What is that stench? Arthur asked as he walked alongside Isaac across campus.
Weed, Isaac said.
I know its weed, why does your campus stink like it? Arthur raised an eyebrow.
Our mages are off in Grafenwhr, learning to blow stuff up, and no one is left with an air-purifying spell, Isaac shrugged.
Are you ssing with ?Arthur raised an eyebrow, This cant be normal, right?
Were doing a study right now, about if those [Bartender] [Skills] that let people with a high Fortitude get drunk also work with other legal intoxicants, and if there are any differences with how they interact, and so on, Isaac explained.
Sounds like thatd be a pain to get started, Arthur observed, only for Isaac to shake his head.
Amy grabbed a gaphone, walked outside, and yelled: who wants to get high for science. He explained
Are you are you high right now? Arthur frowned.
Little bit, Isaac shrugged, I wont be when we arrive.
He really was barely affected, only enough to slightly feel it but not be negatively affected in a fight, and to a degree he could erase in a matter of milliseconds. But it was fun to be able to cut loose to even such a small degree, since he so rarely did. Hed let absolutely nothing affect him, never gone under the effect of any [Skill] that allowed him to get intoxicated, never ever touching anything. Normally, things were just too risky.
That being said, even with Amy and Patrick away, campus was largely safe, and until Arthur had arrived, hed been sitting in his office.
Could soone get to him regardless? Yes, obviously.
But the chance of soone getting to him before he could sober up was negligible to the point of being practically nonexistent.
So, I was wondering, is the devils lettuce a way for an elf to beco a high elf? Arthur asked, dramatically rubbing his chin.
Isaac sniggered, then transitioned into full-blown laughter once he realized that devils lettuce was another word for marijuana, albeit one hed never heard before. And it had just been so incredibly funny though that was probably just the weed talking.
As they approached Stagrs workshop, Isaac sobered up in an instant, having passed beyond the range of the drunkenness [Skill].
Theres no such thing as elves, Isaac pointed out, Not really. Alfar are basically elves, but they dont have a distinction of one of them being high.
What about high humans?
Isaac just hung his head. Yeah, that wasnt funny anymore.
A bell tinkled as the door to the workshop opened, managing to alert Stagr despite the sound-suppressing field around the workshop.
He ca out while still brushing molten droplets of tal off his hands, which rapidly solidified when they hit the ground and cleaned themselves up on their own, rapidly skittering towards a barrel labeled for slting.
Well, if it isnt my favorite custor, he grinned as he saw Isaac, Your old suit was pretty much perfect as is, Id need Tier 10 [Raid Boss] parts to make any significant improvents, but its still quite a bit tougher than before.
As the blacksmith spoke, a new armor stand appeared next to him, wearing the new set.
It was a lot like the old one but with Void Dragon scale highlights. They were the darkest parts, the ones that practically looked black, giving it an interesting pattern.
However, the description and stats had barely changed, the Stat boost had increased by two percentage points, and the new material being ntioned. A worthy upgrade, but one that might not necessarily make that much of a difference.
He grabbed the armor, thanked Stagr, handed over so interesting materials, and put it back in its rightful slot in [Fully Geared], filling the final slot. There were six sets in there in total, containing his main armor, his backup, his backpack which was absolutely covered in pockets and pouches containing ergency materials, and the Space Elental core he needed to access his regular inventory.
There was also a spare set of formal clothing so he did not end up in the Bundestag in jeans and a T-shirt again, der Mittelfinger, the magical explosive vest that could obliterate everything around him, and a newly made Juggernaut suit to use in conjunction with Arthurs armor [Skill] the next ti he borrowed it.
And its very nice to et you in person, Mr. Wells, Stagr addressed Arthur, I was wondering, what on Earth did you fight to do that to your last set?
Gravity-based pugilist, Arthur said, Absorbed a few tons of dirt to increase his mass and used as his punching bag.
Oof, Stagr winced, Do you want to take your new set back and upgrade it to give it so more padding?
Arthur shook his head, Hes dead now, unless you can do the upgrade without affecting other stats, itll be fine.
In that case, Ill leave it as is, Stagr nodded and manifested a second armor stand.
Heavy plate armor made from Sagittarius Steel, which was an alloy with largely similar chanical properties to the other tals that replaced steel in high-Level constructions, but was far heavier.
Backing it was mithril chainmail, especially in the joints and other vulnerable spots.
Mithril was another alloy, specifically the latest in a long series that had been given the na, in fact, it was the first one that had kept the title for more than a few weeks. People had been claiming to have found/invented the stuff since a week after initialization, only for a superior material to be found in short order. Well, either that or the material had spectacularly failed to live up to the hype. That had happened a few tis as well.
A closed visor that was almost impossible to see or stab through would protect the wearers face while allowing them to see out perfectly, a long helt plu of a Stormravens black feathers trailing down to the neck.
