The Second Life of Adam Cosmos

Adam once again found himself back in the cavern.

Even without Novhekaar's Cloak, the mask still provides a boost to Adam's perception so he can tell that the area is well and truly void of any presence- both living and undead.

Then, he retrieved the Bag of Holding where he placed all the valuable loot he acquired from the Revenants and other special undead.

First, he managed to acquire several pages of the Voynich Scriptures. Combined with the pages Adam already has, he now has a total of 38 pages- twenty pages of which formed two sets!

The rest of the pages formed 4 different sets in varying stages of completion. He estimates that the missing pages will probably become available for auction as the series of quests from the Fortress are accessed by the players. Just like in his first life, many players will dismiss the pages as worthless items and sell them for some money or exchange them with a more practical item they can use.

Voynich Set #1 10/10

Voynich Set #2 10/10

Voynich Set #3 6/10

Voynich Set #4 6/10

Voynich Set #5 4/10

Voynich Set #6 2/10

He considered putting an advertisement for the pages, but almost immediately decided against it. The moment he placed an ad for the item, the interest for the pages would increase- and along with it, its price.

No, it is far better to let the public remain disinterested in the pages and just sell them out of ignorance.

As for the two sets that have been completed, he will not be able to craft either of them as of yet due to still missing the last qualification to access the information held in the pages- which is to complete a Paradigm Trial. Luckily, there are Paradigm Totems at the Sanctus Lux Fortress.

Getting to it is not difficult provided that he acquired enough contribution points in order to be granted access. And since Adam had several Necromancer's Hearts and a Lich's body to present to the Imperatrix, this is practically a non-factor for him.

After the Voynich Scriptures, the next set of notable loots are elixirs.

Elixir of a Champion Gladiator

Description: When a gladiator with a stellar fight record is close to earning back his freedom, this potion is offered instead as an alternative. Many gladiators would choose this elixir instead of freedom. Increase VITALITY, ENDURANCE, and STRENGTH by 2 points permanently.

Elixir of a Seeker of Knowledge

Description: A potion given as a reward to a mage who graduated as the top student of a long-forgotten sorcery academy. Increases INTELLIGENCE by 3 points permanently.

Elixir of a Knight-Commander

Description: This was once a potion given to all knights of Old Camelot before being promoted to Knight-Commander status, but the knowledge of brewing this potion is lost to history. Upgrades Stat conversation of 1 Vitality to 8 HP.

There is no reason for Adam not to drink it, he immediately drank each elixir as soon as he read all their description.

And finally, the last item of note is a special item a gem.

Gem of Rebirth

Description: This gem was once believed to grant the user a second chance in life by being reborn. However, this was eventually disproven by mages and scholars after intensive research. Various religious groups would later claim that this gem is not meant for mortals in Pangea but for a select chosen ones by the gods- but no one took their claims seriously.

Details: An item that only Otherworlders can use. Allows the user to reallocate their stat and skill points.

The Gem of Rebirth is one of the items that Imperatrix Demetra would offer as a reward as the Sanctus Lux Fortress questline continues. Additionally, there are a few locations where Adam knows he can find a Gem of Rebirth, but he did not expect one of the Revenant Sorcerers he killed to have this in its possession.

On the subject of reallocating stats, Adam has been thinking of fixing his stat investments as it has been relatively unbalanced. So far, he only leveled up the stats he needed with little regard for the long-term viability of his build. The reason he's done pretty well so far is that his real-life experience in combat and knowledge of the various enemy's skills and habits gave him an edge on how to tackle them. But investing his stat points has to be done with far more consideration moving forward.

The same is true with his investments in his spells and skills. While his Pyromancy spells are undoubtedly powerful, it is now time to adjust his spell line-up since the opportunity has presented itself.

In truth, he had been giving his build a lot of thought with every battle he participated in. In the same vein, he also needed to decide on what classes he would add as he could no longer afford to spread out his stat growth.

Before using the gem, he briefly equipped Novhekaar's Cloak to widen his perception range and confirm that his area was safe. Upon confirming that the area was clear, he immediately unequipped it.

And then, Adam broke the gem.

Ding!

[You have used the Gem of Rebirth.]

