Chapter 70
How naive I was, thinking I could tear through everyone and everything in this desert!
I spotted that carcass from almost a kilometer away, but it had noticed me from about two kilometers out and was now charging toward me at full speed. It was a roaming raid boss, and I’d stumbled into its patrol territory. Damn mega-dungeon!!! Where are my sacrifices??
*Monsters, Death Spinner, Level 301. Raid Boss.*
Two minutes of scrambling, and I had three sacrifices stacked for a health fusion. The guards rushed forward and reached me in two minutes. A group of eight tarantulas, each the size of an aerocar. Except they ran much faster and could probably devour one in less than a minute.
*Monsters, Lesser Death Tarantula, Level 310.*
I wasn’t prepared for this, but I managed to get a shield up in time. The greatest danger came from their physical attacks—poison didn’t scare me. The enemy’s biggest mistake was charging as a group, perfectly lining up for a combined dragon’s breath salvo. Four died from the first attack; the rest I had to finish off with lightning bolts and another dragon’s breath.
I had one minute left before the raid boss arrived. I’d healed up, but there was no time to loot. I needed an attack to stop the boss, and I had one—provided I could handle the cooldown of such power.
- *Dwarven Hammer!*
The Dwarven Hammer was a fearsome spell. It flattened the enemy with a powerful gravitational pulse. Visually, it looked like smashing a mouse with a sledgehammer. This boss was a monster among monsters: it withstood three such blows of combined force. The first two just drove its legs into the sand; the third broke half its limbs and crumpled its chitinous shell. Four legs stuck out of the sand, while the rest sank halfway into it.
Only when I approached it did I realize how massive it was. It could’ve swallowed Cerberus whole and squared off against the six-armed guardian of Hell’s eighth circle. It was the size of a small shuttle! Only because it died from that final hammer strike did I survive. My mana was nearly gone, and my health was deep in the red. The spider had a million health and insane physical damage resistance.
Oooo! No, wait—OOOO, yes! I’m ready to kill bosses like this more often for loot like this! Sure, it’s just epic and legendary stuff, and obviously nothing useful for me here. But if I identify and sell it, I could make some serious cash. It’s like this spider gobbled up a bunch of ancient heroes and then carried their loot around, wondering who to hand it off to.
I won’t move forward just yet. First, I need to craft new clothing items. Second, I need to fully suppress the mental damage I’m taking.
Mental damage is a nasty thing. I haven’t fought other players, and in those battles, they could blind, stun, paralyze, control, possess, or mess with my mind. For me, those are the worst-case scenarios. What’s worse than your own body betraying you? Fire and physical damage I can handle; I’m already working on poisons. This desert is the only place in the world with an aura that suits me. So I’m ready to reach its very center, if only to solve this issue once and for all.
In Chrysalis, there are four armor types: cloth, leather, chainmail, and plate. Mages can only use cloth. Thieves, assassins, and archers can use leather and cloth. Bandits and crossbowmen can wear chainmail, leather, and cloth. Warriors mostly use heavy plate but can equip any type. They could layer a cloth suit, chainmail over it, and then plate—protection stats stack, but only the top layer’s effects apply. I can wear armor, but I’ll take a penalty for using it without the skill. And wearing armor is a core class skill. So, I’m stuck with cloth armor. Right now, I can craft items for these slots: neck, head, bracelets, chest, earrings, belt, pants, boots, gloves, cloak (cape). Shoulder pads are exclusive to plate. No one’s heard of implants here—I checked with the arena healer master in Sural. Both mages and warriors modify their bodies to specialize in certain paths.
In one day, I built a new altar and thought about my future and development direction. I have no limits on using monsters to craft items. I can do whatever I want here, as long as no one spots me. I still have nearly fifty ring blanks. I took them to make rings with various bonuses and development focuses. Right now, I’ve got a solid set for magic use. I need to make a similar set for strength and endurance. The rest of the rings I can make unique for specific situations—like max strength or intellect. Huh, a regular player could only dream of this kind of thinking. No problem. Survive Hell, and perks like these are yours. What’s the cost? Oh, just trifles—your soul, maybe some health issues, and a therapist.