This is largely a traditional dieval armor, with the design having been slightly improved in places, though I decided to leave out the huge crotch bulge, Stagr explained, prompting a mixture of confusion and disgust to cover Arthurs face.
Back then, a whole lot of knights had syphilis and needed the space to keep their junk as painless as possible, Stagr imdiately explained, But it would be too easy to target, obscene, and largely pointless. I hope that wont be a problem.
Isaac sniggered. Hed known about that, but despite not being high anymore, having it laid out like that was funny.
What are the inner layers made out of? Arthur asked and Stagr began to explain, but Isaac didnt pay attention after that. He couldnt, sothing entirely more pressing had co up.
[Book with Seven Seals] had asked before replacing the view of his surroundings with a vision without warning, but a potential apocalypse imminent warning could hardly be ignored.
Interestingly, he could still keep an eye on his surroundings with his [Aura] even as a map flashed in his eyes, showing the various islands north of Australia without focussing on any one in particular, a sandy beach, a jungle, a flash of several concrete chambers, summoning circles, a calendar with the date May 2nd, 2032 circled, and a face that graced most countries most wanted lists.
According to its descriptions, the [Skill] only ever provided concrete, confird, information, which ant that if it talked about a facet of the world, then that facet was already locked in and real, and would not chain if the subject ever reached the point of apocalypse.
So while the [Skill] hadnt given him a proper set of data needed to imdiately find the cult, if they ever found the cult, it would be sowhere in Oceania.
Unfortunately, itd never hand out a complete dossier until the end of days was absolutely imminent, but it would progressively hand out more and more hints.
Maybe, just maybe, the information about the enemy base, naly that it was sowhere in Oceania, on an island with a jungle on it, underground, and soone would summon sothing.
Using [Wisdom of the Simurgh] didnt help much, just forest and beach without any noticeable background features was just way too bloody generic.
Of course, with just two of seven seals informing him about the truth of the matter, he knew he had plenty of ti to investigate.
Isaac left Arthur to look his armor over again, before thanking Stagr again and dragging his friend out of the door.
I just got another piece of information from my apocalypse predicting [Skill], the cult is planning to summon sothing on the [Systems] tenth anniversary, but we might be able to catch them ahead of ti, he said after putting up a privacy [Skill], Can you see what you can do about getting so military support for a potential raid on your end, once we have a target?
Sure, Arthur said, Anything else? And what are you going to do?
Just prepare, maybe see if you can get so extra training on storming a fortified position, Isaac told him, Ill keep looking for a target, and talk to my contacts.
Storming a fortified bunker on foreign soil was highly unlikely to be easy, quiet, or free of negative consequences on the diplomatic front. Not to ntion that they needed to avoid having the preparations leak. It would be a fine line to walk, theyd mostly be limited to having their contacts talk and make preparations in case we ever get a target, but they did need to prepare.
Getting diplomatic permission to act on foreign soil might actually be very easy, even with regard to avoiding giving a warning. All that was needed was an ambassador from a suitably influential nation, potentially even multiple nations, browbeating whichever state the cult had shacked up in.
It was far from his favorite way of conducting diplomacy, but the brute-force approach could be very quick.
Another thing theyd likely need was military support for locking down the surrounding area and preventing runners.
The Round Table had power in spades, even if one only counted those whose connection to Isaac and Arthur was known.
What they didnt have were the raw numbers necessary for an operation like this.
Just the German military would also be far from sufficient. The Bundeswehr was built for ho defense, with a tiny navy that patrolled the North Sea, and that was the long and short of it.
Arthurs relationship with the British governnt was a little odd at tis, with them being sowhat wary of him due to his status as the confird heir to the historical forefather of the nation, but it was good overall. Cutting loose a carrier group to support the operation might not be entirely in the cards, though.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The biggest navy in the world was the US, and Isaac had an overall decent relationship with the Aricans, decent was a far cry from hey, can I borrow a carrier or two being t with anything other than shocked laughter.
Still, having a location for the worlds greatest danger that could actually be subdued by physical force was one hell of a bargaining chip.
Theyd have to see what the future brought.
***
More forest, a brief picture of a village, and more besides, flashing in his inner eye.
Isaac blinked several tis as his normal surroundings ca back into view. A few street and restaurant signs that gave him information on the local language, so more flora samples that narrowed down matters, more info to throw to Zambon, whod been exploring Oceania for a damn long ti.
He checked the info tab of [Book with Seven Seals] once again.
Prophecy 1: Selfishness of the Pessimists
Seal 1:
Already given up,
A promised salvation dark,
Pact of destruction
Seal 2:
Vision (click to rewatch)
Seal 3:
Defense Information
Seal 4:
Vision 2 (click to rewatch)
Seal 5:
unknown
This latest piece of information had the halfway point to the end of the bloody world.
