Busy day today, huh?
I've been running all over the Elvin Forest, thinking hard about every step of the plan, scouring the kobold mine for clothes and gold. And now I'm finally home!
My legs fell off like crazy, my back ached, my arms ached, and in general... everything hurt! After nearly four months of sitting and working on my homunculus body, I had weaned myself off walking for so long.
But at least I'd made it and felt incredibly invigorated.
It's time to take stock.
The plan is complete. Clothes are packed. I leveled up myself and Esdes to level four. Yes, slowly, but the original game also took a long time to level up without quests.
I got new abilities, and I also got five gacha twists for each new level. Total on the account: 15 twists.
Regarding the new abilities:
Firstly, I've tweaked my stats a bit. Now instead of having weak stats, I'm at least starting to look like a human now.
Name: Alteran.
'Character Class: Architect of Destiny'
'Character level: fourth.'
'Race: Human.'
'Characteristics:
Strength: 4.
Dexterity: 4.
'Intelligence: 9.
'Talents:
Great Creator - allows you to create servants and empower them with otherworldly will.
Racial Abilities:
Diplomat - faction attitudes improve faster.
Will to Live - removes all stun effects.
Human Spirit - bonus to all minor stats.
Class Abilities:
'Enhanced Command' - gives a command to the homunculus, making its next attack stronger.
'Full Control' - you gain full control over the creature you created.
***
My stats had gone up quite a bit, though I hadn't felt any change in my health yet. They seemed to be growing fairly evenly, though my intelligence was coming out ahead. I guess it had something to do with the fact that my work requires not only intelligence, but also dexterity and finger strength...?
Well, never mind.
I'd better get to the main surprise: I got two class abilities I'd been deprived of.
Amplified Command - allowed me to command a homunculus, amplifying its next attack.
I finally had some ability to influence the fight and help Esdes, or else I felt a bit superfluous.
However, sitting back and watching from the sidelines is fine too. Sometimes you just want to, you know, 'feel' the power and authority. This new ability will help with just that. Interestingly enough, the 'Reinforced Order' enhanced Esdes' next attack by the amount of my intelligence... interesting, I'll have to check the difference during our training.
On top of that, I also unlocked the 'Total Control' ability... which allowed me to completely subdue Esdes.
Damn, that's an incredibly embarrassing power.
I don't know if I'm going to use it, considering the fact that Esdes already obeys me almost without question.
Man, this skil seems like completely useless bullshit.
Wait a minute though...
I opened the description of the ability and carefully scrolled down to the bottom line.
And Vualaya. Just as I thought, I couldn't have the System slip me a completely useless thing.
In general, the ability 'Full Control' had one nice 'filling' - during the application of this spell I removed enemy control from the homunculus and took control over the repaired unit in my own hands.
In other words, if some jerk ever tries to subdue my dolly, I can regain control of it at any time.
Whew... that's actually quite reassuring, because I was really afraid of losing Esdes so stupidly.
I learnt the new abilities and sorted the collected items in my inventory. Now they can be pulled out of the dimensional portal at any time and used for trade or business.
All that's left is to see how much my little Esdes has grown.
Let's open her characterisation window and take a look:
Name: Esdes.
'Character Class: Hunter.
'Character Level: Fourth.'
'Race: Human.'
'Characteristics:'
Dexterity: 65.55 (+8.55)
Strength: 65.55 (+8.55)
Intelligence: 65.55 (+8.55)
Her stats have gone up a little more than twice as much. Roughly +10 to each stat over three levels. That's not bad.
What's this +8.55 per stat bonus? Oh, I see, that's the +15% of her form that I took out of the gacha. It gave her +15% of each stat.
That's quite a lot. The gear alone gives her more stats in total than I got in four levels of my own.
Holy shit.
Lucky I got that item.
My rapier skill went from twenty-five to a whopping thirty-five in one fight. Considering the fact that Esdes was killing kobolds in seconds, that's impressive.
And that was the end of her progression. Unlike me, Esdes could only upgrade her skills and characteristics as she leveled up.
And what abilities she would have depended only on the gachi and me.
So it was time to get to the best part of the evening: beating the best items, abilities, and upgrades out of the gacha.
And so, fifteen rounds in, here we go:
1)Minor Healing (rare).
Yep this is the ability of a hitman, allowing you to heal weak wounds. Useful, but... damn, I don't have any homunculus hitlers yet.
Going into inventory for the future.
2)Wave of Healing (rare).
Cool, it'll come in handy in the future, but you do realise I might not get a healer for another six months, right?
In inventory.
3)Recovery (rare)
Are you kidding me? It's another ability for a hitman, but unlike the first two, it gradually restores the target's health.
I'm gonna put the whole puzzle together.
In the inventory.
4) Pure white shirt.
