Re: Player

Chapter 16: [Finding Ways!]

Running towards the old lady at a rapid speed, I reached her within a few seconds. Her eyes observed me with a rather defensive look, as she didn\'t take even a single step from her spot.

-Slash!

Using my sword, I slashed as fast as I could.

\'Huh?\'

My eyes widened as I didn\'t feel any impact from the lady… the sword passed through as if there was nothing there.

\'An Illusion?\'

I looked at the old lady\'s vanishing figure before appearing further away from me, just outside the circle. This was a bit trickier than I thought.

"You don\'t seem as fast as when you arrived here," she mumbled as she looked at me. Her eyes rather concentrated as she added,"just what are you? To increase your strength so much… I would have never believed it if I hadn\'t seen it with my own two eyes."

She seemed rather amused by it, not a hint of worry in her voice as she laughed quietly.

"Aura, was it? To think I would see a young person like you using what is deemed to be used by only those who have worked for decades… ho ho… I must be getting old," she laughed as if she was enjoying the situation.

\'I must hurry. If Amelia catches up, it\'s all over,\' I nodded in my heart as I ran towards the old lady again. I should at least strike her once, before my skills run out.

-Slash!

Reaching close to her, I slashed her as fast as I could. And quite obviously, she vanished again like smoke from that place before appearing a few steps away from me.

-Slash!

Since she wasn\'t that far, I took a few steps toward reaching her again, slashing her again. But this time, there was an impact…

The swords landed on a transparent barrier, just a few inches away from her. I tried using strength, but it didn\'t seem like there was any effect.

"Now that you are outside the circle," she mumbled with a slightly relaxed expression, making me notice that I was indeed out of the circle…

"[Decay!]" she mumbled as her eyes glowed black…

"Huh?" My eyes widened as I lost the feeling in my hands… looking at it, it was turning into ashes, slowly reaching my arms, and then finally my body…

[You Have Died!]

[Game Over!]

[Loading from last Save Point!]

[Loading Complete!]

I woke up again. My eyes looked at the empty, bland ceiling on the top, wondering what I should do now. I did have certain options which I could take, but I wanted to check something out…

"What would happen if I were to not move out of here?" I mumbled. While those \'monsters\' were currently guarding the entire town, if I wait till the time of the ritual, will I get to know something?

Thinking from that point of view, I nodded at myself before sitting near the window, as I observed the empty street below.

\'Since we have some time here,\' I pondered over something before I moved out, took the [Silver Dagger] out of Mira\'s hands, and moved back in.

-Slash!

[-5 HP!]

Slashing my arm lightly, I reduced my HP by some points.

[Heal!]

[Heal!]

And then by using [Heal!] twice, I got back to prime health.

Once again, I slashed myself…

-Slash!

[-4 HP!]

[Heal!]

[Heal!]

While normally you can [Upgrade] a skill by doing 10 repetitions, when done on oneself, the repetition increases by 100. Unless the skill is specifically for yourself, it is not recommended to use this method to upgrade a skill.

After my mana reached half its points

[Active Mana Regeneration!]

I regenerate it in 2 minutes by meditating through the skill, before continuing again…

2 Hours later…

[Heal: Common -> Uncommon!]

[Heal (Uncommon)!]

[Effects: Allows the user to heal himself by 20 HP!

Cost: 35 MP

Cooldown: 8 seconds!]

[Active Mana Regeneration: Common -> Uncommon!]

[Active Mana Regeneration (Uncommon)!]

[Effects: Allows the user to regenerate mana at 50MP per minute!

Limitations: The user needs to sit in a meditative position for one minute without any movements!]

Other than these two skills, I had one more skill which I can [Upgrade]

[Mana Zone!]

Activating this skill for about 15 seconds. I just closed my eyes and sat there.

[Active Mana Regeneration!]

I then regenerated my mana before…

[Mana Zone!]

\'Should take 30 to 40 minutes?\' I wondered as I kept repeating the process over and over.

30 minutes later…

[Mana Zone: Common -> Uncommon!]

[Mana Zone (Uncommon)!]

[Effects: Allows the user to perceive mana around him in a limited radius of 25 meters!

Cost: 5MP/seconds!]

The radius increased but so did the cost… I hope all this hard work gives me something in return.

[Mana Zone!]

I used the ability to check the mana around me, but sadly, everything around me was still dark. The air filled with an absurd amount of dark mana, covering each and everything around it.

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

\'Did it start?\' I questioned as I ran to open the door and found Mira standing blankly on the floor. She seemed to be possessed as her eyes were all white, as if she were in a trance or something.

\'Let\'s follow her for now,\' I said as I slowly walked behind her, in the same manner as she was walking. In the same position she was.

One step at a time, I kept myself in check as I moved down to the ground floor, joining the rest of the people down there, before getting out of the adventurer\'s guild. Outside the guild, things were even crazier.

Everyone from the town was walking slowly towards the center, in the conditions same as that of Mira. Joining them, I found myself being surrounded by other people before I got mixed in with them.

While I could still feel the eyes on me, I could tell that it wasn\'t fixed on me but on the entire crowd. It watched us from the point where we were in the guild to the point when we reached the center of the town. Until we all stopped in the middle of the circle.

The giant circle covering the entire area expanded even more to cover everyone around here. If I wasn\'t wrong, it probably covered at least half the city.

Meanwhile, I could hear Amelia\'s words as she chanted something in a rather odd language… Focusing on what she was trying to hear…

[You have learnt a New Language! Ancient Language: Pristinea!]

[Congratulations on getting the knowledge of your first Ancient Language!]

[+ 2 All Stats!]

[+ 2000 Exp!]

[+5% Affinity with Dark Magic!]

\'An Ancient Language?!\' I was rather surprised to hear something like that. Only the Gods of this world knew this language… in a way it was the God\'s language. How come… Amelia knows that? Just who is she?

I couldn\'t help but question as I continued hearing the language for another 2 or 3 hours or so… increasing my proficiency until…

[You Have Died!]

[Game Over!]

[Loading from last Save Point!]

[Loading Complete!]