NOVEL FROG 27 – Settlement: Corruption World
The pain was unbearable. It was miserable. And it was intense. It was beyond anything Genji had felt before. Genji felt like every inch of him was being burned and cut at the same time. Then his body would patch itself up, and the process would repeat. On one hand, he wanted to survive, but on the other, he considered ending everything. As soon as these thoughts formed, he berated himself for his foolishness.
'After everything, you're just going to give up?'
'Of course not!'
Why had he struggled to overcome all the difficulties if he was going to give up now? No, he refused. He would bear this pain and carve it into his soul. No matter how much time passed, he would remember this experience and use it as an anchor for himself. An anchor to remind himself why he would keep doing everything he could to survive.
But time seemed to pass like mud. Every second felt like an eternity to him. An eternity of his mind and craziness. So he let the pain feed his madness. He allowed the madness to further devour his mind and temper his will.
'Yes, that's it. Bring on the pain. The worse it is now, the better off I will be.'
And boy, did he go crazy.
"Hahahahaha. Is that it?"
Contrary to popular conceptions, exposure to pain does not weaken the sense of it. Rather, it only makes the person more tolerant of it. Although the current pain exceeded the initial one, Genji was able to shrug it off. Soon, the final moments were upon him. His pain receded as the parasites decided the victor.
His health started to decrease, but Genji timed his healing balms to counteract the loss of health. Luckily for him, the injection fought off the corruption enough so that he wouldn't be converted into a corruptor in 10 minutes.
When the time was up, Genji found himself in the void again. Before EverRealm could prompt him, he ordered a full healing treatment.
[Initializing healing.]
Genji's entire body started glowing intensely as he experienced the same itchiness he felt before. The only difference was that this time, Genji took everything calmly and didn't thrash around despite the sensation being much stronger. This feeling was nothing compared to the pain he had experienced minutes prior.
[Healing has finished. The cost of healing has been deducted from your world settlement.]
Settlement: Corruption World
Achievements:
- Kill the elite at the start
- Join CEC
- Cleaned up the area around the city
- Killed the mini-boss Plain's Ogre
- Killed the 3 mini-bosses in Cavean Town
- Killed Troll of Grief
- Cleaned up Cavean Town
- Participated in Dark Forces Raid
- Killed many mutants in the raid and severely weakened their forces
- Saved many CEC agents in the process
- Killed the Child of Fate
- Survived the Hunting of the Red Kitsune
- Counter Killed the Red Kitsune
- Create a skill unpossessed by EverRealm
- Affected the sneak attack of the Dark Forces
- Killed Sirius, the Wolf Berserker
- Participated in the raid against Rocknore Behemoth
- Contributed to major to the behemoth raid
- Killed the Behemoth
- Reached the main headquarters of CEC
- Figured out the truth behind the mutants
- Killed all the leaders and triggered the response mechanism
- Survived an encounter with Panolis
- Fought Panolis to a standstill
- Defeated Panolis
- Gained Panolis's acknowledgment
- Survived the Trial of Pain
Rating: Nightmare
Note: Your actions have justified why EverRealm calls you a Nightmare. Your achievements scare even EverRealm.
Stat points awarded: 20 (This is the maximum for this world)
Ever coins rewarded: -544,000 (This is your due cost for healing. You will have 3 worlds to pay this off or you will face a demotion in rank.)
Other rewards are being calculated...
Seeing this review, Genji was gobsmacked. Whether it's the long list of achievements or the debt he owed, everything about it defies expectations. Genji suspected that if he showed anyone this summary, they might not believe him. As for the healing cost, things made sense when Genji thought about it.
First, he had countless injuries accumulated from the start of the world to the end. Although his healing balms were able to put him back in fighting shape, they couldn't help with the hidden injuries that are deeper in his body. In the short term, these injuries don't hinder him, but once they accumulate, they will cripple him.
Next, there's the cure for the corruption his body experienced by using the Orb of Corruption. It was a powerful effect, but it came at a huge cost. Nothing he can do about it as the increased stats allowed him to unleash power far beyond what he should have been possible. Just being able to fight Panolis, who was in the 2nd step, to a standstill already says a lot.
After that, he has the curse of [Muramasa] that drains his life force. At the time, Genji didn't pay much attention to this side effect, but Genji suspects this curse was what contributed to his high costs. All the other injuries were external, so they were relatively easy to heal, but this one was a problem of exhausted life force.
It's common knowledge that life force is hard to replenish once someone runs low on it, so it's not a surprise it cost so much. Rather Genji was surprised how EverRealm was even able to heal this kind of injury.
"But still. Can't you give me a discount because of my rank?"
[Calibrating the validation of that statement.]
[Calculating...]
[Checking feasibility...]
[Request is feasible. The cost of your healing has been reduced by 30%.]
[Debt has decreased to -290,800 coins]
[New perk detected. Reduced healing cost has been added to Champion's privileges.]
[Champions will now receive a 15% reduction in healing costs while you will receive 30%.]
"..."
"..."
"Sometimes I don't know if you're actually sentient or not."
[You have achieved an incredible feat in Corruption World.]
