Tower Apocalypse 4: A LitRPG Isekai Fantasy Adventure Series, page 8
Since Verdunn had climbed the fifth floor around the same time as us, it made sense he found something.
“What does it do? Or, rather, what did it do? It looks expired to me.”
Verdunn nodded. “Yep. It is expired—sadly. The System said it was left by the old System. It would let me break one rule or restriction on Gaea. So after you beat me to the Assault Archon role, I switched my path to Tank Archon.”
Now that made sense.
Not only had he switched his path, but he’d also overruled Luparia’s actual wishes. I remembered the Demigod complaining about his demeanor, calling him a brute.
“Do you mind if I take a closer look?” I asked, holding my hand out for the rock.
“Sure,” Verdunn dismissively replied.
He tossed it over, flipping the rock nonchalantly through the air.
I caught it, then sighed.
It was just like he said.
There was power there, but nothing more than that.
“So you just used it to get an Archon role?” I asked, eyeing him.
He looked back at me blankly for a moment, and then understanding twinkled in his eyes. Verdunn threw his head back and laughed. “Oh. I get it. I know what you’re thinking. If you got the rock, would you have used it to escape?” he asked.
“Maybe,” I replied. I didn’t know Verdunn well, so I wasn’t interested in getting into it. I would have liked to escape, but honestly, I was much more motivated in getting my friends out of this shitty place.
“I’m not going to escape,” Verdunn said, shaking his head. “I’m glad for this world. I’m much happier than back home. This is where I was meant to be. I know some of you want to bail out somehow, and I won’t stand in your way. But I don’t care about that. I just want to get stronger.”
“I respect that,” I replied.
I was just about to ask him what was on the next few floors since I was going to climb with Ben and Rhino, but then a notification suddenly appeared.
PRIVATE ANNOUNCEMENT
AN ALLIANCE QUEST IS NOW AVAILABLE.
CHOOSE YOUR PARTY
BRING THE DWERGAR AND HUMAN SPECIES CLOSER TOGETHER BY HUNTING DOWN THE ROGUE MONSTERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
REMAINING MOB MONSTERS: 500/500
REMAINING BOSS MONSTERS: 10/10
I took a surprised step back.
Verdunn, however, didn’t seem to notice at all. He was still walking into the tower.
“Hey!” I called. “Did you get this notification?”
He turned back at me, looking at me like I was an idiot. “What? What notification?”
Then I reread and saw the message at the top.
Private Announcement…
So who actually got to see it?
“Never mind,” I said. While I liked Verdunn more than before, I trusted my original ten villagers and my alliance members a lot more than him. I’d rather share this secret with them.
“Alright then,” Verdunn said. “I’ll get back to the tower. Keep climbing sometime, will you? I don’t want to leave you too far behind.”
I ignored his typical verbal jabs, waiting until the portal flashed again and he left.
“System, what is this quest? Can anyone else see it?”
“No,” the System immediately replied. “Only you. Well, you and whoever you choose. Since you are the first two species to ally, I’m testing you with a new quest. You must form a party of five, though that party must include at least two dwergar members.”
“I see. So an inter-species party.”
“Yes.”
“And why did I get that quest? Instead of Ymir or Schroder?”
Ymir and Schroder each had the designated Leader titles—Leader of the Dwergar and Leader of Humanity. They’d decided to pursue those titles on the fifth floor, and I’d actually chosen to stay away from the title, boosting my individual power instead of becoming a leader.
“Simple. Since your two species are separate, I had to create an overall leader. I went for power alone.”
“I see,” I replied.
“Oh. On that note. Here is your perk.”
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU ARE THE FIRST PLAYER TO LEAD TWO RACES AT ONCE
REWARD:Supreme Commander Title
DESCRIPTION:+500 to Health, Attack, Shield, Force, and Defense
+10% to all Resists
The sudden influx of power surged through my body, supercharging me even further. I felt as if I was about to blow up.
Someone less perceptive might have found this title flattering, and the power highly welcome, but I knew it wasn’t meant to be praise. It was a double-edged sword.
This was like how the herbs had suddenly moved, allowing humanity to take all of them.
By creating a new position, the System was trying to create more tension. I was definitely on thin ice here. Verdunn would probably be pissed at this title and demand a rematch on the spot, for example, and while the dwergar liked me, they’d probably want one of their own in charge, especially since the leadership position came with stat bonuses.
There was only one thing I could do about it.
I had to show everyone that I was worthy of this new title and power. That was the only way to keep things settled.
“Now, the timer will start once you pick your party. Hurry up.”
A timer appeared in my field of vision. It said “00:00:00.”
So instead of a strict limit, it’d count up. The rewards were probably related to how fast we finished the entire mission.
“Devin! Devin!”
I turned and found Ben, who vaulted off of Rhino, who he’d been riding in his transformed form. Moments later, the rhino shifted, revealing my usual burly friend.
“Hello, Devin!” Rhino added. “Sorry I was late. Are you ready to climb the tower?”
