(Calculating Output)
(Successful)
"What the?" Kojo thought with surprise.
(Magic level has increased to rank 3.)
(Impulse has given birth to Thought Acceleration skill.)
(Thought acceleration and impulse have merged.)
(New Skill: ACCELERANT)
(Quicksilver x5)
(All other abilities have increased by 50.9%)
"You okay, Kojo?" Koniko said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Huh? What, yeah I'm fine," he replied.
"You sure?" asked Lin. "Cause you suddenly stopped talking and froze when you put that ring on."
"Really guys, I'm fine. We'd better get going," he said, paying the shopkeeper for the ring and leaving the store.
"What the hell was that?"
(The ring is a relic belonging to the house of Leicester. I calculated the power output of the ring after you put it on, and it was massive. It hacked into my system and automatically boosted all our abilities.)
Kojo looked down at the ring on his finger. He could see the rune pulsing. The ring itself didn't seem solid anymore but looked like it was made of particles that were in a slow but constant flux, moving in a spiral around his finger.
"Hey Sysia, what were those other skills being reprogrammed and boosted?"
(You're forgetting you programmed them into this body yourself. I thought you'd know since you programmed it yourself.)
"Yeah, but with everything that's been going on, I've kinda lost track of what I can do."
(You forgot.)
"Maybe."
(You're so dumb.)
"Can't blame me, can you?"
(Yes, I can. You happen to possess the most advanced quantum computer in your head, and yet you're wasting it all on panties. You're such a perv. You know that, right?)
"I'm not."
(Are too.)
"I am not."
(Yes you are.)
"Not."
(Are.)
"Not."
(Are.)
"Listen, we're getting off track here. What are my abilities again?"
(MIMYK
SKAN
ELEMENTAL MAGIC
QUICKSILVER
ACCELERANT
SAGE
POISON KING
CRYSTALIZATION
LEECH
See More>)
"Nah, I'm good."
"Hey Kojo, wait for us!" He looked back and saw Sharone and the others running after him.
"Shit. I totally forgot about them."
(See why I always say you're stupid?)
"Shut up."
The Following Morning
(So. Why are we all the way out here this early morning?)
Kojo grunted. He tried to grab hold of a ledge, but his hand slipped. He looked down at the ground. He was already halfway up the mountain he was climbing. He looked at the ring on his finger.
"You remember what happened yesterday. This ring amped up my abilities. I gotta see the extent of my power."
He climbed higher but slipped.
"I gotta see my limits," he said, pushing his fingers into the hard rock. "And push past them."
(Yay. You're a motivational speaker now.)
Kojo grunted and threw himself upward, then straightened and started running along the mountain, jumping from rock to rock, shot over the mountain top.
"If I'm gonna live in this world, I need to grow strong enough to deal with anything that may lead to my death."
He did a flip and landed on the summit.
(Yeah, but you could have done that closer to Ekron instead of running 20 miles to the nearest highland.)
"It's no big deal. Besides, we were here in an instant. With my speed, distance is just a number."
(That wouldn't be necessary. I could give you figures of your recent level up,) Sysia said, filling his head with figures showing heart rate and energy expenditure.
"I said it's fine," Kojo said, stretching to warm up.
"Hey. That thing said I'm now rank 3. Any idea what that means?"
(Everything in Gaea is arranged according to rank. Beasts are ranked according to on a scale of 1 to eight, with 8 being the highest. Magical items and spells are ranked on a scale of 10 called stars, also in ascending order. Then we have the magic casters themselves. These mages are ranked according to how their power can affect the planet.)
"That's insane. And rank 3's pretty decent, right?" Kojo asked.
"Well..." Sysia began, pausing then continuing.
(You're a gamer, right? So you're familiar with the class system.)
"Yeah?"
(A true weeb.)
"Just tell me already," Kojo said impatiently, rolling his eyes.
(Ok then. For you to easily understand...)
A table appeared in Kojo's mind.
(Table with ranks)
"Ok I see. So if I were to be in a game, I'd probably be a B class adventurer or something. That's not too bad. And I can get stronger?"
(Yes.)
"Awesome."
(It's important to note two things. Each rank has the level of power that affects the planet, so the Rank 1's could easily destroy the planet, so best stay clear of any you come across till we get stronger.)
"Agreed."
(Also, since your body was made out of pure arcana, you're ranked not with normal standards but in relation to the amount of Arcana you have.)
"So it means I'm stronger?"
(Can't say.)
"Why not?"
(Cause it's gonna get to your head.)
"So I am stronger."
(Or weaker. I'm also comparing it to that of other magic users and don't even think about Scanning yourself.)
"Awwwn."
(In fact. SKAN has been disabled.)
"What! You can't do that."
😘
"Whatever," Kojo said, ignoring the emoji in his head. "It's not like it matters that much anyway..."
He released some of his aura. Violet energy twirled around him.
"The numbers are just theory. Time for the practical."
(Uh-huh.)
"I got it all figured out. The main reason why I couldn't sleep last night." His aura intensified.
(Wasn't that because you tried to fondle Lin in her sleep and ended up getting lynched by the three of them?)
"Huh? Wha- No. I was covering her with a blanket. It was all a huge misunderstanding." Kojo's energy became even more intense, causing the mountain to shake and the rocks around him to float.
(Your thoughts don't lie.)
Kojo groaned.
He then released all his energy, which created a violet energy beam which shot upward, causing the clouds to swirl around it.
The atmosphere changed, and a strong wind blew as if there was a strong storm around the mountain. The wind began to swirl faster and faster.
"I think I can still release some more."
(Don't overdo it, or you'll end up tearing this body apart.)
The area around Kojo glitched.
(Energy output increasing.)
"Huh?" Kojo noticed. The entire mountain began to shimmer and glitch.
"Sysia?"
"Where am I?"
Kojo opened his eyes. He was on top of a tower in a city. There were loud screams of pain and despair coming from all directions. Kojo looked down and saw men, women, and children of different races running in all directions, looking for someplace safe.
Red lightning struck a building, causing it to collapse. There were dragons flying everywhere, breathing fire all around. Kojo looked up. Dark clouds rumbled in the crimson sky.
"What, what is this? Sysia, what's going on?" Kojo asked, dumbfounded by the chaos. There was no response. The clouds began to spiral violently, and a ball of red flame-like energy charged at its centre. It grew bigger and bigger before compressing then shooting toward the ground. There was a black flash then a loud boom. The blast began to expand outward like a nuclear explosion, incinerating everything it touched.
The people were vaporized before his eyes. Kojo gazed in horror as skin peeled away to reveal muscles which burnt up, leaving bones that vanished without a trace. He turned and tried to escape but was caught in the blast. A wave of intense heat washed over him. He tried to fight it, tried to resist its power but suffered the same fate as the others. His screams dimming as he vanished into nothing.