Chapter 74
Melgil, with the ogre hunting party, reached their main village. The rest of their clan saw the woman and reacted, knowing that she was human-looking. The chief, who was Bralthor the Grey's uncle, was a stubborn and arrogant ogre. He and his uncle never got along since the death of his father. The chief immediately ordered for Melgil to be captured and brought before him for questioning. Despite the tension between them, Bralthor knew he had to find a way to save his entire clan from the wrath of Melgil.
After a few days, the hunting team returned and brought their catch to the village that was located inside a massive cave-like hole on the gorge cliff wall that had a small hidden opening. The hunting area where they encountered Dane was just 300 meters, but because of the density of the vegetation and rugged terrain, it took them hours to navigate through. The path they usually took was under their domain, and the tall trees were all used as a defensive wall surrounding their village. Many traps were placed to prevent any trespassers and to protect their community from outside threats. The villagers relied on their knowledge of the land and strategic placement of traps to ensure their safety and security within the hidden cave village.
As villagers began to grow suspicious of the woman's behavior and the mysterious background she came from. They decided to keep a close eye on her, wary of any potential danger, because this person might be related to another clan, and her presence might start a conflict between the villagers and her clan. The ogres were all the same age. This fact alone is a bit unsettling, but they never questioned this and continued with their daily affairs in a normal way.
Thurak the Grey was the current chief of their clan; he was bulkier than the rest, and his personality was a little crude and intimidating, with a rough exterior—what a player would expect from an ogre. Unlike the rest, they were almost human-looking except for their fangs and pointy ears.
and was observing his hidden village with a sense of unease. Nukra decided to introduce the woman as a guest and stated that no harm should come to her. A few who were loyal to Thurak ignored the shaman's words, and two ogres pointed their weapons at the woman as she was still seated on the wagon the hunting party pulled.
Nukra was seen as a shaman, but because of his old age , and because of the sudden appearance of the book in his possession, many notice the changes. In his mindset and mannerism, he became more reclusive and would always join the hunting party, stating he was ordered by the book to do so. And now, after days of joining his grandson on the hunt, they came back with an unknown woman, and without notice, they came back with her to their hidden village.
Melgil was still in a state of calmness and mentally and physically changing; the chaos energy she ate that came out from Dane's body was rewriting her genetic structure to fit the narrative relating to the Netherborn's sudden appearance. These changes were the result of the branch-out scenario.
At the same time, Bralthor knew that Melgil's anger could spell disaster for their peaceful existence, and he needed to act quickly to protect his people. Bralthor the Grey, despite their strained relationship, knew that he had to find a way to reason with his uncle before they made a foolish mistake.
The two ogres came closer to the woman as she was still in a trance-like state. Nukra pleaded with his young son, who was the current chief, to not harm the young woman. Their sharp blades were a few inches away from her body when she reacted with a smile and uttered a few words.
"Why are you both reacting this way?"
Suddenly her mana came out and scared the two instantly and made them drop their weapons out of fear and panic. What they saw was a silhouette of a monster that could swallow everything inside the village. The two ogres knew that the woman wasn't normal, as every nerve and muscle sent warnings to their bodies that she was not to be trifled with. They quickly retreated, leaving the young woman unharmed, and Thurak was confused seeing his rusted guards act that way, but the same feeling reached him. As he stood near their main gathering tents, he could only swallow his confusion and fear as he watched the mysterious woman just smile and step down from the wagon and be assisted by one of the female Ogre hunters that was part of the Bralthor team. The 12 hunting party knew who she was and the events that led them to return to their home.
She walked away unscathed. As she followed the hunting team toward their barracks, everybody saw this and was a bit confused; their strongest hunting party was cautious and respectful toward the young woman. The village inside the cave has a simple layout; the cave walls were also carved to make their homes and surround the only structure in the center that was elevated to be the main gathering place and a central observation deck facing the only known entrance of the thirty-meter-tall ceiling with natural illuminating crystals all over the cave..
Bralthor made sure the entrance toward their main village was locked and secure. The long, dug-out artificial tunnel corridor was just about 20 meters long, and they placed an illuminating crystal every 2-meter interval to create an area where there is still shadow to be used to set up traps for any unwanted intruders that accidentally enter their home.
