"What a wonderful surprise!" Glimmerwhisk says, full of enthusiasm, her eyes lingering on Menchi, Benezia, and then briefly on Alex—only to fixate on Jewel perched atop his head. "If it isn't my favorite Human, Asari, and Spider! Welcome to the Eternal Coffins, it's so nice to see you."
She then narrows her gaze at Alex. "You are here too, huh? Need something again? My very disloyal and naughty puppy."
… Maybe we should really leave. You were right, Jewel.
Princess Jewel is her favorite Spider! ❤️
What a low bar to aim for… You're so easily manipulated by mere compliments! I don't even think she knows any other spider…
Princess Jewel disagrees! She merely correctly identifies this princess as the best spider in the Realm!
Keep dreaming.
Benezia, meanwhile, studies Glimmerwhisk closely. Her sharp eyes weigh every detail, clearly trying to measure Alex's mysterious backer.
"High-level Supporters are quite intimidating," she murmurs. "I am not surprised by your choice, Alex. Her personality is exactly what I would expect from you… but her presence is daunting. This is a rare experience even for me."
"I have to say, my little servant," Glimmerwhisk adds, her voice dripping with playful mockery, "you are indeed the luckiest player I have ever encountered. Benezia is someone I wouldn't have expected to ever join the Realm. She is already pushing the limits of Supporters… close to Gold-Quality, if I'm right? Gold-Quality Supporters are usually only obtainable by large guilds in highly dangerous missions, starting at around level 20. Frankly, even someone like Benezia is worth a fortune and an absolute rarity."
How can she call me little, huh? This is so stupid.
Glimmerwhisk then politely returns Benezia's stare before gesturing toward the empty chairs beside her couch.
"Please, sit! Beautiful Jewel, you can join me on my lap. Your brilliant purple color and ruby eyes complement today's dress perfectly."
Alex, Menchi, and Benezia sink into the luxurious, cushioned chairs, while Jewel hesitantly crawls onto Glimmerwhisk's lap.
As soon as she settles, Glimmerwhisk strokes her, and Jewel eagerly leans into the attention.
You were whining so much about visiting… and now this? Jewel, you're far too easy to sway. This is almost pathetic.
❤️ Favorite Spider!
Alex glances at Benezia. Though her face looks calm, he can sense the suppressed rage and frustration radiating from her.
"Before we start… Benezia is a person, not some NPC from the Realm. Please treat her as such," Alex says, his voice serious, a little bit of irritation flickering across his face.
Even someone as mentally strong as Benezia will get hurt if she hears cruel things like that.
"Of course she is!" Glimmerwhisk replies without hesitation.
"Of course?" Benezia repeats, her tone cold. "From what I've heard, I'm merely a fictional character. That's not an easy thing to accept. Your earlier description just confirmed that assumption."
Glimmerwhisk sighs softly. "Alex, you haven't explained it to her yet? Look, your existence, in its most basic form, was created by a small group of people. But what gave you true life is the collective imagination and emotions of millions of humans. Add to that the indescribable power of the Realm, and you are as alive as anyone else. Aside from your appearance and backstory, your future and possibilities are limitless. I am simply happy I can meet you because of your abilities and charm. Supporters with your skillset and potential are rare. Menchi here is the same—I can feel her steadily improving as well."
"Hehe," Menchi giggles. "I felt the same at first, Benezia. But now? I'm used to it. I can do whatever I please, and my ambitions couldn't be grander!"
"A wonderful attitude to have." Glimmerwhisk smirks. "Both of you ladies are far too good for A—"
"Enough," Alex cuts in. "I know they're incredible, but I was the one who recruited them! And I'm not restricting their freedom, so I won't accept your nonsense. There are plenty of scumbags out there who would treat Supporters differently—I'm not one of them."
"I agree," Menchi adds without hesitation.
Benezia nods. "You're treating us far better than most people would. I have already encountered quite a few lowlifes while trading. I am quite satisfied with my current situation."
Glimmerwhisk chuckles. "I know. It's still fun to tease him and say the opposite. Just look how quickly he snapped to defend himself."
