boss wasted no time rushing at the Leech King, knowing that Emma was untouchable as long as he was in play. When the boss was only an inch away from striking her summon, time ground to a halt.
Honestly, I’m impressed. Abusing a supportive power interaction with such effectiveness… I should probably have done this earlier, but congratulations nonetheless. Most users don’t discover an exploit of this degree until they’re at least a year into their tenure, whereas you’re barely a month in. Now, I have no issues in principle with you going intangible, but being able to do it without any time limit is rather suspect, so let’s break things down into something more manageable.
Ability modified - Oversoul: Instantly possess the body of a living, lower-level target within the user’s line of sight. No component of this ability will activate unless the target can be possessed.
Ability added - Ardent Ephemera (Cost: 1% base Anima/second): Become intangible while active, able to pass unhindered through physical objects and blows.
For making me issue a System patch, 500 EXP gained.
“A hundred seconds of intangibility before even taking into account my healing?” Emma raised an eyebrow. “Not dependent on a summon either; if anything, this is better than what I had before?”
In battle, yes, but what it won’t do is give you potentially limitless intangibility outside of battle, so long as nobody notices a summoned cockroach or similar. That would turn you into one of the greatest infiltrators to ever live, which was very much not my intention when I designed the Revenant class. Anyway, that’s enough of my rambling for now, go ahead and finish your trial.
Emma recalled the Leech King the moment time resumed, electing to preserve him from harm now that his presence wasn’t needed any longer.
“Tilt the scales,” Emma demanded, summoning the Earthbound Immortal to the stage.
The ground beneath the boss trembled as flatland became a steep incline, sending Antipode tumbling; a very cathartic sight, given Emma’s repeated struggles with balance over the course of the floor. The burning sphere Emma initially hid behind followed course, landing directly on top of the ice elemental and beginning to burn away its outer shell. Now visibly shrinking, the boss attempted to pull himself upright despite the damage, but Emma wouldn’t just let him have his way.
“Throw me,” Emma ordered, promptly finding herself airborne as the Earthbound Immortal happily tossed her at the downed boss, descending at just the perfect angle for a downward thrust straight through his head. As a burst of Death Magic reduced said head to powdered ice, the cold—ever-present since first reaching the floor—began to dissipate at long last, having lost its source of power. Emma didn’t relax in the slightest, as her tried and tested instincts were telling her the fight had yet to end, that, and the fact her reward for the boss just fallen was far too paltry to be happy with.
50 EXP gained.
Sure enough, even though the ice was promptly melting, Emma quickly realized that the twelve burning orbs summoned alongside the boss were still very much in play, and in fact were drifting together. An irritated slash through the nearest orb did nothing except send a wave of heat through her, not unlike her first experience with wasabi; it seemed this particular intermission could not be interrupted.
“I hate scripted encounters.” Emma sighed, forced to watch as the transition played out.
Unlike the giants that had featured prominently in recent encounters, the fire elemental forming now was of human proportions: her proportions, Emma realized with a start, coming face-to-face with a glowing orange mirror of herself. Emma tensed as her duplicate raised both hands, expecting a volley of fireballs heading her way, only to be surprised when the duplicate flipped her the double bird.
“Made you look!” the flame elemental declared before fading into nothing.
150 EXP gained. April fools!
Weapon Enhancement - No Pal of Mine has updated.
“It’s not even April first!”
Chapter 54
Superstar
Floor cleared.
Emma just stared at the notification, genuinely lost for words even as the door opened at the end of the arena, presenting her a path out of a frozen tableau that had long outstayed its welcome.
“Why is that a thing?” she spoke at last, Epitaph fading into nothing as all tension left her frame. “The final boss was more or less as expected, but then a fake second phase? Is it to bait people into wasting cooldowns or consumables?”
Got it in one! Granted, this particular addition wasn’t for purely practical purposes. All Fool’s Day is an important holiday in the magical community, probably the most important in fact, more so than even the likes of Easter or Christmas. It’s inevitable really, that a society founded upon the premise of fooling reality to bring miracles to life, would place such a premium upon the virtues of deceit. A lot of thought and work would have gone into the holiday events, far too much to restrict their activity to a single day of the year; in Scholomance, every trial has a small but existent chance of pulling in a holiday event. You’re unlikely to see another, barring some truly ridiculous luck.
“Next floor then, probably.” Emma smiled ruefully before finally heading through the gateway to the seventh floor.
◆◆◆
“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve gathered you here today,” Felix began, prompting a round of booing and groaning. “Yes, I know it’s cliche, but this is actually important.”
Before him, a motley crew consisting mainly of military personnel (serving and retired), professional athletes, gangsters, and serial killers slowly came to order. Felix may have been fairly tolerant in casual settings, but they knew he wouldn’t hesitate to remove speaking privileges had the clamor continued for too long, so the murmurs and whispers didn’t last more than a minute or two in the end.