Because the gorge floor was unmapped, many could only assume information based on what they could see, but there were so many things that were still unknown to them. The tribe had lived in secrecy for many days, but in their minds they were living here far longer, their survival dependent on their ability to protect their hidden village from outsiders. Despite the dangers that lurked in the darkness of the gorge, as the sun's warm light gets toned down by the thick fog above them.
The gorge floor was much bigger than what was above. The rock formations connecting toward the walls are relatively seen and mostly used as a stronghold as sentient beings carve holes to make homes because it's the only material strong enough to protect them from harm.
Many unknown and undocumented creatures have awakened on the bottom floor of the gorge as soon as the empire of the grave was activated. Many just remain inside, as they are wary of the thick fog above their heads, and those that dared to venture on top never reached the other side, as unseen monsters also reside in the area where the fog is situated. Like the Grey Ogres, they suddenly awaken in this area and have no recollection of how they came to be.
Their memories were blank, but they had remnants of a lingering memory that they now could feel as if they were somewhat dormant and were like frozen and remained in deep sleep, waiting to be awakened. And so they all just assumed everything was as it was andd just followed what their consciousness dictated them to do. This prompted Dane to speculate all these events were created based on the tower
The Grey Ogre clan survives in the gorge by hunting and farming. They never tried to venture out of the towering gorge, as the area was suitable and was rich in natural resources. The cave they are now using was the very place they awakened from. And started to build their home within the cave itself.
All of them were confused, but Nukra and a handful of ogres questioned this outcome, awakening their conscious minds and starting to evolve. They were able to see a more distinguised reality and the time like of the memory imbedded in the minds were more like fabricated to fit a certain narrative.
The Grey Ogre clan began to realize that their existence in the gorge was not as natural as they had once believed, leading them to consider exploring beyond the confines of their familiar surroundings. That is why they volunteered to go out to hunt and, at the same time, explore the area to its full extent, hoping to uncover the truth about their origins and purpose in the world inside and outside of the gorge.
Nukra, being regarded as a weak ogre and relying too much on sorcery after obtaining the grimoire rather than raw physical power and fighting skill, was shunned and considered a nuisance and a disgrace to his own race. This might matter if the codex didn't show him the secrets of the realm they were in. And those who listen to the prophecy and information from the few pages of the book save their clan. Within a span of one week, the information the book gave all came real, and soon the hunting party led by Bralthor the Grey Ogre soon became more aware and understood. They came to be just like that, and all the memories in their minds were fabricated; they were never young nor gained any adventures, and they had parents.
Dane understood this but didn't want to ruin what they already gained, the realization that their entire life was created to fill in the gaps and provide a logical explanation, because there is none.
It was something they needed to understand themselves, as Dane was sure these changes were a ripple effect based on the things he did. He did cheat in obtaining the mana engine.
He sees his action to be logical, but in doing so also changes the outcome. He was sure he wasn't cheating; he just had vital information that no other players knew about. But the question is how he could still be free to roam the first floor if he made an error and exploited his own creation and used very powerful information to his advantage.
While this was happening at the Grey Ogre clan, Dane was meditating underground, buried under solid rock and dirt. Ward and Miko gave Dane the opportunity to interact with the souls and gain some perspective on their previous lives and document all their stories and set them free to enter the void and eternally rest.
It took some time for all these souls story gets written and manifested as a book inside his subconscious library mind. Soon the information he was gaining created new spaces in the library; structure started to emerge as the simple western liblary design grew and became more lavish and expanded as more blank white spaces stated to fill with intricate details and vibrant colors, reflecting the richness of each soul's unique story. Dane felt a sense of fulfillment as he witnessed the transformation of his subconscious library into a beautiful tapestry of memories and experiences, knowing that he had played a crucial role in honoring the lives of those who had passed on.
He was also gaining and experiencing emotions that were changing him. his mind and personality remained the same, but his reaction was more flexible and slightly expressive in responding to other people's emotions and experiences.
This newfound empathy and understanding allowed Dane to connect with others on a deeper level, fostering stronger relationships and a greater sense of compassion in his interactions. the 'trade-off' of special skills for language and social skills acquisition was now proving to be worth it as Dane navigated his way through various social situations with mental ease. His ability now to understand and gain a little understanding and empathize and connect with others was opening up new opportunities for personal growth and connection.