Alex exhales, already thoroughly annoyed. "As much as I love your jokes, I'm here for help. I wanted to introduce Benezia to you, share what I gained from the last mission, and ask for a small favor."
Glimmerwhisk smiles knowingly. "Hehe, Shards, I presume? You seemed rather satisfied with the Eternal Coffins' services last time… or so I've been told."
Alex nods, "Seventy-four. I need seventy-four," he states.
"I'll tell Softspark to give you the best price we can offer," Glimmerwhisk says.
"So tell me, aside from recruiting Benezia, how was your last mission?" she asks, seeming quite interested in Alex's last mission.
Alex briefly summarizes his mission. He leaves out a few key details, such as certain interactions with Tali, Shepard, and Liara, to save himself from Menchi's sharp knives, Jewel's pointy legs, Tereza's fangs—because she will undoubtedly learn the information from the others—and most importantly, Benezia, who would probably strangle him with her Biotics once she learns what he has done with her daughter.
Instead, he focuses purely on his gains, mechanics, and battles, mostly leaving out personal interactions.
As he mentions [Uzin's Rage], even Glimmerwhisk's calm and haughty attitude visibly shifts.
Finally, he finishes his story with the mention of his biotics-related items he received from his upgraded Golden Chest, [Shepard's Promise], and finally his newly upgraded [Destiny Watch (Orbment) R2].
"At least twenty-five missions… that is how many missions an average player would need to acquire your items, with the Black-Quality ring excluded, of course," Glimmerwhisk states coolly.
"This situation is almost a little too exaggerated… I have never heard of Black-Quality items being obtained in missions with a level lower than 11. You know divinity is not just a gimmick. These effects are so strong that they disrupt the balance of the Realm itself. In the case of [Uzin's Rage], you can mostly ignore all movement-impairing effects! This actually includes stun-like effects in addition to a few other nasty debuffs. That's extremely powerful. The LUK stat is working wonders for you, apparently. Frankly speaking, it shouldn't even be possible for you to have so much LUK in the first place. Without a basic skill related to LUK, it should be capped at 20—just like your other stats. Also related to Black Quality items… you can upgrade them. The cost will be extremely high. You can find out by simply asking the local system in the Ranking-up facility. You're up for a nasty surprise, but go ahead and try it out."
I see… certainly worth taking a look!
[Uzin's Rage]
World: Mass Effect
Quality: Light Black
Type: Ring
Required Stats: STR - 20, AGI - 20, SPR - 20
Effect: Increases STR by 8 (Flat boost, not increased by skills)
Effect: Lingering Rage - Increases all damage caused by attacks or skills, not dependent on items, by up to 25%, depending on Current HP. The maximum amount is reached when HP is less than 20%.
Effect: Release Rage - Allows the user to sacrifice 100 HP to cleanse them from most negative effects and temporarily increase STR and AGI by 20 for 10 seconds, and make them immune to most negative movement-impairing effects and spells for the duration.
Effect: Avatar of Vengeance - Doubles the user's base STR and AGI, grants them the unstoppable effect, making them immune against all movement-impairing effects, and reduces incoming damage by 80%. This effect takes precedence over all lesser effects, trying to cancel this one. Lasts 30 seconds. Can be used once every 24 hours.
Warning: If base SPR is less than 50% of his combined STR and AGI, the user will control and fall into a rage state, causing him to violently attack anyone close by.
Warning: Causes the user to prefer taking vengeance, which can change
Note: The Ultimate Vengeance is delivered up close and personal.
Note: Without a strong mind, unfiltered rage will lead to catastrophic outcomes.
Glimmerwhisk thinks for a few seconds, rubbing her chin.
She looks kinda cute if she gets all serious like that.
"I think you finally did it. You still lack in certain areas, but talking purely about equipment and skills, you are finally at the top. Don't get arrogant, though! You are still just a player… you can die just as easily as everyone else should you make stupid decisions. However, it is important to tell you that you are progressing nicely. You should continue exactly as you are doing now, meaning there is no need to take colossal risks, but of course, you shouldn't play it safe either. Keep doing what you have been doing and your future is bright… very bright."