It costs almost one silver coin. That's not bad, I'll wear it myself. But damn, roughly speaking, I got one silver coin for a whole twist. Not a good deal.
Still better than rare rubbish though....
Inventory.
5)Rare Trash (rare)
Oh, you were the only one remembered.
To discard.
6)Boots of War Song (rare).
Item level 27. Sale price 14 silver 48 coppers.
In the System shop this same good costs a fortune, because there is a markup for the method of obtaining it. In addition, these boots give some nice stats.
'Boots of the Song of War (rare)'
Feet.
Type: leather.
+8 to dexterity
+6 to stamina.
These aren't bad. I'll give them to Esdes. All she has is a rapier, that's all. Now there'll be some fancy boots for a performance bonus.
For now in the inventory.
7) George, KFS worker.
You'll be working in my mine, George!
In inventory.
8) Toilet paper.
Well... er... it'll come in handy.
Into the inventory.
9) A magnificent ham and cheese sandwich.
Good health regeneration and stamina for an hour? Yeah, might come in handy during an important battle.
Inventory.
The eyes suddenly lit up with a violet glow, and a new epic character appeared before my eyes:
10)Yumeko Jabami (epic).
Holy shit...
- Master? - Esdes turned to me excitedly as I involuntarily stood up from the couch.
- It's all right,' I held my face, 'I was just surprised by something.
Well, well, well, well, well... wait. That's the same Yumeko Jabami from Crazy Gambling, I'm telling you.
Long black hair, scarlet vampire eyes, and...
Wait, did she have scarlet eyes?
I opened Yumeko's card and began to read the description. She was an ordinary person who could beat anyone in a game of chance. It was almost like a superpower on the edge of fantasy. She was a very clever girl.
Still, her talents shouldn't be enough to become an epic-level personality, right? She's just an ordinary person.
However, my expectations were deceived.
When I opened the card and read the description of Yumeko Jabami everything immediately fell into place:
'Character Name: Yumeko Jabami.'
'Character Class: Blacksmith.'
'Character Level: First.'
'Race: Human.'
'Characteristics:
Strength - 10.
Dexterity: 10.
Intelligence 47.
Holy shit... She's a witch doctor, and with a weird subclass called 'Dark Excitement'? What does that mean? I knew she was a gambling maniac, but that's something.
Also, her intelligence level is simply monstrous even against the legendary personality of Esdes.
After opening her talents, I found a bunch of passive skills for intelligence, eloquence, charisma, and a powerful luck buff that allowed her to win almost every third time in any random activity with a hundred per cent probability.
Cheats! But legit.
She could be of great use in battle, though all of her talents were best suited for business activities or going to the casino. In the world of Warcraft, by the way, there were plenty of places to go.
Should I really think of a plan to make money through Yumeko, through gambling...?
I had already seen a lot of possibilities where I could use Yumeko Jabami's talents. I wanted to try them all out, but would Yumeko live up to my expectations?
After all, she's a mortal girl who got her Witchcraft abilities from something. Sure, she was better than George, but I still had my doubts about whether it was worth spending resources on her.
The question came to a head.
The fact was that it took me almost four months and a little over fifty gold to create Esdes alone, which was almost half of my total capital.
I was able to make up for the small cost of food with looted artefacts and resources, but I was still going under, rapidly losing money.
I was faced with a choice between saving my money and a rather risky expenditure on a potentially useful Yumeko Jabami character.
On the one hand, I was feeling rather comfortable right now and didn't want to rush things. It was better to keep the money and find a more sensible use for it, especially as the more time that passed, the better I would be able to build up my Sculptor skills and spend less on resources to create Yumeko. It was also possible to pump up trade and sell the extracted resources with better efficiency in the future.
But on the other hand, I wanted to create Yumeko as soon as possible, because this character could potentially make my life a lot easier. And what's more, I was secretly a fan of this smart and slightly fucked up girl. I was just curious to see her live, even if it was just a doll with a copy of her soul.
I mean, how much would I spend to make her? It took a little over fifty gold to create Esdes, but that's taking into account food and household items.
Potentially, I could spend approximately thirty-five gold to create Esdes right now. It would probably take much less for Yumeko, firstly because she's below the rarity class, and secondly because my sculpting skill is at a better level.
With heavy thoughts, I sat for a couple of days, after which I got up and hovered in lingering thoughts.
Even if I spend about fifteen gold on her in the end, I would still have about twenty in reserve. With Esdes' help, I could earn about ten silver a day from hunting and not have to worry about food and drink.
So, making Yumeko was possible without much damage after all.
The answer was determined by the next day, when Esdes and I travelled to the Golden Land. We walked quietly into town, and as usual I made small talk with Farley, the innkeeper, who suddenly told me that there had been a rumour that someone had attacked the kobold mines and caused a massacre.