Dane was sure he was normal, as nobody reacted to his actions and interactions in a negative way. He felt normal, but sadly this wasn't the case; many did see his mannerisms to be different or unusual. Despite him knowing it was the normal way of perceiving social cues and interactions, Dane couldn't see that his mental condition was that big of a deal. But as the souls opened their life stories to his mind, he was able to notice a difference in associating with real, normal emotion and finally understand the complexity of his own mind.
"Was I really that blind not to see my shortcomings when I was Damon Lazarus?"
"I thought I was normal, and all my actions and decisions were logical and rational. But now I see that my perception was skewed, and I have a lot of work to do to truly understand myself."
"Sigh! These things are starting to annoy me at a certain point."
"I just want to enjoy my second life to the fullest."
"I really can't understand how this savant medical syndrome dictates my every conscious move and decision. It's frustrating."
"I didn't even notice it until now. As I compare the life stories of these souls, I could say my entire being has been missing a part of a huge puzzle.""
"Some are broken, twisted, and mixed together, like my emotions are pulling me into different directions."
"I need to build everything from the very root and move upward with the right path as Dane, not Damon."
"Maybe that's the reason these issues keep repeating over and over again."
"Should I just let go of all the emotion that Damon Lazarus gained in his lifetime?"
" and start from nothing and take life as I Dane see fit, without being weighed down by the past. It's time to embrace the journey of self-discovery and growth, allowing myself to flourish as Dane, free from the burdens of Damon's legacy."
"ATTENTION, DAMON LAZARUS'S EMOTIONS CAN NOW BE PURGED FROM THE HOST."
"THIS REALIZATION IS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS, ALLOWING DANE TO EMBRACE A FRESH START."
"WOULD YOU LIKE TO PURGE ALL EMOTION RELATING TO YOUR PAST LIKE?"
Dane was once again plagued with a notification. This is yet another sittuation were he cant understand , he just want to have a normal interaction with his second life and time after time he felt his entire life was a scenario that keeps changing and his emotion are constantly being manipulated and controlled by external forces. It was exhausting to constantly battle against these unseen influences, but Dane knew that purging his old emotions could potentially offer him the fresh start he so desperately craved.
Or was this yet another line that the tower creators intended to do? Dane thought that the old gods might be doing this intentionally as entertainment, as his humility and reluctance questioned the very fabric of his reality. Despite the uncertainty, Dane was determined to break free from these manipulations and take control of his own destiny, no matter what challenges lay ahead. Or maybe he too was a creation of his own mind.
He might not even be real; he is just a creative manifestation of a dying man, and everything he experiences is a dream within a dream, as time is irrelevant to a dying man.
This made his heart palpitate and the pain surge up toward his heart; the fear of just being tied down to a dying man's dream was overwhelming. Dane knew he had to find a way to distinguish between what was real and what was simply a figment of his imagination before mind collapse from the weight of this existential crisis. As he delved deeper into his thoughts, Dane realized that the key to discerning reality from illusion lay in finding a sense of purpose and connection beyond his own mind. Only by anchoring himself in something greater than himself could he hope to navigate the murky waters of his subconscious.
Ward and Miko's physical manifestation began to waver, and his control over his domain slowly faded until he was alone again in a white void of nothingness. Now he panics.
He desperately searched for a way to ground himself, grasping at any semblance of reality that he could find within his own mind. But as the void enveloped him completely, Dane knew that he would have to confront his deepest fears and insecurities in order to find his way back to the surface.
Dane sat there and tried to desperately make some sense of this surreal situation. His heart raced as he braced himself for the internal battle that lay ahead, knowing that only by facing his fears head-on could he hope to regain control over his own reality.
Until a crack was seen, it was small, but it broke the white blank space he was in. As he touched the crack, it became larger and shattered like glass and showed a vivid image of his old self dying in the room of his parents' house. He was old and saw the wrinkles of his tired body. It's the same house he grew up in, but now it was old and worn down. .
He saw his old self slowly lean to his side, losing consciousness. When the message in his mind was heard, it was the old gods. Then, as he slowly fell down from his chair, something caught him and laid him on the floor. This being was a swirling mass of dark energy; it touched his forehead as he was gasping for air. His breath was weak but still steady.
This was the first time he was able to see himself dying. And soon everything ended, and Dane saw the image stop and soon turn to white again, and he was left alone in the vast emptiness of the white void.
