Unranked ascension a lit.., p.25
Unranked Ascension: A LitRPG Adventure, page 25
“Ick... Sorry about that,” he muttered.
Luckily for Roland, the remains of the Taurus bubbled and disappear into a brown-colored steam, including the slurry of liquids that covered his face. This reminded Lucius of what had taken place with the vampire outside the old church not long ago. He squeezed his sword tighter as he noticed a familiar oval-shaped brown stone form deep inside the mist. He had to act quickly to prevent the soldiers from seizing the stone. Lucius stepped in front of Roland, casually blocking the man’s view of the precious item as he extended a hand toward him.
Roland accepted the offer, gripping Lucius’ hand as he was pulled to his feet. Lucius dusted Roland’s back off for him, then stepped away from the corpse a moment later. When the body came back into view the oval stone was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey!”
Roland’s shout stopped Lucius as he tried to walk away. Anxiety rose in the young man’s chest as Roland turned toward him with a stern expression, walking up and grasping his shoulder tightly as the large soldier stared into his eyes.
Lucius let out a guilty chuckle, raising his hands in front of him.
“Ha, I guess you—”
“I owe you my life! You are my brother from this day forward!” Roland declared forcefully before releasing Lucius’ shoulder, and stepping back as he bowed his big, shiny head toward the younger man.
“Oh! That’s... Don’t mention it, really,” Lucius stammered. “I wouldn’t have been able to kill it so smoothly without all your help.”
Tiber glanced down at the corpse, which had nearly disappeared, his eyes narrowing. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he voiced his concerns.
“What the hell was that thing? I’ve never seen an Abyss creature’s body behave like this after it died. Plus, it looked exactly like a Minotaur from Greek mythology, and the system called it a novel creature. Roland! Garrick! Report. Did you get credit for the kill?”
Garrick jumped down from the rooftop and approached the group as Roland responded.
“Yeah, I got an item upgrade. [Enhanced] quality or lower, and I leveled up. Did the creature’s level show as question marks for everyone else?”
Both Garrick and Roland had received [Enhanced] upgrades, the lowest reward. Tiber had fared better, leveling up twice and earning a [Magical] grade upgrade. Only Lucius received a [Rare] item upgrade, but he stayed quiet as the soldiers made their reports to Tiber.
When Roland and Garrick finished, Garrick gave Lucius a look, as if he wanted to say something, but he ended up simply clearing his throat awkwardly as he looked away. Tiber sent him back to finish his guard duty while they entered the cabin.
As the soldiers returned inside, Lucius followed. A smile crept across his face when he saw the fear on Maryanne’s face melting away with a big exhale the moment she spotted him. Walking into the warm air around the wood stove, he gently patted the young girl’s head as she looked up and spoke.
“Did you kill the bad guy?”
Tiber and Roland couldn’t help but glance over, their faces breaking into smiles. Roland’s deep voice boomed as he spoke up in place of Lucius.
“He sure did, young lady. Lucius killed the bad guy himself and saved my life in the process. He’s a hero.”
Maryanne’s little hands clasped under her chin as she listened to Roland’s words. Pride shone in her eyes, and the firelight reflected off her teeth as she grinned broadly.
“Yep, Lucius is very strong. He saved me too!”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Lucius interrupted, looking over at Tiber as he continued. “I’m going to head into the spare room for a moment. I won’t be long. Whisper, Maryanne, you can join me if you like.”
Tiber nodded and waved Lucius ahead. Maryanne followed after him, carrying Whisper with her, tucked snugly in her folded arms. Lucius chuckled at the girl’s swift response, then led his two companions into the only other room of the cabin. The room was sparse, containing only a large bed and a dresser with a mirror on top. Shutting the door behind them, Lucius closed the curtains as he instructed Maryanne to stand close to the wall.