I had to deal with clothing right away. I had one set meant for enchanting, so I’ll need to sew another. But shoes? I’ll have to find those—I can’t make them; I’m no cobbler.
Right now, I need to craft a neck amulet tailored for a mage. That’s what I spent the whole day on, hunting monsters with a magic focus. Lamias are too far off, and going back would be unwise. I had to make do with evil eyes.
*Monsters, Evil Eye, Level 312.*
This green freak levitated a meter and a half above the ground. A ball with a huge eye and mouth, acid-green, with octopus-like tentacles. No endurance—prefers lightning attacks and tries to bite your head off with a massive, triple-rowed maw of sharp teeth in close combat. It was immune to mind magic and tried to break my shield but couldn’t dodge a paralyzing stake. One precise throw, and I had a new body. Doctor! Prep it for dissection.
Two weeks of electrotherapy boosted my health to two million. The Evil Eye “cured” my weakness to electricity. It trained me to resist lightning strikes from level 400 monsters, but it didn’t solve the problem. I had to assemble a council of “doctors” for a radical fix. Sadly, they all admitted their incompetence and were dismissed.
Along the way, I made myself clothing with a magic focus. On the last day of therapy, a spider showed up… and not alone.
The ultimate bummer hit when two raid bosses arrived almost simultaneously. Life hadn’t prepared me for this!!! But this time, I had plenty of sacrifices and health pumped up to two million. Today, the heavens dropped a pebble my way. I used a twin meteor spell!
*Monsters, Death Spinner, Level 301. Raid Boss.*
I tried launching a boulder so massive I felt the shockwave from half a kilometer away. The recoil took out half a million health. But I did it—a 20-meter crater with a pile of corpses inside. What kind of damage did that meteor deal to ignore my resistance and rip off half a million health? Terrifying! Ten million damage. Oh, if only I had more mana!
Six agonizing minutes of waiting to recover, with the enemy closing in. The second raid boss was a colossal statue accompanied by a guard squad.
*Monsters, Amanir Colossus, Level 312. Raid Boss.*
Yep, a whole guard squad trailed this 20-meter giant. A statue of a man with a dog’s head, wearing only a loincloth. A massive two-handed sword in its hands. A quick heal, and a new meteor flies straight into the squad. Another heal, and a second meteor finishes off the fallen colossus. Any more of this, and God might start chucking pebbles at me. Time to step back and grab the loot. As they say, a meteor doesn’t strike the same spot twice. But first, I need to wrap things up. The ritual got interrupted at the last second.
*Strangler’s Belt.*
In this world, there was a famed strangler assassin. He earned his reputation by paralyzing his victims before slowly choking them with his belt. The killer was executed, and his belt was lost during the investigation.
*Defense: +5*
*Effects: Spirit +2, Wisdom +2, Intellect +4*
*Requirements: Scalable item.*
*Durability: Indestructible, damage transfers to the wearer’s health.*
Looks like I’m building the world’s greatest collection of lost murder evidence… or maybe I’m just looting the local prison.
The downside of cloth gear is that truly good fabrics are insanely expensive, while regular ones offer up to three effects. After Hell and village life, I’m actually glad for this—coarse fabrics suit me more than silk.
So far, I’ve got six Red Lord rings, a Sun-Eater ring, a Monster-Eater, and the Strangler’s Belt. Plus, I’ve got a neat amulet with a black stone scarab.
*Black Mark Amulet.*
A mage once delved deep into necromancy. For his inhumane experiments, his own team killed him, blasting the captured ship he was working on with cannons. The necromancer rose as a lich to exact revenge on his betrayers. Everyone, including him, perished in that fight. The amulet washed ashore on a piece of the ship’s wreckage.