The souls that gave him their energy triggered this, as the voice explains. Dane wanted to know what was happening; he even asked if he was going insane and all of this was just a dream, and he was really dead and trapped within a cycle of his own creation.
He was reassured by the voice that he was not hallucinating. According to the voice, the ancient gods actually arrived in the human world when their faith was rapidly waning. They rationally imitated the game that initially caused them to lose their invisible and intangible power. The old gods built the tower, where people unwittingly contributed to their cosmic conflict, in order to receive both retribution and human punishment. And they simply copied everything and twisted the system to provide them some amusement and power over the other younger new gods that were born in this reality because they were conceited, self-centered, and thought they were exempt from any laws that man could ever make.
The younger gods were focused on reclaiming their seat in this realm, but they lacked ancient divinity and could not overpower the old gods, as they were beyond reach. Dane was already confused, and now this. The voice didn't add anything else and mentioned he grew tired of these cosmic conflicts that keep happening throughout the scope of time that existed before it.
The voice mentioned to Dane to just toss an inconvenience to the old gods plan to just throw off their arrogance and remind them of their immortality and gain power that is not theirs to begin with; it was temporarily bestowed upon them by the High Coequal Supreme Being.
Dane's shoulders slumped, the weight of the world, or at least this little corner of it, pressing down with unwelcome familiarity. He hadn't asked for this, hadn't sought out the burden of prophecy and ancient grudges. A surge of pure annoyance bubbled up, a rebellious fire against the destiny being thrust upon him. He'd been a pawn for too long. This voice, this story it carried, was his now. And the old gods, with their intricate webs and millennia-old plans? Dane decided, right then and there, to grind their carefully laid schemes to dust, to become the chaotic variable they never accounted for, a single grain of sand capable of disrupting their entire sandcastle.
"I never asked for this, nor did I ever want it," he muttered to himself. The voice never responded to his reaction but just stated a firm question.
"SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?"
"YOUR STORY IS SLOWLY UNFOLDING, AND THEY WILL SOON CATCH ON. EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN, IT'S ALREADY DONE."
"YOU ARE THE CHAOS IN THEIR PLAN, THE ONLY PERSON THAT WILL SHATTER ALL OF THEIR PLANS, BUT REMEMBER, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY FREE TO CHOOSE YOUR OWN PATH."
"BUT BE WARY AS THEY WILL SOON UNCOVER THE THING YOU JUST DID INSIDE THEIR PLAYGROUND."
"I won't ask any further; just let me be, then, to my own devices.
"I WILL, AND HONESTLY, WHAT I DID WAS A SMALL THING, CONSIDERING YOU MADE ALL THESE VERY CONFUSING AND RANDOM THINGS."
"I AM JUST DELIGHTED TO SEE YOU ACT ON YOUR OWN. YOU ARE ERRATIC AND ALWAYS KEEPING US ON OUR TOES."
"YOU ARE BOTH ORDER AND CHAOS, TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN."
Dane somewhat understood why he was feeling that way; he was indeed like that. He was calculating and precise, but at the same time loved taking risks and being spontaneous. He now understood the workings of his complicated personality; that is why he connected with the two AIs he created. Ward and Miko weren't the representation of his parents, but it's actually his own internal conflict personified. They were the embodiment of his constant battle between control and chaos, a reflection of the dichotomy within himself.
While this was happening, changes were also happening. The mana engine, the spell language, and the skills he obtained finally dissolved and became part of the skill tree. He, Dane, still has 3 skills: fire, lightning, and heal. The formless armor became part of the main foundation of the skill tree.
Dane clothing was still the formless armor, and the 3 manifestations were the snake, the owl, and the fox. Sentient remnants faded and became part of his subconscious mind; the library manifested once again and became much bigger because of the souls that gave their essence to the young Mímameiðr sapling growing in his body.
Dane smiled, knowing he could finally establish something that was truly his own. The information that was stored in his subconscious library grew bigger, and he learned new things unexpectedly. The sacrifices those souls gave were enough to change the composition of his seed into a more defined sapling.
As he remained underground, a heavily armored figure, undoubtedly a representative from the gate authority, finally arrived to investigate the anomaly. Dane watched from his hidden vantage point as the investigator meticulously examined the mangled remains of the rock lizard. His heart pounded with a cold satisfaction as he saw the realization dawn on the figure's face. They concluded it was a minor skirmish, a localized event with energy signatures pointing to a rock lizard general.