Lucius walked over to the bed, untying the sling around his neck and testing the range of motion he now had in his left arm. It still hurt, but draining life from the Minotaur had healed the limb enough to make it usable. Tossing the dirty cloth sling aside, Lucius held his hand forward and emptied the contents of his storage ring onto the bed in the center of the room. Maryanne’s face scrunched with confusion as she watched.
“What are you doing, Lucius?”
“Just watch—you’ll see.”
The oval stone he’d snatched earlier, some clothes, firewood, an old toolbox, bedding, a medkit, the dead soldier’s journal and dog tags, food, and the pieces of corpses he had collected so far piled up in the center of the room. When the ring was completely empty, Lucius removed it from his finger and brought up its description.
Adventurer’s Ring: Gemstone Ring, Quality [Rare]
A utility ring fit for an adventurer. This ring contains a dimensional storage space of 9 x 9 yards and imbues its wearer with weak telekinesis.
Lucky Dog: All attributes +3
Now that he had an item upgrade capable of enhancing a [Rare] item, Lucius didn’t hesitate to use it on the only [Rare] item he currently possessed. The ring had been incredibly useful so far, and he had integrated its telekinetic ability into his fighting style. Plus, using telekinesis was fun. His only complaint was that it was so weak—but maybe that could change now.
Lucius held the ring out in front of him as he activated the [Rare] item upgrade. Instantly, a large swarm of glowing lights filled the room, spiraling around him and casting bright patterns on the walls. Maryanne let out a gasp at the sudden spectacle. She only calmed down after she turned to Lucius and saw the calm smile on his face. Clutching Whisper tighter, she gazed up wide-eyed at the beautiful lights flowing into Lucius’ ring.
Chapter 55
Upgrade
The swirling spiral of light continued to condense around the ring as the flow quickened, spinning around the magical item as they drew closer. The final tail of sparkling light disappeared into the item with a whoosh, and the star-like tapestry reflected on the walls of the room disappeared. All that remained was a single brightly glowing circle resting in Lucius’ palm.
Maryanne leaned forward, still staring intently as she watched the show unfold. When the magical glow hiding the ring faded, her eyes shot open, locking onto the glittering ring with intense curiosity.
“It’s so pretty, Lucius!” she exclaimed.
Lucius looked down at the newly upgraded item. He had to agree with Maryanne—the ring was truly eye-catching. The metal had turned jet black, but the dark color was sharply contrasted by the glowing white inscriptions fluttering and spinning across its surface, as if alive. Maryanne stepped closer, gently running her finger across the ring. The glowing runes seemed to register the touch as they followed the girl’s finger like fish following someone’s finger through the glass.
“I might have to wear gloves over this thing in the future,” he said. “The glow is way too eye-catching. Well... let’s see what’s changed.”
Lucius sent a mental command to the system as he focused on the ring.
Signet of the Commander: Magic Ring, Quality [Extraordinary]
This item should no longer be categorized with storage rings, and has risen to a class of its own. A potent magical power is housed within its metal body, prevented from escaping and molded to purpose by intricate living runes. This ring contains a dimensional storage space of 18 x 18 yards and imbues its wearer with moderate telekinesis.
Lucky Duck: All attributes +5
Machiavellianism: Intellect +5, Creativity +5
Overload: Create a magical barrier by temporarily releasing the powerful energy trapped within, usable once per day.
“Damn... that’s one hell of an upgrade,” Lucius muttered.
Maryanne scrunched up her nose at his choice of words.
“Don’t say bad words,” she scolded.
Lucius smiled as the child rebuked him, playfully tapping her nose. She tried to swat his hand away, but he pulled it back just in time. Turning his attention back to the ring, he slid it onto the index finger of his left hand. A surge of energy flooded into his body, evenly increasing his attributes and adding an extra boost to Intellect and Creativity.
He had always been hesitant to upgrade those particular attributes. Something about letting the system’s magic mess with his mind made him uncomfortable, but he couldn’t deny that the ring’s influence felt amazing. Having his mental attributes increased was like putting on a pair of glasses when you didn’t even realize you needed them. Suddenly, the world was brighter and more vivid. The world around you gained a crispness that hadn’t been there before.