“No. We have something else to do. Let’s grab our favorite dwergar and get moving.”
CHAPTER 7: ALLIANCE QUEST
I quickly explained what was happening. The good thing about this mission was how simple it was—we had to hunt and kill the monsters, and that was it.
“So you want us as the two other humans?” Ben asked. “Won’t it be better to pick some damage dealers since it’s a timed mission?”
“I see what you’re saying,” I replied. “But since we don’t know the enemies, I don’t want to mess around bringing someone who could get killed too easily. I’d rather just play it safe. We might get fewer rewards, but right now, our goal is to build long-term for the battle in six months. It’s a race, not a marathon.”
Rhino nodded, his eyes keenly glinting with excitement. “Awesome. We are a good match for a dangerous mission since we can just tank it up!”
He gave Ben a friendly slap on the back. “And with you, it’s even better! The only thing better than one tank is two tanks!”
I laughed, happy to see Rhino’s usual extreme enthusiasm. Maxwell or Tang were good options for a tank too, but Emma was right. Thanks to the segmented climbing from the sixth to tenth floors, I hadn’t done stuff with my older squad members for a while.
“What about the dwergar?” Ben asked.
“I was thinking we could just take it simple. Get Thunderbeard and Ymir. They are the two strongest dwergar and they are just as durable as you guys.”
I didn’t say anything, but I didn’t want my first mission as “Supreme Commander” to end with a death in the party. That would be a disaster, not only for the alliance in general but also for my self-perception as a leader since I was still growing and getting comfortable with this stuff.
“Are you sure?” Ben asked. “I get the concept behind stacking tanks for an unfamiliar mission, but what about a healer or a buffer? Maybe we could ask Thunderbeard to bring his wife or to bring Healhand?”
I shook my head. “I thought the same thing, but the problem with dedicated support is we’ll need to protect them. With us five, we’re more comfortable standing on our own. Besides…”
I opened my inventory, then pulled out a few potions, twirling them in my hand just to show Ben. We had potions for all sorts of things now—not just healing and force regeneration, but also certain buffs. Thanks to Sarah and our other cooks, we also had special foods to allow us to cleanse away status effects.
“Good idea,” Ben said. “I think you’re right…” His fingers twitched, briefly touching the huge Sword of Heroes he had strapped over his back. “I feel a lot more comfortable just throwing myself in there anyways.”
“Yeah, and I think Rhino and Thunderbeard feel the same way. Ymir is a decent bodyguard, but we can’t just rely on him.”
Thanks to the last mission against the darkling, I had MOBA games on my mind, which had actually informed my decision to go with raw tankiness and durability instead of a more balanced composition. In those team fighting games, there were many different kinds of tanks. Some tanks specialized at peeling, which meant getting people off your damage dealers. But thanks to Ben and Rhino’s skills, they were best off just getting into the thick of the other team, disrupting their backline, and spreading chaos.
“I’m just happy to see them,” Rhino rumbled excitedly. “I haven’t seen them in a while.”
Rhino was so giddy he was practically bouncing on his feet. It was a pretty endearing sight to see the big bald man looking like a kid.
“Man. With five tanky bois like us, nobody is gonna want to fuck with us!”
I laughed.
“By the way, Rhino. How have your own missions been going?”
“Most of my missions are with Verdunn and Ironsides, the dwergar Tank Archon. If I’m being honest, I like those guys a little more. They are a better fit for a hard-charging rhino like me.”
I chuckled.
“Yeah, that’s for sure. Ironsides is just so quiet all the time. And Verdunn…man, he is way too loud.”
Rhino grinned.
“Yeah, exactly. Well, Verdunn is annoying, and he does brag way too much. But still, he’s not a bad guy at heart. He’s a lot better than the Cultists or Roman.”
I nodded.
“I do have to give him that.”
I used the village chat to call Thunderbeard, telling him to grab Ymir as well and meet us by the tower. Then Ben, Rhino, and I milled around for a bit, waiting for them to arrive.
As they did, I pulled up my stat information, wanting to see what change this new Supreme Commander title had brought.
STATUS SCREEN
NAME
Devin Cain – the Supreme Commander
CLASS
Hexmancer
KARMA
-125
LEVEL
81
HEALTH
2760 (+1430) [+838]
FORCE
1805 (+441) [+450]
ATTACK
1702 (+462) [+433]
DEFENSE
1264 (+553) [+364]
SHIELD
2260 (+452) [+543]
SOULS
0/100
RESISTANCES
FIRE
40% (+20%)
AIR
40% (+20%)
WATER
40% (+20%)
LIGHTNING
40% (+20%)
POISON
40% (+20%)
CURSE
50% (+20%)
Interesting…
The first thing I noticed was that the Assault Archon title was gone, but the stats remained. When I pulled up my added info, I saw I had my group buff too, increasing the damage of all other human “Assault”-type fighters who were with me.
I guessed that only one title could display at a time.