That was Dane's cue. With surgical precision, he subtly laced the already disturbed area with a concentrated dose of Chaos energy. The effect was immediate and devastating. The latent energy signature of the rock lizard general, already potent, absorbed the chaotic influx, warping and twisting its essence. The general, overwhelmed by the alien power, mutated into a monstrous, berserk parody of its former self, turning its raging fury upon its own kind, a horrifying spectacle orchestrated from the shadows by Dane.
The moment the gatekeeper investigation ended and the area was cleaned with a wide-range spell, the entire area where the ogre campsite stood a few hours ago became a patch of scorched earth, devoid of life and any remnants of the chaos energy that had once corrupted it. The gatekeeper's spell had effectively purged the land of all traces of this so-called malevolent influence, restoring peace and balance to the once-tainted area, and soon the gatekeeper left the gorge using a teleportation spell, while Dane was twenty feet under its feet.
The Gatekeeper stood eight feet tall and had four burning wings on its back, four arms, and two faces. The one on the back was a lion, and the one in front was a beautiful female face, but its body was male and had a leg of a hawk and a tail of a scorpion. This gatekeeper was named Unadual, serving under Khamael, one of the principalities managing gatekeepers of the tower.
As Dane waited for the unusual presence to totally vanish, he slowly came out from the ground and scanned the area for any signs. The protruding serpent head came out first and made sure the place was secure for him to finally come out. It was already dark, but the illuminated crystals that were imbedded and scattered on the gorge wall all over the place made the place look and feel like it was still mid-afternoon.
After meditating and gaining some unwanted information, Dane emerged feeling renewed and refreshed while also feeling reassured and secure. The plan to follow the quest scenario is to gain a new viewpoint. Based on what the voice told him,
As he took a deep breath, Dane activated the assessment skill and located the Ogre hidden village; the representation of what he was seeing was similar to a digital map with coordinates and information, as the skill was able to gather information on the living and nonliving beings within the range of this upgraded skill. The hidden village wasn't that far; the distance was about 300 meters northeast at the gorge wall.
Information on the scanned area was illuminated into a holographic projection. That he could only see, Dane thought this feature must be converted into the armband he was using to monitor the notification and monitor his stat changes. And with that, the holographic projection vanished and transferred to the armband that coincidentally was part of the formless armor.
Dane reverted into the Netherborn form as many unknown creatures were coming out to seek food, and having a warm body tends to attract wild creatures, as these creatures were wild and would even attack a strong target to fill their stomach. As he already knew where Melgil was currently located, the chaos energy that changed her came from him directly connecting them at a certain level. He cast the burst teleportation spell and vanished. The Ogre hunting barrack was located at the very far corner of the cave; two simple large tents could be seen next to each other, as they could accommodate ten Ogres. Like what they used on the campsite tent, the difference was it had straw beds, and the campfire was an artifact that was also used for heating water for drinking and cooking. The smell of roasting meat wafted through the air, indicating that the hunting Ogre members were preparing their next meal.
These were ogres that followed Bralthor as he dedicated his skill to hunting rather than waging useless conquest with other races around their territory. Unlike his uncle, who saw expanding their territory as far more important than hunting for food. Seeing that their numbers were dwindling due to their chief's constant skirmishes with other races was a cause for concern among the Ogre members who valued sustenance over conquest. They hoped that Bralthor's leadership would bring a new era of prosperity and abundance to their tribe.
And Nukra, his grandfather, showed them that the book he was protecting was indeed enchanted with magical energy and helped them survive in their hunting trips since they woke you in the gorge. Many of their non-fighting village members flock around their tent as the woman that came with them stayed at the female tents. The six female Orge hunters gave Melgil a place to sleep as she was still in a state of change. Her aggressiveness and hunger were subsiding to the point she couldn't understand it.
The vast number of her offspring's connection with her just stopped, and they got mentally disconnected from her control. She was trying to make some sense of it all. Melgil had killed countless lives in the past to satisfy her deep, unrelenting hunger. She was a calamity and had destroyed armies with her wrath and feeding frenzy in the past. Her domain was the twin sulfur peaks at the western end of Karion, nearing the ocean of the Shattered Crown. She was once a towering monster that made the ground tremble as she walked until she was defeated thousands of years ago and reminded the twin peaks and made that area her territory. The demon queen story is a well-known tale in the western region, even reaching the farthest corner and even into the large sea and floating islands in the west and upper north.