As Lucius’ thoughts became sharper, the first decision his enhanced thoughts came to was to stop hoarding his attribute points. Waiting was foolish. He had let his fear control him because he was still haunted by his previous mistake of using them too greedily. A few points in Strength or Dexterity could mean the difference between life and death. Attributes needed to be spent immediately to give him the best chance of survival.
Lucius pulled up his attribute panel, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
Status
Level 23
Strength: 24
Vitality: 21
Dexterity: 30
Intelligence: 5
Creativity: 6
Luck: 1
Stamina: 16
Magic Power: 0
Magic Resistance: 6
Free Attributes: 25
“Why doesn’t it show the points from my items, can you show that too?”
User preferences adjusted.
“Good, show me my status.”
Status
Level 23
Strength: 24 (29)
Vitality: 21 (26)
Dexterity: 30 (35)
Intelligence: 5 (15)
Creativity: 6 (16)
Luck: 1 (6)
Stamina: 16 (21)
Magic Power: 0 (5)
Magic Resistance: 6 (11)
Free Attributes: 25
“That’s better,” Lucius remarked. The status panel now displayed his base attributes first, with the bonuses from his items shown in parentheses. This made everything much clearer. Over the next 20 minutes, Lucius methodically allocated his free attribute points, focusing on Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina. He considered adding some to Vitality, but with Whisper’s ability to increase Vitality by consuming blood, that attribute would likely become his highest before long. It would be wasteful to invest points there.
Once he was finished, he pulled up his status panel again to review the changes.
Status
Level 23
Strength: 35 (40)
Vitality: 21 (26)
Dexterity: 40 (45)
Intelligence: 5 (15)
Creativity: 6 (16)
Luck: 1 (6)
Stamina: 20 (25)
Magic Power: 0 (5)
Magic Resistance: 6 (11)
Free Attributes: 0
Lucius rubbed his chin with a satisfied grin, observing the growing numbers, when an unexpected system message interrupted him.
Congratulations!
You have reached 40 points in the Dexterity attribute, passing the first magical threshold! There is enough magic in this attribute to generate a related Talent. Taking into consideration your current attribute distribution, talents, aspect, and personality, the system can generate a new Talent. Would you like to generate a Talent now?
Lucius stared blankly at the glowing words scrawled across his vision for a few seconds before his grin broadened even further.
“My strength passed the forty point threshold as well; do I earn something for that?”
Item bonuses do not apply toward the threshold. Would you like to generate a Talent now?
He gave the command without further hesitation. “Of course!”
Generating...
Congratulations! You have unlocked the Talent Flicker.
Flicker: Unleash the full power of your magically enhanced Dexterity in one condensed burst, granting you an instant of tremendous speed.
He spent a moment considering the words before committing the new talent to memory, then Lucius began collecting the pile of items on the bed back into his upgraded ring. When he got to the dog tags and journal, he held them in his hand as the image of the ring on Tiber’s finger popped into his mind. The ring was proof that Tiber’s unit had closed an anomaly at some point, so there was a good chance that the female soldier Lucius had found in the Abyss was related to them.
He quickly transferred the remaining items into his storage space before leading Maryanne and Whisper back toward the warmth of the woodstove. Tiber glanced over casually, but the eye-catching glow on Lucius’ finger immediately drew his attention.
“How fancy. Looks like we know who earned the most from the Minotaur kill.”
Tiber’s focus shifted as Lucius placed the bloody dog tags and journal on the table before him, motioning for him to take a look. “I’ve been carrying these around in my ring. I was reminded of them when I upgraded it a few moments ago. I found these on the body of a soldier in an anomaly. You’re the only other soldier I know who’s closed one, so I thought they might mean something to you.”