*Effects: Spirit +2, Wisdom +4, Intellect +2*
*Requirements: Scalable item.*
*Durability: Indestructible, damage transfers to the wearer’s health.*
I’ve got the best pants in the world! Oh yeah! For three weeks, I’ve been running around the desert with a cart in just a diaper. All my clothes got destroyed by dragon’s breath recoils. Now I’ve finally made myself some indestructible pants.
*Self-Propelled Pants.*
In the far east of Kongul, there lived a boy who constantly disobeyed his parents and caused trouble around the area. But everything has a price. A demon possessed the boy and forced him to run until he died. His body was never found, but a random traveler picked up his bloodstained pants on a road. Over thousands of years, those pants changed hands many times.
*Defense: +15*
*Effects: Speed +5, Endurance +5, Athletics +5*
*Requirements: Scalable item.*
*Durability: Indestructible, damage transfers to the wearer’s health.*
I think I’ve pissed off a local deity, and it’s subtly hinting that soon my own pants might eat me. Good thing there weren’t any bloody diapers from that kid left behind. Thankfully, the pants stayed white-gray and look like typical village wear.
Oh, and what a lovely children’s shirt I’ve got. Mom won’t have to mend it anymore.
*Demon’s Shirt.*
Thousands of years ago, a demon wandering the human world in disguise stopped at a roadside inn. He hated the service and decided to kill everyone after finishing his meal. A maid, recognizing the demon by the soured milk and blue torch flame at his table, silently decided to banish him. She swapped his goblet for one filled with holy water. The demon howled after chugging it and dissolved into thin air, leaving only a spare shirt in his travel bag.
*Defense: +20*
*Effects: Agility +2, Intellect +5, Wisdom +5*
*Requirements: Scalable item.*
*Durability: Indestructible, damage transfers to the wearer’s health.*
The further I go, the wilder it gets. My panama hat’s become a stylish addition to my true village-boy outfit.
*Red Cap.*
The northern Gunni tribes have a tradition of baptizing children through combat. The elder’s son went into his battle baptism completely naked except for a white panama hat that shielded his eyes from blood. It turned red as he tore through the battlefield like a bloody whirlwind, and that’s how his enemies remembered him— “Red Cap.” His tribesmen, to boost their fame, said, “It’s not red—it’s just worn flesh-side out.”
*Defense: +10*
*Effects: Endurance +5, Intellect +5, Wisdom +5*
*Requirements: Scalable item.*
*Durability: Indestructible, damage transfers to the wearer’s health.*
Back on the island, while studying wood reinforcement, I recalled my father’s lessons on bone strengthening and deformation. On the ship, I thought about what gift I could make for him when I returned. I decided to craft two identical bone bracelet sets from wyvern bone.
*Dragonslayer’s Bracelet.*
Throughout human history, there’ve been many dragonslayer orders, but only one man killed a dragon single-handedly. He never told anyone the horrific deeds he committed or the modifications he made to his body to gain such power. He experimented on all his victims—humans and monsters alike. Eventually, he went mad from uncontrollable strength. Pieces of his gear are sometimes found in the world’s most dangerous places.
*Effects: Endurance +5, Intellect +1, Wisdom +5, Spirit +2, Vitality +2*
*Requirements: Scalable item.*
*Durability: Indestructible, damage transfers to the wearer’s health.*
I’ve become a wonderkid who’s gone far beyond normal. A guy in a village shirt and pants, rings with gems on my hands, an amulet on a teal chain, topped off with a red panama hat. The image of a boy hauling a cart through the desert in this outfit, against a backdrop of giant monsters, says a lot about its owner’s mental prowess. I’m like a rose in a dung heap!!!