Her huge size became smaller after fighting a primordial dragon, and she was able to defend her land, but this made her weak, and she lost the ability to become large again because of the energy she had to use to win over the primordial dragon's attack. All the background story of Melgil, the Demon Queen of Spiders, was still in the process of creation as Derick Collins and Miranda Saunders, Damon Lazarus scenario makers, were contemplating the final details of her character development and motivations. They wanted to ensure that Melgil's story was both compelling and complex, drawing players into her world and making them question their own perceptions of good and evil.
The scenario was already in place, and the game character was deployed as Dane, who was Damon's team lead game developer, tested and personally beta tested his idea and remained untouched as the clearing of the empire of graves opened the gateway toward the second floor.,
The lead team developers of the Arcane Crusade didn't expect this outcome: going up the second floor would eventually leave Melgil, the Demon Queen of Spiders, untouched. There were nearly ten high uncleared quests on the first floor. Many players just ignored the first floor, thinking it was a waste of time, not knowing that the key to unlocking more challenging and rewarding quests lay in successfully clearing the lower levels. As players continued to progress through the game, the players never realized the importance of thoroughly exploring each floor before advancing further. This shift in strategy ultimately led to untouchable quest scenarios. .
As Dane suddenly emerged near where Melgil was resting, he now vaguely understood maybe why she was forced out of her original location. But Dane and his team of developers, who were hardcore gamers themselves, knew what it means to fully grind and clear the first floor, obtaining all the necessary skills to move up toward the upper floor.
Stagnation and progress of the game did happen at the 12th floor.
As it was a place where highly strong and intelligent demons resided and ruled as the floor's true residents. Dane knew too well that cutting corners to progress was not an option when facing such formidable opponents. The challenge of the 12th floor required strategic planning and a deep understanding of all that the lower floor could give the players.
The female ogres saw Netherborn as the six tended to their own routine; some were already resting. The one that saw Netherborn greeted him with a formal bow and never uttered a single word. Dane responded with a simple nod. He was in full Netherborn costume, but without any mana or chaos energy coming out of his body, the assessment skill was notifying him if the beings around him were in distress and feeling any negative effects either from him or other unseen matters in the vicinity. Dane saw Melgil as she was shivering from the cold while lying on a lump of straw turned into a makeshift bed. He gently took the blanket near her and covered her. Soon after, he sat on the ground facing her as he watched her sleep. Doing this was new to him. Was it concern or was it affection toward his creation, as he designed her to be a top character in the game?.
"Do I feel concerned for Melgil just because for many years nobody interacted with her as all players just ignored the remaining quest?"
"Like, I feel sorry for her; she never got the opportunity to progress in the tower."
"I never expected that most players saw the entrance toward the upper floors as a financial move."
"The third floor was the area where Nexus implemented the digital exchange currency to be converted to real human money."
"Even after the tower itself came into reality, the situation seems to be the same."
"All the rules relating to the players' acquired skill and increased attributes are still within the confinement of the cathedral magic skill scroll."
"Choe Hyun-Jae, the magic and battle system developer, really made the magic and melee use really complicated."
"She always had that aggro mindset; the procedure she made was tedious and complex. I never expected players would endure her strict rules and regulations for so long."
"Despite the challenges, players who were focused on leveling up and earning titles to gain financial stability will just use their wealth to move up."
"But those who truly persevered continued to learn and adapt to the intricate system created by Choe Hyun-Jae. "
"The Magic or Melee skill tree is just one of those ways to gain an absolute and personalized skill. The dedication of these players ultimately led to a deeper understanding and mastery of the game's mechanics. Many players were so dedicated to pursuing this that they were able to reach the fifteenth floor when it was still a virtual game."
Dane wanted to see if the information that the Codex book Umeda Makoto secretly created to embed a few of her sentient intelligence into the item was correct. While seated, he played with the other variation of the spells he got. Sadly, because he was only able to obtain two low-tier skill scrolls from Natasha Sokolov, he is still bound and was authorized to cast those two magic skills. With the data he got from the codex, he can cast different variations of the fire and lightning low-tier spells.
His fire bullet was more defined and really looked like a bullet, and even the fire arrow to spear looked real. These physical manifestations still lacked the power and intensity he desired. However, Dane was amazed to see it, as it defied common sense and logic.