“As I was saying,” Felix resumed once silence fell. “We’re just over a third toward the initial quota of a thousand people for this dungeon to really thrive, and we expect the speed of acquisition to increase shortly. This is thanks to several innovations in the deployment of wolf demons, meaning if all goes well, we could hit the quota in as little as a month, even taking into account the growing distance our hunters have to travel, now that nearby settlements have been emptied. I’m sure you’ve been wondering why I need so many people, right?”
A sea of nods confirmed his suspicions, everyone so eager to hear the truth that nobody even interrupted him.
“There’s many details I can’t or won’t explain, but it all boils down to this.”
With an exertion of will, Felix made his administrator console visible, revealing a single one of his ongoing quests to the eager crowd.
Administrator Quest: Panem et Circenses
Objective: Connect to the global Weave. [X]
Objective: Synchronise Academia Mortalis with the System Broadcast. [X]
Objective: Connect to at least one other Dungeon.
Objective: Host your first gladiator games, with at least a thousand participants.
Rewards: Tech Level increase (1940s), Quest: Silica Delenda Est
“We’re going to be gladiators?” Jen gasped, summoning her chainsaw into her hands to give the serrated blade a loving caress.
“The world is in a dark place,” Felix continued. “But humanity is resilient; as a species, they will survive, adapt and conquer, working toward regaining their former glory. But whereas material concerns such as food and shelter aren’t too hard to come by, with a bit of ingenuity, entertainment is a whole other story. At least in the short term, people are going to be far too busy trying to survive to have time for leisure, which is why we’re going to let them live vicariously through our games.
“Technology has failed, but we’re still here, and if there’s anything that’s enthralled crowds since the dawn of time, it’s the thrill of deadly violence. Once our preparations are complete, the games will be broadcast anywhere and everywhere the Weave can reach; seeing everyone here fight, die, and get back up to try again. Now to be clear, participation isn’t mandatory; I have no need for conscripts who’ll inevitably give a poor showing, lacking in fighting spirit.”
The crowd gave a spirited roar of agreement, weapons held high as they proclaimed their worth. Felix let them indulge for a bit before continuing as their fervor came to an end.
“But I think you’ll all want to participate anyway; I selected you all for a willingness to fight after all, and the rewards are simply too good to pass up. Not only will participating help unlock more perks for the dungeon, things like radio and vinyl music to make everyone’s downtime more comfortable; but there are also personal perks up for grabs if you place highly. Physical enhancements, level ups, fame and adoration from a global fan base, and an eventual path toward manifesting in the outside world again. So, what do you say, everyone?"
“We who are about to die, salute you!” the crowd roared as one.
◆◆◆
Of course, as happy as Felix was at the great reception, that didn’t mean his job was done for the day. His gladiators were making the most of the newly created gymnasium, taking full advantage of the facilities to train for the upcoming games, whereas Felix was the Dungeon Master who had to make it all happen. Although most of the steps had proven simple if time-consuming, the final hurdle was proving increasingly intractable despite his best efforts and reinforcement from the Dungeon Core itself.
Access denied.
Connection lost.
“Attempt number 213 has failed.” Felix sighed. “Mana link unable to be sustained for longer than thirty seconds, due to irreconcilable differences in density and quality.”
And wasn’t that a galling thing for him to admit, but try as he might, Felix was simply unable to recreate the pure mana that powered Scholomance. The efficiency of the sorcerous tower when it came to mana consumption beggared belief, and its strict standards were similarly enforced upon any dungeon seeking to connect. Even after two-hundred attempts, Felix was still expending more than three times the mana per second that Scholomance’s guardian would tolerate, leading to the current standstill.
“You’re not going to get anywhere, trying to brute force the connection,” a voice spoke; soft and calm, yet enough to send Felix into a panic all the same, given that it was coming from inside his Dungeon Core. “My tower dislikes such one-sided exchanges, Scholomance is much more in favor of give and take.”
Redirecting his consciousness to the Black Desert, Felix found himself confronting a young girl—one who looked no older than twelve, wearing an oversized witch hat and carrying a staff taller than herself. If anything, Felix thought her innocuous appearance only made her appear more intimidating, when set against what the System was telling him.
Fragment of Will (Overmind) - Level 93
Chapter 55
Man in the Mirror
Pacifism debuff applied. On this floor, you are unable to perform any act inflicting direct harm upon another. Good luck!
A familiar message greeted Emma as she stepped through the threshold, exchanging endless snow and ice for a small, cozy office as the door vanished behind her. Looking around, Emma felt a strange sense of familiarity in her surroundings; whether it was the pale pastel wallpaper, flaking at the corners, the chandelier hanging low from the ceiling, or the whiteboard covered top to bottom with arcane mathematical equations, all of it a poignant reminder of her frequent visits to the Head Teacher’s office.