[You have killed the source of corruption and changed the history of the world.]
[For this exceptional feat, a piece of equipment will be condensed to symbolize your achievement.]
[You have received the Saber of Infection, Juguar]
[Saber of Infection, Juguar]
Rarity: Legendary
Damage: 32
Durability: 170/170
Prerequisites: 12 str, 12 con
Effects:
- Infection (passive): All external status effects caused by the saber will double in frequency (So if it takes 1 sec to trigger, it will now take 0.5).
- Fatal wound (passive): A single scratch is all you need to apply the effects.
- Assimilation (passive): This sword can devour other negative status effects to grow.
Note 1: A double-edged weapon. It can be the killer of many or your own downfall. Tread carefully.
Note 2: This is a weapon condensed from the essence of Panolis, the General of Infection.
Description: A saber that is the crystallization of infection.
Genji was bombarded with these prompts the moment he asked that question. He didn't know if everything was a coincidence or if EverRealm was brushing off his question. Whatever the case, his attention was drawn to the equipment and its origins.
"So there's a reward for going ham. Even better."
Then Genji turned his attention to the stats of the new weapon. There wasn't much he could do while he was still in the void. Based on prior experience, Genji knew the world settlement was still in progress.
After reading everything, the only thing Genji could think about was that this weapon was perfect for applying poison. Not only could it make the effects trigger twice as often, but it could also poison with a single scratch. What better weapon to replace the newly destroyed [Muramasa] than this?
Genji summoned the weapon, and a large dark green saber appeared in his hands. The edge of the blade had a smooth curve, while the spine of it had many jagged edges. There was also an unusual gleam to the edge of it. It was a strange sensation that tickled the senses but was something one couldn't quite identify.
As Genji held the blade, he felt its heavy weight. It was much heavier than he was comfortable with, leading him to suspect that the strength requirement was the minimum necessary to wield the blade effectively.
[Total achievements calculated. Please select your equipment growth style for Lethal Opportunity.]
- Enhance: Strengthen the existing stats
- Evolve: Gain new skills
Seeing the two options, Genji automatically picked the first one. At this moment, he didn't need any new skills for the daggers. He had plenty of other abilities to integrate into his combat style, so adding more would only have diminishing effects.
[Please pick a primary and a secondary stat to prioritize in the strengthening. If no choice is made in 5 minutes, all stats will be strengthened equally.]
"Sharpness followed by durability."
It was an easy choice. If his weapons were sharp enough, the fight against Panolis would have been way easier. The second option was to ensure the daggers stayed intact in his fights. What was the point of unparalleled sharpness if he could only use it for one battle?
[Commencing strengthening...]
His two daggers floated out from his chest and glowed blue as an unknown energy infused itself into them. This energy wrapped around the blades, refining the very existence of the daggers and repairing any damages. This process continued for some time before the light faded and they floated back down to his hands.
[Lethal Opportunity]
Rating: Epic (previously rare)
Damage: 20 (up 10)
Durability: 200/200 (up 80)
Effects:
- Growth (passive): After every world, this set will grow with you
- Through Iron Like mud (passive): +10 sharpness (new effect)
- Durable (passive): +50 durability (new effect)
Description: A set of two daggers that had a rough start, but caught up with the other legacy weapons after their owner killed too much.
As he observed the stats, Genji noticed that the two daggers had fused into one stat page, and [Opportunity] had lost its control effect. It was as if the weapons had truly become a set and started developing their own specialties.
[Please select the growth option for Shroud of Terror.]
"Enhance, prioritize the active skills."
His torn-up cloak slipped off him and began to glow. Through the light, Genji could see the gaps starting to mend themselves as new fabric sprouted out and weaved together. Soon, the cloak returned to the same pristine condition as when Genji had first received it.
Then, a string of runes appeared from the void and began to spin around the cloak. After a few minutes of gathering, the runes approached the surface of the cloak and fused into it. A dark flash emanated from the cloak before it floated down to Genji
[Shroud of Terror]
Rating: Legendary
Defense: 30
Durability: 170/170
Effects:
- Growth (passive): After every world, this equipment will grow with you
- Hidden (passive): Increase stealth by 150%
- Swift Movement (active): Double movement speed for 10 seconds. This effect has low priority. 25-second cooldown.
- Lightweight (active): Reduce the effects of gravity by 60% for 40 seconds. 20 minutes.
- Essence of terror (passive): no change
Description: A cloak customized for Nightmare Enigma's combat style.
It was a much weaker increase compared to his daggers, but the main focus was the decrease in cooldown between uses. It was a welcomed change as Genji can now use these skills with more flexibility.
[World settlement has finished.]
[Proficiency Shop has been unlocked.]
Then, Genji found himself in his private room with no explanation about the last prompt.
"Proficiency shop? What's that?"
He opened the new shop and realized that this area offers basic skills in anything one can imagine. From fighting skills to support, as long as it has to do with practice, you can find it here. But keep in mind, only skills one can learn through practice. We're talking about swordsmanship, horse riding, or other skills. Nothing in the realm of magic or anything too extraordinary.