Either way, the compounding buffs were nasty. On a raw stat basis, I’d gained 500 points in every category. That was already incredible, and I was certain that I was far ahead of any other ordinary level 81 player thanks to all my added perks.
However, those added points went a long way, since both the White Glint and my Assault Archon title provided compounding boosts.
Out of all my stats though, the one I was the most intrigued by was Curse Resistance.
70% resistance to curse damage was just nasty, and since I’d gained most of it from unique areas, like my innate Hexmancer class, my armor pieces, and my new Supreme Commander buff, I knew that most opponents wouldn’t expect it.
Resists were particularly potent because they were applied before defense, meaning that most of the six basic damage types would bounce right off of me.
The only problem was that the strongest opponents didn’t use those main damage types.
Roman did holy damage, which according to Juniper could only be resisted through rare means. Another rare kind of damage was Nieven’s spirit damage from his [SEANCE] summons.
Common sense dictated that those spectral beasts inflicted curse damage…but they didn’t.
That got me thinking. I needed ways to take advantage of my specific stats. I’d learned through my Fragment that each person got different stats for each level up. It just made sense that crafting an individual build taking advantage of my specific traits would get me further along…
“Hey guys,” I said. “Have you heard of an item that converts damage?”
Ben frowned. “Convert damage? What do you mean?”
“For example, an item that causes all incoming damage to me to be transformed into curse damage.”
Realization flashed across both my friend’s faces.
“Now that is interesting,” Ben said. “Normally, people don’t want to get cursed, but if you could somehow transition the damage, that’d pay off big time.”
“Yeah, exactly. Just in case you find anything, maybe you can keep an eye out.”
“Will do,” Rhino replied. “I’d ask Ren too, just to be safe.”
I nodded, firing off a quick message.
DEVIN CAIN: Hey Ren! Heard you managed to find Emma a really nice item. Thanks a lot for that…anything that keeps her safe, I’m happy. I’m looking for something a bit unique—an armor part, or maybe some kind of amulet, that can convert incoming damage to a different type.
Unlike Ben or Rhino, Ren got what I was looking for right away.
REN TAKAHASHI: Oh, to force them to deal curse damage to you, right?
DEVIN CAIN: Yeah, or at least elemental damage. It feels like my resists just don’t come into play against certain fighters.
REN TAKAHASHI: I heard about something like that. Haven’t seen the actual piece though, so I imagine it’s rare and super expensive.
DEVIN CAIN: Hey, man. When it comes to the market, you’re the best. Our group has the fres for it. Just get it done.
REN TAKAHASHI: Thanks for the compliment boss. I’m on it.
Technically, that was my first order as the Supreme Commander. Now if only everything else would be so easy…
Moments later, Ymir and Thunderbeard came out of the dwergar’s Dungeon of Oblivion, emerging from the cavernous hole in the ground.
“We just warped here using the portal,” Thunderbeard explained.
“The Dungeon being a central station is pretty damn useful when you want to visit all your territory,” Ymir noted.
I nodded. “Yeah, we’ve done that before too.”
I started explaining the mission to them, but both looked confused and surprised.
“Wait…” Thunderbeard said, scratching his beard and eyeing me. “The System gave you a special mission? For our species too?”
Ah.
I should have known that they’d be surprised. I was kind of undercutting them as leaders after all.
I explained my new designation as the Supreme Commander, and the two looked at each other. They seemed unsure and confused. Ymir looked outright unhappy.
The giant glanced down at me, frowning a little above his stone cliff-like chin. “Did you get anything? From the System?”
I thought about lying or understating my new buff—just to keep everything smooth—but there was no point. They could just ask the System, and since she was deliberately trying to cause problems and play us against each other, she’d be overjoyed to tell them the truth.
“Yeah, I did get a buff,” I honestly replied. “500 points in each stat.”
Thunderbeard and Ymir’s eyes bulged out, and this time, I could sense the simmering jealousy.
They were silent for a moment, but then both dwergar let out a long sigh. Ymir shrugged, and Thunderbeard just threw back his head and did his usual brash laugh.
“Well, we knew you’d surpassed us,” Ymir said, “Though we are a little disappointed, if only because it’d help our race to get these special notifications first.”
“Still, we trust you though,” Thunderbeard added. “We’ve fought side-by-side, and you don’t keep things from us.”
“Yes. We just ask that you continue being honest with us,” Ymir finished.
I nodded.
“Of course.”
I couldn’t help but notice that neither of them had checked my words with the System. If they had, they would have stopped speaking for a while and spaced out—I’d contacted the System myself enough times to see the signs. Hopefully, that trust would extend to the battlefield.
I explained the mission to them and how we had to form a new party. Both of them nodded.
“Alright. We’ll leave our party and form a new one then,” Thunderbeard said. “Will you be able to invite us?”
I pulled up my System menu, and although I didn’t leave my party, I double-checked to make sure I could add dwergar without any problems. Thanks to our territory merger, I could, but I held up a finger.