Hed also gotten an exact number for his foes from the third Seal, aka five individuals who were true believers, and a rcenary company that Arthur would trash the instant the fight started.
[Royal Action] had a sub-[Skill] that would inform every law enforcent agency on the planet about who those people were working for, freezing their accounts, putting them on every list in existence, and so on, while also informing the victims of what hed done.
Not to ntion that unless he undid the [Skill], theyd be automatically trackable by anyone with a law enforcent [Class], leaving them to either run or be royally fucked.
***
Another week after that, Zambon rang up Isaac, Isaac rang up Arthur, and Arthur rang up British Naval command.
They had a target. They had allies. And all it had cost was a little ti, political capital, and sharing the fact that Isaac had a prophecy [Skill]. They didnt share the specifics, though, just the fact that he had one, and quite frankly, keeping that secret while trying to cash in on the information it provided would have been tough anyway.
The list of stuff to do was now very short. Wipe out the remains of the cult, hit Level 200, convince various nations to try and adjust to the [System] rather than clinging to old social structures until they broke catastrophically, and then, once the world was safe, take a long nap.
But before he charged headlong into battle, he checked his status sheet one final ti.
Na: Isaac Thoma
Class: Challenger of the Apocalypse
Species: Einherjar
Level: 187
XP: 70,719/3,760,000
Health Status: Healthy
Mana: 4,150/4,150
Stats
Fortitude
350 ( 20)
Perception
1,000Strength
450 ( 15)
Agility
1,000Magic Power
405 ( 10)
Magic Regeneration
1,000Free Points: 0 Stat, 3 Skill
Aura
Aura of the Crimson Dawn (short range, combat, blood, regeneration)
Aura of the Desperate Seeker (long range, sensory, ntal, projection)
Aura of the Eternal Warrior (mid-range, combat/ntal/sensory, armant)
Central Skills
Form of Horror XXX
The Chosen Weapon XXX
I Am The Sword XXV
Grave of Swords XXX
Armory of Ancient Tis XXVII
Legacy of a True Warrior XXX
Divine Fire XVI
Champion of Mankind XV
Final Defiance I
Aspects of the End (Speed of Hati, Power of the Behemoth, Wisdom of the Simurgh) X
Skills
Hundred Faces XXVIII
Stealth XXIX
Power Strike XXX
Piercing Strike XXX
Sundering Strike XXX
Blades XXX
Sneak XXX
Sweeping Strike XVIII
Far Strike XXX
Manifold Strike XXX
Hunters Gaze XXX
Phantom Step XXIV
Unknown Fear XXX
Bestial Regeneration XXX
Undying Focus XXX
Tools of Terror XXI
Fleeting Presence XVIII
Crippling Blow XVIII
Absolute Blade Mastery XXV
Compounded Impact XVIII
True Cut XVII
Legendary Blow XXV
Fully Geared XXVI
Knightly Leader XXX
Analyze Person XVIII
Continent Strider XXI
Burden of Power VIII
Experts Insight XII
Blessing of Innovation XXVI
Lessons of History XVI
The aning of the Na XVIII
Titanic Presence IX
Fire Soul VII
Book With Seven Seals I
Call of the Gjallarhorn I
General Skills
Gralloch XVIII
Alchemy XVI
Deaths Embrace VIII
Bloodline of the Hellborne Survivor (Empower Relatives)
Advanced Bureaucracy VIII
Police Procedure VIII
Healing VII
Quest Giver III
Omniglot (5.998 languages known)
mber of the Round Table (Shade: Seon Yoo-jin)
Accumulation of Knowledge (unranked)
Well of Wisdoms Blessing (unranked)
Enhanced Dragon-Scale Web (unranked)
Crimson Runic Script VIII
Unrestricted Speech VI
Biomantic Alteration (unranked)
Aspects
Aspect Skills
Archspecter (full stack)
Epheral Phase
Ghostly Freedom
Endless Hunting
Spectral Touch
Lernean Hydra (full stack)
Hydras Restoration
Adaptive Regeneration
Disposable Organs
Dismiss Injuries
galodon (2 stack)
Sharks Body
Wave Charge
Reality Filter (full stack)
Reality Shift
Perception End
Set Illusions
Free Illusions
Living Sword (full stack)
All Blade Style
Involable Blades
Annihilating Trails
Unhindered Bladework
Void Dragon (4 stack)
Stars Heart
Infinite Mind
Scales of the Void
Wings of the Void
Demon Lord (3 stack)
Mont of Immortality
Supre Hellfla
Hell-Bone Armor
Space Elental (2 stack)
Fixed Point
Space Affinity
Ankou (full stack)
Freedom from Mortal Limits
Eternal Restoration
Implents of True Death
Reapers Cloak
Royal Draugr (full stack)
Endurance of the Eternal Warrior
Always Armored
Spectral Plate
Loyalty Past Death
[Empty Slot]
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