As Genji scrolled through the long list, he noticed a few things. For one, all the skills cost 1,000 Ever Coins to unlock. After some investigation, Genji realized that this was the basic price to attain a beginner's mastery. After purchasing it, they can go to the strengthening hall to upgrade these skills with their coins.
This was a feature unlocked after a member completes their first world. EverRealm provides this as a guarantee that people can have some way to survive the upcoming worlds. But from his inquiries, Genji learned that this was an expensive option.
Overall, the skills are separated into 10 levels, but we will go over the first 6, as anything beyond that is considered late-game territory. In ascending order, the ranks of these skills are:
- Novice - 1000 ever coins. This is the basic level that you unlock when purchasing a skill in the shop.
- Intermediate - 10,000 coins.
- Experienced - 100,000 coins.
- Expert - 500,000 coins. You are among the top 1% of the skill.
- Master - 2 million.
- Grandmaster - 10 million. You have reached the mortal limits of the skill.
"So that's where people spend all their money."
Looking at the prices, Genji understood the usage of the coins in the realm. The only thing Genji didn't understand is how strong each level is in comparison and whether they are worth buying. This then brings him to his second point. There were a few skills in the shop that were free for Genji.
Dagger Mastery, Dodging, Stealth, Firearms, Total Weapon Mastery
All but the last one were familiar skills to Genji. He clicked on them and added them to his profile.
- Dagger Mastery (grandmaster, 13%): You have pushed your daggers techniques to the limit
- Dodging (Master, 89%): You're like an elusive shadow
- Stealth (Experienced, 56%): You can hide well, but some advanced methods can still detect you
- Firearms (Master, 74%): You have a wide knowledge of all firearms and are skilled with them
- Total Weapon Mastery (Expert, 2%): You have a decent mastery of all other weapons.
"Not that impressive, actually, so why are they so expensive?"
[The listed price is how much it costs to skip that level. Proficiencies are broken down into percentages and can be upgraded over multiple sessions.]
The explanation clarified a lot of Genji's doubts. This isn't supposed to be a process where one throws money at it. The people who get these skills are supposed to practice them to increase their mastery.
If they don't have the time or patience, then they can only pay a limb or two. But Genji saw an upside to this. Since he can buy smaller increments in improvement, can he possibly slowly increase his mastery in the world and buy the rest after? By combining the two, there would be no bottlenecks in his training in these areas.
"You gain some, you lose some."
He shrugged and put the thought aside. At this moment, he's too poor to even think about this money hole. Instead, he redirected his focus to the loot that he acquired this world.
Other than the equipment he earned from killing mini-bosses, he had the flexible knowledge book, an epic active skill, Panolis's Legacy, and 3 knowledge books. He looked at the loot and decided to use the 3 knowledge books and Panolis's legacy.
An intense headache hit him as all the information contained in these books got jammed into his head. It overloaded his brain, but there was no harm in the process. After the information cramming finished Genji rubbed his head to try and soothe the discomfort. That was a lot of information he just absorbed.
"I will deal with the rest later. For now, I need to sleep and then go to the strengthening hall."
A few hours later, Genji woke up feeling refreshed in more ways than one. He got up and walked over to the strengthening hall.
"Hey Cake, how's your day?"
The girl at the desk turned to him and gave a small smile.
"The same old."
"Oh? I guess you don't do much when everyone enters a world."
"No. When that happens, we are free to do our own thing."
"So what's up? You seem pale for some reason."
"It's the upcoming world. It's that time of the year again when servants have to enter a world."
"I see. Well, I wish you luck."
The first thing he added points to was constitution and strength to meet the requirements to equip [Jaguar], his new legendary weapon. Since the last world, Genji realized how useful a large weapon can be for cutting down giant creatures. Plus it's a legendary weapon! It would be kind of a waste not to use it.
After that, he put 6 points into his intelligence as he needs that to take advantage of his cloak's ability to boost his stats. That leaves him with 6 points that he plans to pump into his dexterity.
As he was tapping on the + button next to dexterity, something unexpected came up.
[It has been detected that your dexterity has reached 20 points. Conduct talent molding?]
[Talent molding is a process where your talent becomes influenced by the stat of choice. In your case, your talent will become speed-related after this process.]
[Your champion privilege has been triggered. A piece of advice will be provided.]
[Hint: It is suggested you perform the process when your actual stats reach the benchmark and not rely on equipment to get there. The process of talent molding uses your actual stats to determine how aligned your talent will become with the chosen stat.]
Since EverRealm laid everything out like that, he would be a fool to continue. Genji selected no, and the stat point was returned to him. The strange thing was that he could still add points to dexterity despite the change.
Curious, he tried to add another point to it and surprisingly, it worked. The only catch was his total stat did not increase after that. It remained at 19. The only difference was the boost provided by his equipment had decreased. By the end of this strengthening session, these are his stats:
[Enigma]
Heath: 600/600 (Increased by 200)
Energy: 200/200 (130 from stats + 70 from cloak, an increase of 130 since the last settlement)
Con: 8 -> 12
Str: 8 -> 12
Dex: 11 -> 17 + 2 from equipment = 19
Int: 7 -> 13
Spc: 3 + 1 from equipment = 4