[Your stats and skill points allocation will be refunded back. Please re-assign your points.]

It didn't take Adam long to rebuild his stats and skill points. As soon as he was done with the reassignment of his points, he also leveled up and reached Level 125. In doing so, the million or so Essence he accumulated by fighting thousands of dead for nearly 24 hours was spent in a single go.

Adam reallocated his points around to better reflect the direction he will be taking from this point forward. He also took into account some of the future classes he will pick as he knows the core stats those would need.

Starting with Vitality, he put a few points into it and upgraded it to 30. Since his conversion is now 8 HP per point in Vitality, his health pool has more than doubled. Plus, with the benefit of his Necklace that adds 200 HP, his health pool is closer to that of a warrior than that of a crafter/spellcaster hybrid.

He left his Endurance at 40 as it originally was since it's a stat he cannot afford to be lower. He made a mental note to gradually increase it to 60.

For Willpower, he decided to leave it back at its minimum value of 10 since he has many items that can boost his mana pool. Coincidentally, Willpower also has the effect of boosting one's passive mental resistance. But since Adam recently acquired a Trait with 15% Mental Resistance, there is no immediate need for his Willpower to be increased anymore.

Then, he reduced his Strength stat to 20 and increased his Dexterity to 27. Initially, he invested a huge amount of points into Strength to carry his bags easily, but the spatial inventory eliminates that necessity now. He judged that extra points in strength are not crucial as he prefers fighting using rapid strikes, spells, and environmental hazards. And more importantly, as a crafter, Dexterity is much more important in order to better control the materials he'll be working with.

For the next stat, he invested his Intelligence up to 32. Many of the alchemical recipes- including the Voynich Scripture, blacksmithing plans, as well as the various instruction manuals of the other classes that Adam plans to take, would all require a high Intelligence stat. Although Adam can technically craft the alchemical recipes he knows from his first life even with a low Intelligence stat, this would limit the other instructions he can learn from the rest of the crafting classes. Not to mention, Adam has an opportunity to learn new Alchemical recipes this time around, so having a high Intelligence stat would ultimately be in his best interest.

Next, he left Clarity untouched as he does not require any point in it; only the White Mages, Dark Mages, Sorcerers, and Shaman-types require an investment on this stat.

Then with Harmony, he decided to level it to 40 as doing so would mean his Pyromancy spells would receive a flat bonus of 60 damage all across the board. He considers this to be more than enough boost to his Pyromancy considering that he has the Ignition Gloves' boost and the Flame Augmentation trait.

Finally, he left Mystery at 10 to meet the minimum requirement of the Sacrificial Dagger and to ensure that more spells and talents from his classes would be unlocked as his proficiency with them improved.

Name: Adam

Level: 125

Essence: 22,183 (100,999 Essence to reach Level 126)

HP 440/440 (240)

MP 840/840 (140)

STATS

Vitality 30 (1:8 Stat to HP)

Endurance 40

Willpower 10 (1:14 Stat to MP)

Strength 20

Dexterity 27

Perception 10

Intelligence 32

Clarity 6

Harmony 40

Mystery 10

SKILLS

(Intermediate Alchemist 78.81%) Purify 1

(Adept Pyromancer 89.28%) Fireball 7, Blazing Will 4, Flame Aura 4, Flame Pillars 5, Fire Bullet 8, Blazing Barrier 2

(Novice Blacksmithing 00.00%)

TRAITS

Botanist, Toxic Resistance, Flame Resistance, Frost Resistance, Metallurgy, Flame Augmentation, Mental Resistance

(Sanctified Necklace of a Holy Knight) +200 HP/MP, HP/MP Regen 20%

(Sanctified Ring of a Holy Knight) 50% Holy Attribute

(Spatial Ring of Sorkis) Spatial Inventory

(Novhekaar's Ritual Mask) +5 Perception, +500 MP

TITLES (see more)

ACHIEVEMENTS (see more)

"This is much better," said Adam contently.

As for his spells, he decided to take Firebolt, Fire Enchantment, Wall of Fire, and Fire Breath out of his spell line-up.