- *Character Window.*
*Name: Sadji.*
*Level: 0.*
*Experience: 0/100 (100 to next level).*
*Race: Human.*
*Class: Not selected.*
*Primary Stats:*
*Strength: 97*
*Agility: 104*
*Endurance: 120*
*Intellect: 206*
*Wisdom: 178*
*Free Stat Points: 0*
*Secondary Stats:*
*Speed: 119*
*Athletics: 107*
*Spirit: 194*
*Vitality: 109*
*Derived Stats:*
*Physical Damage: 48.5 (Strength/2, minimum 1)*
*Carrying Capacity: 235 kg (Strength x 10/4)*
*Mana: 17,030 (1,780 + 15,250 from tattoos) (Wisdom x 10)*
*Health (HP): 1,200 (Endurance x 10)*
*Stamina: 1,200 (Endurance x 10)*
*Health Regen: 1,090/min (Vitality x 10)*
*Mana Regen: 1,940/min (Spirit x 10)*
*Stamina Regen: 1,070/min (Athletics x 10)*
*Running Speed: 47 km/h (1 + Speed/10)*
*Defense: 51*
*Resistances:*
*Physical Damage: 1.72% (Damage Ignored: up to 421/sec)*
*Poisons: 8.66% (Damage Ignored: up to 25,811/sec)*
*Fire: 20.62% (Damage Ignored: up to 117,204/sec)*
*Electricity: 18.35% (Damage Ignored: up to 92,088/sec)*
*Mental Damage: 8.12% (Damage Ignored: up to 24,537/sec)*
*Skills:*
*Cooking: 250*
*Trap Setting/Disarming: 19*
*Archery: 250*
*Swimming: 250*
*Breath Holding: 250*
*Stealth: 250*
*Life Magic: 250*
*Spirit 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: 172*
*Necromancy: 250*
*Blood Magic: 250*
*Chimeralogy: 250*
*Ritual Magic: 250*
*Artifact Creation: 250*
*Poison Making: 25*
*Ointment Making: 25*
*Metal Reinforcement: 25*
*Wood Reinforcement: 25*
*Body Enhancement: 25*
*Professions:*
*Herbalist: 250*
*Fisherman: 250*
*Tailor: 250*
*Blacksmith: 250*
*Carpenter: 250*
*Miner: 25*
*Abilities:*
*Imp’s Eye*
*Eleven Streams of Consciousness*
*One of Us*
*Shroud of Darkness*
*Gifts:*
*Deferred Meeting*
Over 15,000 of my mana comes from blood malachite tattoos. Without them, I’d be toast. A single meteor spell costs 10,000 mana, and I can only cast two back-to-back—or paired. But the effect exceeds all expectations. To use Meteor as a spell, you need level 300 and 300 skill points in Earth, Air, and Fire. I bypassed that limit using a “scroll,” my skills, and my body as a mana vessel. A regular mage could do the same with the right skills and materials, but not with an indestructible tattoo as a scroll. Making a meteor scroll with just 100 skill points in the required magics is impractical—the mana vessel costs would bankrupt you.
I’ve decided not to make gloves or boots yet. I want to see what items I can craft from stronger monsters. All my ring blanks are unique—they’ll come in handy when I need to boost a specific stat. On the way back, I’ll definitely need strength, since I’m already hauling this cart with enhancements. To boost physical damage resistance, I need high endurance. Once I finish building my defenses, I’ll need a ton of mana. My second clothing set is also magic-focused but unique, not scalable. Finding monsters suitable for crafting unique items with the right stats and ratios was tough.
On Earth, Bedouin tribes lived in and crossed deserts regularly. Now Earth’s a preserve—no tourists allowed. Meanwhile, I’ve become a neo-Bedouin, crossing the world’s deadliest desert on foot.
*Damage Taken: 49,400 (Ignored: 24,547)*
*108/2,370 HP*
*Mental Damage Resistance +0.01%*
*Mental Damage Ignored: up to 24,811/sec*
The desert’s center emits auras of mental and fire damage to the body. Using dragon’s breath, I’ve boosted my fire resistance so much I can now use it in eleven streams without risking my health. The aura’s damage is half thermal, so I’m handling it fine for now.
I learned something interesting: the whitish haze I saw in Hell is the limit of my resistance. When I push past it, the aura starts chipping away at my health. The higher my resistance, the further that power haze is from me. Logically, it’s a concentrated energy field, and the haze is my perception threshold. This energy affects the body differently. The first time I used dragon’s breath at full power, I got a blindness debuff—the fire was bright white at the center, fading outward. Now the spell doesn’t hurt my eyes, and I can stand in molten sand without issue.