Tiber’s calm expression fell, replaced by a solemn look as he took the two items into his hands. He let out a deep breath as he read the name on the dog tags, sitting still for a few minutes before he finally spoke without looking up. “The woman these belonged to... She’s dead?”
Lucius nodded silently. The woman’s death had been brutal, and if these were her friends, it was better to spare them the details.
“You’re sure? You saw the body with your own eyes?”
“I’m sure,” Lucius replied.
He saw a hint of emotion flickered across Tiber’s face before the man buried it deep. Turning toward Roland, Tiber spoke quietly but firmly. “Roland, go relieve Garrick. I need to tell him that his wife is dead.”
Roland shook his head sadly as he walked out of the cabin. A few seconds later, the door slammed back open, leaving indentations in the wall as Garrick stormed over. Tiber spoke to him quietly, telling him the news, and Garrick’s intent gaze shifted to Lucius. He snarled, grabbing the front of the young man’s shirt.
Lucius was about to defend himself when he saw the tears dripping down past the area of Garrick’s face that was hidden behind the hood, soaking into the man’s thick beard.
“She’s already gone, Garrick. Come sit down. Lucius is not to blame.” Tiber tugged on Garrick’s shoulder, trying to get him to release Lucius. Garrick’s hand trembled as he released his grip on Lucius’ shirt, his hand falling back down to his side weakly.
Chapter 56
Julie
Lucius sat opposite the two soldiers, the small, round coffee table resting between them. Warmth radiated from the crackling fire in the wood stove. A few minutes passed as Garrick let the flood of emotions wash over him before he pulled himself together and turned his attention back toward Lucius, his voice gravelly and strained voice as he spoke.
“I need to k-know what happened.”
Lucius winced when he heard the request. The last thing he wanted to do was share the gruesome details of the woman’s death with her distraught husband, but it didn’t seem like he had much of a choice. He answered Garrick, trying to keep the details vague.
“She was... in the tower when I entered the Abyss.”
Garrick sat and listened, his hands resting on his thighs clenched tightly into fists as he saw through Lucius’ intentions. “I need to know exactly what happened,” he demanded.
Lucius glanced over at Tiber uneasily, but Tiber simply signaled for him to continue. Lucius let out a deep sigh as he dredged up his memories of that day.
“If that’s what you really want, I’ll tell you.”
For the next twenty minutes, Lucius recounted the story in its entirety—from finding the anomaly outside the farm to the screams he heard outside of the tower, and finally to the parasitized summoner’s magical attacks that ended the woman’s life. The color drained from Garrick’s face as the tale unfolded, growing increasingly pale as he clenched his fists to stop his hands from shaking.
Every moment was obviously torture for the bearded man, but he held on until the very end before dashing into the bathroom and retching into the toilet. When he walked back into the room, he stood facing away from Tiber and Lucius, pulling his hood down tight over his head as he spoke.
“I’m going back outside.”
Tiber and Lucius stayed silent as Garrick left the cabin. The door closed behind him, only to open a few minutes later when Roland returned. Now that Garrick was gone, Lucius had a question of his own. He looked over at Tiber as he asked it.
“I’d like to know how it happened. How did she get stuck in the Abyss?”
Tiber looked up when he heard the question, then nodded as he leaned back in his chair.
“I wish we knew... That was the worst part about the whole thing—not knowing…”
Tiber rubbed his forehead as he stared at the floor. The man’s shoulders seemed to take on the weight of an additional burden as he explained what had happened.
“We entered the anomaly together as a twelve-man unit. Once we reached the other side and did a sweep of the area, I left Garrick’s wife, Julie, and one other soldier to guard the anomaly while we attacked the summoner. Everything went smoothly. We killed the bastard and rushed back through the portal. When we did a headcount back on Earth, we realized that Julie still hadn’t come back through the portal. She had been right there, waving us through the portal as we returned, but she never came through after us. Garrick was about to head back through the destabilized anomaly after her, but the portal closed too fast. There was nothing that could be done, and I never learned what happened to her until today.”