With the addition of the intermediate-grade spell Fire Bullet, the Firebolt has been rendered obsolete. Fire Bullet can shoot fast and deal nearly three times as much damage due to its quick-cast nature. After being upgraded to Tier 8, its base damage is now 69 fire damage that he can cast every 0.80 seconds. But when taking into consideration the fixed increase of 60 damage from the Harmony stat bonus, his Flame Augmentation trait, and his Ignition Gloves, Fire Bullet became the fastest and hard-hitting spell that he could cast twice every second.

Then, his Fire Enchantment and Flame Breath has become redundant due to Flame Aura's properties. Simply adding fire damage to his weapon isn't as beneficial to him anymore as Flame Aura grants a bonus to all fire damage, and wraps his body in flames that can catch enemies in flame when within melee range. And on top of that, his fire resistance also improves- which would have a good synergy for when he is working at the smithy.

Plus, he recently acquired unique ores and gems that can add elemental properties to his weapon- not just fire. So Fire Enchantment has largely become an outdated means for him to boost his weapon damage. As for Flame Breath, he never really considered it essential and only purchased the spell due to a dire need to fight the undead up close back when he was at the Mountain Top Crypt. And again, Flame Aura is a far superior option in such instances.

Finally, he decided to remove Wall of Fire as he felt it was too similar to Flame Pillars- and he preferred Flame Pillar more due to its option to control the pillar. Besides, if he really wants a Wall of Fire, he could just recreate it by throwing an oil flask onto the ground and setting it on fire.

In conclusion, it is better to just remove these spells as they are no longer essential. He then made the necessary reallocation of skill points and upgraded the rest of his remaining spells.

After reassigning his points, there is nothing more for Adam to do in the tunnels. He is well and truly ready to head back to Vetius' Workshop and continue his Blacksmithing Chain Quest.

But instead of walking, he decided to use his new means of travel.

Karva's Effigy (Unique)

Description: A special effigy meant to store a beast-type creature. This is used to summon Dark Priest Novhekaar's undead steed, Karva.

Details: Consumes 1,000 Essence to activate. If Karva is slain, requires 3 days and 10,000 Essence to revive.

[You have lost -1000 Essence.]

[You have summoned Karva, the Undead Steed.]

Upon paying the required Essence, a black undead steed appeared out of the effigy that Adam was holding. It is about the same height as a real-life stallion but Karva differs in that certain parts of its body are either rotting or have some sections with exposed bones.

Karva, the Revenant Stallion Lvl. 180

HP 2100/2100

MP 720/720

SKILLS

Dash

Jump

Charge

Barrier

TRAITS

Undead Resilience

Undead Sentience

Mental Connection

Upon checking its details, Adam realizes that his steed is a Revenant Beast- another rare type of undead. Aside from that, it is clearly a high-level undead as it is Level 180.

Clearly, Dark Priest Novhekaar spared no effort in raising this beast.

"Hello Karva, I am your new master," said Adam to the undead steed.

Karva just looked at him, neither acknowledging what he said nor did it try to show any sign of resistance.

'Well, at least it didn't attack me as soon as I summoned it,' sighed Adam in relief.

Since his summon is Level 180 while he himself is only at Level 125, it is clear which one has an advantage in level. However, that is only in terms of level disparity; Adam has the means to fight and prevail should it come to that. But he would rather not dispatch this particular undead as it will serve him far better as a mount rather than becoming one of the many undead he destroyed so far.

As soon as this thought ran through Adam's mind, the undead stallion immediately lowered its head and gently approached Adam. It appears that it can tell what Adam was thinking.

"I assume that would be the Mental Connection?" asked Adam out loud.

The stallion rubbed its head on Adam's chest. Despite the rotting skin and exposed bones in its body, Adam found its gesture oddly welcoming. At least this confirms the stallion can and will obey him as its new master.

Then, as if indeed sensing Adam's will, Karva lowered its legs to allow Adam to mount- luckily, Karva came equipped with a basic saddle. It is obvious that the Dark Priest knew what it was doing when it raised this Revenant Stallion as a getaway mount.

"Okay, Karva, let's get out of here," said Adam. "Let's get back to my Blacksmithing Master."

Then he transmitted his knowledge of the route back to Vetius' workshop telepathically. Without any further instructions, Karva immediately started running.

Finally, he can resume the Blacksmithing task that he had postponed for so long.