I glanced at Esdes and tried not to show it, while my cold-blooded companion remained perfectly calm and even smiled at me.
- Master?
- No, nothing.
The thing is, the rumour spread much faster than I thought. It wasn't the speed that surprised me, but the fact of it. How did it happen? The kobolds were killed by the Esdes, every last one of them.
And yet people knew about it like it was everyday news. That's impossible.
Unless someone happened to be walking in the woods and came across a mountain of corpses? I don't know. I tensed up a bit and kept listening to Farley as he told his not-so-funny wife story.
- What do you think about that? - I asked Esdes as we left the tavern.
- I don't think the rumours will affect us in any way. We have achieved our goal and left no trace. The only thing that might worry us is the rumours that are going around the mine right now. Perhaps we should lay low for a while and keep a low profile.
- That's what I thought too,' I nodded, 'but how did those rumours spread? Esdes, tell me, what are the chances we might have missed a witness?
Esdes thought seriously, putting her finger to her lips. I've rarely seen her like this.
- I'm pretty sure I've gotten rid of every kobold. But unfortunately, we can't deny the chance that someone might have spotted us. Still, from what you say, the world of Warcraft is too vast and there are so many ways to stealthily spy on people.
- You're right. We can't deny it,' I was not afraid to admit the obvious, and I thought for a moment, "though I still hope that the kobolds" deaths were noticed after we left. Maybe a hunter or a wanderer.
- The possibility of that cannot be denied, my Master,' Esdes opened her palm in my direction, 'but you should also consider that rumours would most likely have mentioned it then. For example, Farley might have said, 'A hunter spotted some dead bandits near the mine.' Usually people like to mention those involved in hot news. Or the obvious ones themselves take the 'honour' and declare at the top of their lungs that it was they who witnessed the news.
- You're right again,' I nodded tensely, confused, 'I don't think we're going to get an answer.
Esdes looked into my eyes with a benevolent smile.
- You need not worry, Master. I'm sure if something had gone wrong, my gut would have told me by now. But I would recommend we temporarily halt our activities and watch the situation unfold from the sidelines.
Consequently... that was the reason I started working on the creation of Yumeko Jabami.
Since Esdes and I had decided to avoid any major ventures for the time being, I could concentrate on expanding our team.
And while I fumbled for resources in the System shop to begin work on the homunculus, Esdes meanwhile trained and prepared to go out into the world.
- How long do you think it will take for the rumours to die down? - I asked my dressing friend.
Esdes had a bad habit of walking around naked, so I had to wait for her to get into shape. Now she was pulling a leather stocking over her bare feet and rubbing herself against me.
- Well, I suppose a couple of weeks would be enough time. By then, not only will the rumours have died down, but we'll be able to see how our opponents and the Stormgrass Alliance behave.
- So I'll have about two weeks to work in peace.
- That's about right,' Esdes agreed, opening the portal and turning to me, 'While you're busy working, I'll hunt and provide food. You don't have to worry about resources.
- Just be careful. And don't take any risks. I can't lose you.
Esdes opened her mouth, and froze in slight embarrassment with a hand to her chest.
- Master... I'll be sure to make it so that you'll be pleased with me.
- Mm...uh-huh,' I nodded.
And so she walked away, leaving me alone with the soulless puppet that would become Yumeko Jabami in the future. I cast a gloomy look at that lump of clay and sighed heavily.
All over again... all from scratch. Admittedly, there was something intriguing about working on a woman's body. But remembering how much I'd worked my arse off working on Esdes made me want to cry.
Shaking off the haunting worry about Esdes, I set to work, reassuring myself that my handmaiden was smart enough not to make stupid mistakes.
I was... being overly cautious and overly worried, but that was my speciality. Still, when you try to anticipate hundreds of different outcomes involuntarily, you'll inevitably become paranoid.
So... Yumeko Jabami. For now, you're just a puppet who doesn't even have a difference. But soon you'll shine.
Just like the first time, I began to think of an image to better represent her facial features.
Yumeko Jabami is a very energetic and upbeat character who has a reliable will, courage, intelligence, and... no brakes, an unhealthy craving for excitement, and a filthy fetish for taking risks.
Outwardly, she looked like a high school girl, with a pretty face, a cute oval face. She had attractive cheeks, a kind expression, plump lips, and a slightly otherworldly glint in her eyes, even when she acted like a normal girl.
And... never would have ever been able to suspect anything wrong with her if it wasn't for the games. Only when Yumeko touches the edge of excitement would her brown eyes take on a scarlet, predatory hue, and her true personality would be exposed.
Yup... another monster on my team. I don't even have time to rest from Esdes' antics, and there's another "miracle" on the way. I guess it's my karma, I guess.