It’s about 500 kilometers to the desert’s center. Monsters here reach level 550. They’re immune to stuns, so I either kill them with one big attack or paralyze them with poison. I have to recharge my blood malachite stakes periodically—maintaining paralysis on monsters this strong drains a lot.
The River of Souls is visible in the sky now, but it’s more like the sky’s blanketed with souls dripping to the ground somewhere beyond the horizon. That’s where the desert’s center lies, so I’ll see the River up close soon.
Every evening ends with me burying my cart with a giant telekinetic “shovel,” standing on it, and logging out. Mornings start with a workout—digging myself and the cart out.
The terrain and monsters change fast. It’s like every monster type in the world is gathered here. The closer I get to the center, the stronger the aura becomes. Today, I saw semi-astral entities floating above the ground. They attack with a slight delay, so I can kill them in time. They have wings but no bodies, faces hidden under hoods, and their lower halves look like wind or smoke, like genies. I made gloves out of them.
*Soulcatcher’s Gloves.*
A monster-hunting mage had an odd hobby. He sewed gloves from every creature he killed and sold them at the market upon returning. It was his ritual of dominance over his slain foes. Over his long life, his work gloves absorbed his essence.
*Defense: +5*
*Effects: Spirit +5, Intellect +2, Wisdom +4*
*Requirements: Scalable item.*
*Durability: Indestructible, damage transfers to the wearer’s health.*
This is the first item not tied to a murderer—though who knows what monsters that mage hunted? Maybe vampires and werewolves were his thing. The enemies are too strong now; I need both gloves and a cloak.
It took two days to craft these items. In a way, I poured my soul into every piece I made. I stopped making personalized items for two reasons. First, it’s terrifying to cut off my finger for something so simple. Second, how would I even do it? I’m planning to survive a direct meteor hit—finding a way to do that is creepy. So, all my items are just unique or scalable. Another issue could arise if, say, personalized pants fused to my body… how would I take them off? And a cloak? Would it cocoon me?
I’m pretty twisted—ready to slaughter monsters by the dozen for a single ring. Though others would kill hundreds more for an item like this without blood magic.
I could’ve made a cargo pet with necromancy, but that might draw Eliza’s attention.
*Death’s Cloak.*
Everyone knows Death never shows its true face. Beneath its cloak is pure darkness that stares into your soul. Sometimes these cloaks are found at mass battle sites.
*Effect: The wearer’s facial features are invisible under the cloak.*
*Requirements: Unique item.*
*Durability: Indestructible, damage transfers to the wearer’s health.*
Wow, this is the first item with an effect not tied to stats. The only difference from other crafting rituals was the sacrifices—fully spiritual entities, living armor. So, they grant effects rather than stat boosts.
*Gloves of Failed Afterlife.*
Death sometimes takes people unexpectedly. Years pass before a risen undead regains consciousness. They all realize they’ve died and risen when they see their hands—just bones.
*Effect: The wearer’s hands appear skeletal.*
*Requirements: Unique item.*
*Durability: Indestructible, damage transfers to the wearer’s health.*
Oops… I think I know what weapon I’ll make. Even without the cloak, I can use Shroud of Darkness to give myself a creepy look. Even monsters fear me like this—a blob of darkness with human traits, only my eyes visible. It’s a solid set, but I’m not aiming to become a grim reaper. I don’t want to upset my parents—Mom would frown, and Dad would say it’s a terrible choice.
What about boots? I’ve only got one pair. If I give them an effect instead of stats, I’ll be stuck with them. Though, where else would I find so many pure spiritual entities at once?