“Welcome, aspirant,” the office’s sole occupant spoke, having noticed her presence at last. “If you don’t mind, please take a seat in the visitor’s chair. Sorry for the wait, but we’re a bit behind on the paperwork as it is, so I’ll be just a few more minutes, if that’s all right.”
Sinking into the soft leather armchair without complaint, Emma took the time to examine her opposite closely as he worked. A prisoner at his desk laden with a dozen ring binders filled with documents, brown folders, and loose sheets of paper, he was the very image of a harried academic even before taking into account the featureless blue robes and greying hair, or the heavy bags under both eyes and bloodshot pupils barely hidden behind a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles.
“Damn it,” the man hissed, frowning at the name he’d just written, the ink from his fountain pen yet to dry.
Placing his thumb upon the word and scraping left, a faint glow erased the word as written, leaving unmarked paper behind. It was the first hint of magic Emma had seen in the room thus far, though she wasn’t overly surprised by the display as a whole, given his title.
Magus Marcus the Misfortunate - Level 26 Illusionist
Polishing off the form, Marcus placed it in a pile with at least a dozen more, moving onto the next, and the next, and the next after that. Emma didn’t mind the wait; the armchair was far more comfortable than the days she’d spent riding. Fifty minutes later, Marcus signed his name to one final document and set it down with a sigh.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized again. “The period between Ostara and Litha—the Spring Equinox in March and the Summer Solstice in June, is traditionally a long break in the academic year. Students go on holiday, faculty do the same or depart to pursue their own passions in research, and Scholomance is left largely empty save for the automated servants which see to repairs and restoration.”
“I pity whoever has to clean up after a class full of teenagers with magic,” Emma quipped, drawing a pained grin from Marcus.
“Indeed. In any event, the Terminus changes everything; a flood of mana to such a degree means everyone at a bottleneck is going to break through. You’re lucky you got here so early; another week or two and there’d be a rush of aspirants, having practiced enough with their newfound power to dare brave the tower. At that point, you’d be waiting in a long queue; and the numbers we’re expecting means additional resources have to be tapped to sustain the tower’s operation during that time. Anyway, that’s the last of the requisition forms sorted, so onto you now. Seventh floor trial, right?”
Emma nodded, unsure if she should say anything else.
“Most trial selections are random for each participant,” Marcus began. “This one is an exception; everyone who gets far enough will find themselves here for their seventh floor unless they’ve already been screened before entering the tower. This is as much a matter of national security as it is a test for the aspirant because it allows the administration to filter out those who are magically powerful but lacking in other crucial matters; such as common sense, for example, or sanity.
“A Practitioner is more than just a fancy word; becoming one grants access to substantial privileges under Empire law, ones not easily rescinded. The death of one is accordingly also a substantial matter, drawing attention from many powerful individuals; so taking all this into account, it was deemed expedient to have a method of filtering problematic individuals before they earned the title, rather than cleaning up afterwards. You can see my name and level, yes?”
“Your title as well,” Emma couldn’t resist adding, drawing a groan from the examiner.
“Yes, that damnable title.” Marcus sighed. “Word of advice, if you ever visit Ireland, listen to your guide and don’t say anything stupid to the local fae. Seventy-two years since I was there as an apprentice, and that curse still follows me everywhere I go. There’s a roster of examiners who oversee this trial, you understand? We take a month each every ten years as part of our conditions of employment. I’d thought myself lucky for once, getting assigned during the quiet of the holiday period. Well, now I know better.”
“My condolences?” Emma offered, feeling more like an occupational therapist than an aspirant.
“Thank you,” Marcus said. “Moving on from the tales of my misspent youth, it’s time to talk about yours. You’ve noticed the restrictions upon yourself, I trust?”
“No acts inflicting direct harm,“ Emma dutifully recited.
“Right, that’s because this is purely an interview, with the proviso that the interviewer, myself in this case, is always an experienced wielder of mind magic. As a rule, we don’t tend to be much good in direct combat. You’d flatten me in seconds at arm’s length, hence the protections. What we are very good at is sifting through lies, spotting alterations and false memories, and generally detecting anything that might have been planted in an aspirant, with the goal of causing harm. Magic is dangerous enough as it is; the Empire has no tolerance for Manchurian candidates.”
“That actually happens?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. “Outside of spy movies, that is?”
“Demons bound to the aspirant.” Marcus nodded seriously. “Possession by ghosts, infiltration by changelings and fellow illusionists, or even the deployment of entirely mundane double agents, compelled not by any magic but simple, deep-seated loyalty, bought and paid for from foreign coffers. Stolen secrets, political embarrassments, and even deaths have come from such attempts. A Magus is still ultimately a mortal; they can and have died to treacherous knives in the night. These days, the Empire is very careful with human resource management. Now, are you ready to begin?”