"Well… thank you for telling me," Alex replies, quite thankful for the advice.
I have been doing a good job, then!
"Any advice…? I have been acting pretty solitary. Obviously, I didn't tell anyone else about the item. I also didn't mention my numerous Gold-Quality items," Alex says.
Glimmerwhisk thinks for a moment before beginning to speak.
"It's good that you didn't. You might be a little silly, but thankfully, you are not stupid. I can't say much, but there are items that allow players to specifically target you… particularly by forcing you into PvP-focused missions. These are rare and expensive, but when it comes to Black-Quality items… people would do anything. There is something else you should know as well. Bloody chests contain more or less random loot, but even they can be altered with the help of certain items. It is possible to aim for specific drops. You really need to keep things quiet. Don't worry, nobody would do that for Gold-Quality items… but Black-Quality items are another matter altogether."
We should prepare for trouble…
And make it double! ❤️
Alex sighs, staring at his silly pet.
"Your transformed watch is a neat little item. Don't get too excited about it. These arts are too costly and inefficient compared to other spells. Still, healing skills are rare, and you've got that covered now as well. You are a strong all-rounder, which isn't a big surprise considering your balanced stats. Still, I feel a tendency in you to rely on physical combat. Your base stats may be balanced, but your actual combat style, dictated by our equipment, isn't. You're a physical fighter first, with ranged and magical options layered on top. Perhaps you should focus on that role, rather than trying to be everything at once."
"Finally… if possible, avoid interactions with other players. I don't mean hide away—you can still visit the markets—but don't engage too much in idle chatter. If people get interested in you, things could turn sour very quickly. Your Supporters are already drawing too much attention toward you. You need to raise your level further if you want to properly match the attention they're bringing."
"Thank you… I guess these are helpful suggestions. But why exactly do I need to be so careful? I thought I was in a good spot. Higher-level players can't target me… right?" Alex asks.
"True. But if three players— even slightly weaker ones—team up, are prepared, and burn through extremely valuable consumables to buff themselves or debuff you, you can easily end up dead. The risk is sky-high, especially if those people get access to expensive equipment or consumables," Glimmerwhisk explains. "You can't trade Ranked-up items, but you can trade most consumables!"
That sounds bad indeed.
"I guess I'll aim for solo missions then… or team up if possible. A friend told me there are certain items that allow me to do just that. Anything you can tell me?" Alex asks.
"I wish I could," Glimmerwhisk says, looking dejected. "Keep looking…"
"Well, we'll do just that then. When I rank up my final item—after exchanging shard items with Softspark—I'll have plenty of time left. And before leaving, I'll gamble one more time. I really don't need to upgrade any more equipment. I'm almost afraid to say it, but I'm completely outfitted with Purple- and Gold-Quality items. The only things that truly interest me now are stat-increasing items… preferably those that also lower other stats, making them really unappealing for anyone else."
"I see. Even those are rare. The system restricts the trading of such items. You can search for them, but you are not the only one who can bypass the negative effects of certain stats," Glimmerwhisk comments before staring intently at Alex. "I know your LUK is out of this world, but I wouldn't recommend gambling too much. Even if you receive a Gold-Quality item, some of them aren't remotely worth 500,000 FC. If you're already fully equipped, it might be wiser to save your FC."
"Well… I'll think about it. It worked out perfectly last time, and I do have 500,000 FC ready. So if the store is still active when I'm allowed to use it again, I don't see why I shouldn't," Alex replies.
"Go ahead, it's your choice," Glimmerwhisk responds.
Alex nods before asking, "Anything I can do to help you? I'm really grateful for all the help and advice."
"Not right now… maybe in a while," Glimmerwhisk says, before suddenly perking up.
"Wait—take this." She hands Alex multiple pages of yellowed, parchment-like paper, filled with dozens of names.
"Bounty list," Alex begins to read.
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