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….
'Ding! Ding!'
[You have Leveled Up!]
[You have Leveled Up!]
The sound was accompanied by a sensation that was better than any sugar rush. A golden pillar of light erupted from the floor, enveloping Percy in a warm, humming embrace. The agonizing throb in his chest where the wind pressure had slashed him? Gone. The deep ache in his bones? Vanished. The exhaustion that weighed down his limbs? Replaced by a crackling electric energy.
Percy took a deep breath, testing his lungs. No pain. The level-up hadn't just made him stronger; it had reset his physical state to perfection.
He pulled up his status page to see the damage, or rather, the improvements.
[Percy Jackson]
[Level: 7 (EXP: 6900/9600)]
[Race: Demigod]
[HP: 350/350]
[MP: 175/175]
[Stats:]
[STR: 6]
[VIT: 4 (+2 racial) = 6]
[DEX: 4 (+2 racial) = 6]
[INT: 9]
[WIS: 7]
[LUC: 11 (+3 from Level Up) = 14]
[Points: 10]
[Money: $185 / 23 Drachma]
[Active Title: Son of Poseidon]
[Passive Title: Deadman (+40 to All Stats when HP < 20%)]
Percy let out a low whistle. His stats were looking less like a Commoner and more like an actual Adventurer. And that new title... Deadman. It was incredibly powerful, basically a "Berserker Mode" for when he was about to die, but honestly? He hoped he never had to use it. That fight with Zed had been way too close for comfort. He needed to stop jumping into boss fights without checking the difficulty setting first.
He patted his pocket. Riptide was there, safe and sound. He took it out and capped it, watching it shrink back into a harmless pen, then tossed it into his inventory for safekeeping.
"Alright," Percy said, looking around the wrecked theater. "Payday."
He spent the next hour scouring the stage and the seating area. The skeletons had dissolved, but their gear remained. It was a scavenger hunt from hell, but with his Luck stat now sitting at a respectable 14, the drops were generous.
By the time he was done, his inventory looked like an armory.
[Loot Acquired:]
[Money: $1,000 / 50 Drachma]
[Bone Fragments: 100]
[Rusted Spears: 20]
[Iron Swords: 15]
[Bronze Helmets: 3]
[Full Plate Knight's Armor: 1 Set]
Percy paused to inspect the armor. It was heavy, polished steel, looking like something out of a museum.
[Knight's Plate Armor]
[Rank: Uncommon]
[Defense: 30]
[Durability: 9/10]
[Description: Standard issue plate armor from medieval Europe. Great for not dying, bad for touching your toes.]
[Debuff: -50% Movement Speed due to weight.]
"Into the void you go," Percy muttered, stuffing the heavy suit into his inventory. He'd figure out what to do with it later. Maybe he could sell it? Did pawn shops take medieval armor?
Finally, he turned to the loot dropped by the boss himself.
Lying where Zed had fallen were two items: a massive red gauntlet and the gigantic greatsword.
[Gauntlet of Kefka]
[Rank: Rare]
[Type: Magic Tool]
[Description: Stolen by Zed from his uncle Kefka, this gauntlet allows the user to enslave the souls of the defeated. The power of the servant depends on the user's mental fortitude.]
[Effect: Raises a slain enemy as a spirit servant.]
[Servant Power: (INT + WIS)% of original power.]
[Capacity: 1/2 Slots (Zedukal Captured)]
[Greatsword of Kefka]
[Rank: Rare]
[Attack: 140]
[Weight: 300 lbs / 136 kg]
[Description: A massive slab of enchanted iron. Unless you have superhuman strength, this is just a very expensive paperweight.]
Percy tried to lift the sword. It didn't budge. He felt like he was trying to pull Excalibur from the stone, except he wasn't Arthur. He sighed and shoved it into his inventory.
He turned his attention to the gauntlet. It was made of a dark red metal, etched with runes. He slid it onto his right hand. It was cold at first, then warmed to his skin, shrinking slightly to fit him perfectly.
He pushed a pulse of mana into it.
His vision grayed. The theater seemed to melt away, replaced by a swirling mist. In the fog, he saw the souls of the skeletons he had crushed, all standing at attention. And there, kneeling in the front, was Zed.
Percy focused on the necromancer.
The gauntlet flared with crimson light. Smoke poured from the palm, swirling and condensing until Zedukal stood before him. He was translucent, a red ghost in his spiky armor, kneeling on the wooden stage.
"What is thy bidding... my Master?" Zed groaned, sounding remarkably like he had a sore throat.
Percy blinked. The resemblance to Darth Vader was uncanny. "Okay, that's not creepy at all," he muttered, shaking his head to clear the Gamer's Mind fog.
"Observe."
[Zedukal (Spirit Servant)]
[LVL: 3.6]
[HP: 144/144]
[MP: 96/96]
[Stats: Scscaled to 16% of Original (Extreme Mode)]
[STR: 640]
[VIT: 0.8]
[DEX: 0.3]
[INT: 5.4]
[Description: A novice necromancer bound to your will. He is significantly weaker than in life, but retains a fraction of his monstrous strength.]
Percy did the math. His combined INT and WIS was 16, so he got 16% of Zed's power. But 16% of 4000 Strength was still... 640.
Holy Hades. Zed was still stronger than a truck. He was a glass cannon with 1 HP, basically, but he could punch through a brick wall.
"I command you to serve me," Percy said, raising the gauntlet dramatically. "Protect me from danger, carry my heavy stuff, and... try to be less annoying than you were when you were alive."
"It shall be done," Zed intoned. He dissolved back into red smoke and spiraled into the gauntlet. A thick silver band formed around the wrist of the glove, glowing faintly.
Call upon me whenever you have need, Master. I am your servant for eternity.
"Cool," Percy whispered. He stashed the gauntlet in his inventory.
He looked at the final item on the ground. It was a simple, leather-bound book.
[Skill Book: Instant Dungeons]
[Would you like to learn the skills 'ID Create' and 'ID Escape'?]
[YES / NO]
Percy grinned. This was the holy grail Han had told him about. This was how he would grind without getting caught. He pressed YES.
The book burst into blue flames, but they didn't burn him. Instead, the fire rushed into his chest, and a headache slammed into him for a split second as information uploaded directly into his brain.
'Ding!'
[Skills Learned!]
[ID Create - LVL 1 (0%):]
[Create an instant dungeon dimension.]
[Current Dungeons: Empty Dungeon (No Monsters).]
[ID Escape - LVL 1 (0%):]
[Escape from an instant dungeon and return to the real world.]
Percy closed the notifications, feeling a sense of invincibility. He had faced death, defeated a boss, gained a ghostly minion, and unlocked the ultimate training tool. He was going to protect his mom. He was going to survive this crazy demigod life.
He looked around the empty theater, the adrenaline finally fading, replaced by a very practical question.
"Okay," Percy said to the silence. "So, where the hell is the exit?"
….
If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.
http://patreon.com/SageOf016