Being a game developer, he was used to seeing his creation on a digital platform, but the detail he was seeing was beyond what he normally saw; the fire bullets he cast before were like firework sparks.
Dane held the fire bullet in his fingers and felt it, as it had texture, weight, and a malleable form. He could see information about the fire bullet. He cast lightnin bullet as his other hand and saw it was really electricity but in its condensed form, the electrical energy was being held togeter by the system Choe Hyun-Jae created , and it was amazing.
Dane decided to change the size of these bullets, so he added more mana on each of the elemental attack bullet spells. The 22-caliber-size bullet change and became a 50-caliber. Dane analyzed the change and confimed the 22 caliber size oblt has one point deduction, and the impact was 100 Joules, but the 50 caliber size has a point deduction of 50 points and has 10,000 Joules force impact, and cost 50 mana points. With 19,000 mana capacity, he can shoot 250 times and still have enough mana to defend himself from and attack.
Dane smirk and wanted to test this newfound added information. his attack spell was still weak but now he can compress or combine the 50 tier 1 fire bullet and cast a 50 caliber size fire of lightning attack spell with 50 point deduction and 10 thousand joules of force.
Dane still loved the feel of holding a gun in his hand; the weight, the balance, the cold metal against his palm—it was something that had always brought him a strange sense of comfort and control. But casting it, as the game required, felt entirely different. There was no tangibility, no resistance, no real sensation of power or precision. It was as if the act of casting the gunblade had stripped away the very thing that made wielding a weapon feel real to him. And now, with Siglorr Bouldergrove's custom gunblade in play, Dane couldn't help but wonder if the weapon could truly handle the force of a rapid 50-caliber magic bullet. The sheer energy behind such a projectile would be immense, a combination of raw magical power and physical force that could easily overwhelm even the sturdiest of weapons.
Dane knew too well that the game physics, crafted by the brilliant mind of Choe Hyun-Jae, were nothing short of meticulous. Hyun-Jae was renowned for his attention to detail, particularly when it came to simulating realistic mechanics in every aspect of the game. Magic, in this world, wasn't just a flashy spectacle; it was governed by strict rules, with every spell and ability having a clear cause and effect. Melee combat was no different, with weapons behaving as they would in the real world, down to the smallest detail. So, if Hyun-Jae had programmed any weapons forge inside the tower to function under these rules, it would need to withstand not just the magical energy of the bullet but also the physical stress of firing it at such a high caliber. The question was, had Siglorr Bouldergrove's craftsmanship been enough to create a weapon that could handle both?
The idea of firing a 50-caliber magic bullet was daunting. Such a projectile would unleash a massive amount of energy upon impact, both from the physical force of the bullet and the magical properties infused within it. If the gun blade couldn't contain or channel that energy properly, it could result in catastrophic failure either the weapon would shatter under the strain, or the recoil would be so intense that it would be impossible to control. Dane could only imagine the kind of damage such a bullet could inflict, both on the target and the weapon itself. It was a risky move, but if anyone could pull it off, it would be Siglorr, whose reputation for innovative weapon design was unmatched. Still, Dane couldn't shake the feeling that they were pushing the limits of what this new reality and its physics engine were designed to handle.
If this attack spell follows the scientific principles of energy and force, then the gun blade should be able to handle the rapid 50-caliber magic bullet. But he has to make sure using it in a real battle scenario would be a foolish mistake.
Meanwhile, a few ogre villagers were lurking outside the tent, hoping to catch a glimpse of the female woman. Not knowing who she was, they were adamant and really curious. Thurak the current chief walked toward the hunters tent barracks and wanted to talk with his nephew Bralthor concerning what his father Nukra just did.
Thurak saw many Ogres standing ontside the female hunters barracks that was beside the male tent. Nukra wants that ignorant person to leave the two barracks unprotected. he cast a sound an illusion barrier on the two large tents to secure their safety and privacy as they were seen to be defiant to the current chief's rule. all 120 ogres residing at the place see the 16 hunting members under Bralthor's command to be suspicious and potentially dangerous. Thurak knew he had to act quickly and enforce his rule before any conflict arose between the two groups. He decided to gather his most loyal followers and confront Nukra, his own father, directly, making it clear that his authority as chief would not be challenged.