*Lord’s Sandals.*
*Effect: Allows walking on water.*
*Requirements: Unique item.*
*Durability: Indestructible, damage transfers to the wearer’s health.*
I stared at them, thinking… what a waste of the most valuable sandals. I already have a water-walking seal. And what’s with that description? What if a god shows up and says, “Give me back my sandals, horse thief. For stealing, I’ll send you to Hell—oh wait, you’d just escape again”? Oh well, who knows what life will throw at me. Maybe I’ll be out of mana and need to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Ugh, too much reading.
I had to trudge through the sand in those sandals toward the desert’s center. The longer you walk this desert, the more you wonder—what’s at the core? Did I find a path to Hell? Or is it the River of Souls leading to the Gray Lands? Not far now—I can see mountains ahead where the soul stream flows.
Around the 50-kilometer mark, I saw the desert’s center enclosed by a dense wall of mountains. It wasn’t just a fire aura—everything was literally burning. Amazingly, I could breathe in the flames. Cool sensation. The first rocky spires jutted from the ground like stone needles. I buried my cart here—the burning earth started breaking it down. I left everything unneeded in it and carried the rest myself.
At the mountains, I struggled to find a good path. It took two days to reach a crevice and follow it toward the center.
*Damage Taken: 177,200 (Ignored: 86,611)*
*211/2,370 HP*
*Mental Damage Resistance +0.01%*
*Mental Damage Ignored: up to 87,090/sec*
To me now, the mountains were cloaked in a fiery-hued haze. It felt like reality itself trembled under this intense mental aura. The haze appears at around 50,000 damage and up—the higher my resistance, the stronger the aura needs to be to become visible. Mages with magic sight see it as a colored force field.
For the first time since Hell, I encountered creatures above level 600. It was a bird-like thing, majestic, with fiery hues in its feathers.
*Monsters, Rukh Bird, Level 602.*
Fully immune to mind magic, with incredibly thick skin. I had to use the Dwarven Hammer to ground it, then drive in paralyzing poison stakes.
It was too hard to train resistance and hunt sacrifices at once, so I switched to 50-hour days. The deeper I went, the stronger the aura grew. Now I can say it’s an aura of regret—that’s the feeling it evokes.
Before noticing the difference in items made with blood magic rituals, I thought I’d use it as a leveling base. Now, even beating a monster 600 levels above me is a huge feat.
What’s beyond the mountains? Anything’s possible. But there was a massive pit—about 50 kilometers wide. It felt like someone had done deep mineral scouting with a thermonuclear bomb. The crater was huge, with melted rocks and concentric layers radiating from the center. Depth? Two or three kilometers. It’s a long way to the pit’s core. The River of Souls flows right into its center, and the bottom’s a haze—too dense to see through.
It took nearly two weeks for those 20 kilometers. I fully switched to 50-hour days due to the insane monster levels. Two guys with ghastly faces, wearing only ritual loincloths, spotted me. These 10-meter musclebound giants lumbered my way.
*Monsters, Great Sinner, Level 677.*
A twin meteor slashed their health but didn’t kill them. I had to finish them with the Dwarven Hammer. Without the ritual boosting my health to four million, I’d be long dead.
*Damage Taken: 2,315,200 (Ignored: 2,308,077)*
*3,824,831/4,101,200 HP*
*Fire Resistance +0.01%*
*Thermal Damage Ignored: up to 1,158,570/sec*
*Mental Damage Resistance +0.01%*
*Mental Damage Ignored: up to 1,152,901/sec*
The most I can heal is 51,000 damage. I can’t—and won’t—go further. Whatever’s at the center has a terrifying power I can’t even fathom. My perception’s sharp, and from a kilometer away, I saw it. A fire elemental disintegrated just by getting too close to whatever’s down there. This place is full of ghostly and incorporeal entities—semi-material ones like the sinners are rare. Thankfully, regular ghosts don’t attack me, and these guys have a slight delay before striking.
On this journey from the edge to the center, I got closer to that thing in the middle. It was a massive petrified body, pierced through the chest by a perfectly round, polished red stake. The River of Souls flowed into that wound. Its size was so immense I could see it from three kilometers away. And I recognized the giant’s face, slain by that stake—it was Bernard.