41 Closing the Gap (2/2)

After letting my armor drink up that nasty ass soup, I ended up finding a dungeon core in pit. I let my armor hide it before anyone else noticed. An extra attribute point wasn't ever a bad thing after all.

During all of that, the willpower perk helped me keep my mind calm. It helped the entire day in fact. Sights of abominable horror didn't even make me flinch anymore. I could stomach the most heart wrenching scenes, despite how debilitating they were. The resolve that willpower gave me was invaluable in the face of the new Springfield. No doubt it would be invaluable in the face of this new world as well.

Regardless, as the sun set, we headed back towards the barricade of the steel legion. They set up a sort of base of operations near us. It was mostly tents, but they kept the cold out and the warm in. Althea needed sleep, and her aim had degraded over the course of the day, despite her increased levels.

I wasn't even slightly exhausted. The willpower perk kept me alert and aware, like I'd just woken up from a power nap. That meant I could focus and keep going forever. Seeing Althea doze off as we walked made the difference clear.

She eventually fell onto the ground, passed out cold. I carried her back towards the camp before setting her back into her bed. I kept my hormones in check this time, not letting my mind wander during the process. Letting my dick think for me was an easy way to get killed or worse.

Walking out of the tent, I pulled my helmet off my face. Moving my armor was like moving a hand or a limb. It was as easy as breathing by now. I walked up towards one of the nearby workbenches set up by the legion. Several scientists and other workers toiled on projects and others drank a few beers together. This was their downtime after a hard day. Good for them.

I ignored their chatter and laughter while I focused on my runic inscriptions. Getting a better combination of them would result in more power for less mana. That was the end goal. Still, even if I tried ignoring them, I couldn't help but listen into a few far off conversations. Mainly when they mentioned my name.

One such conversation was taking place around a fireplace about fifty feet away. I can't blame them for thinking I was out of earshot. I would've too, but the leveling perk for perception let me hear them.

One whispered, ”Did you see that, uh, what is he called?”

”I think he was a harbinger of calamity.”

”Yeah, I guess. I saw his level this morning. 221, which is insane right?”

”Yeah. I don't know what kind of alien he is, but he's a strong one.”

”That's the thing. I saw him taking one of them other aliens into one of their tents. You wouldn't even believe it, but he was level fucking 273. I swear to god.”

Several of them bust out, laughing loud and long. The whispering one continued, ”Oh you laugh now. Just wait. He won't even be in the 200's for long. Neither will that friend of his.”

Another one spoke up without even keeping his voice down, ”Yeah, alright Fred. Sure. Next thing you know he'll be over level one thousand and brush his teeth with a toothbrush made out of a spine.”

”You don't believe me, why don't you go and check, eh?”

”I got better things to do in my free time. Besides, he's the harbinger of cataclysm, not calamity. You can't even get his name right. How the fuck can you know his level then?”

”You'll see. I'm off to bed. I already know tomorrow's going to be even harder than today considering how much faster they're going to be.”

”Hope you can tell the difference between a dream and reality then, Fred.”

I silenced their conversation, refocusing onto my task. Curiosity was an easy way to get distracted, if not the easiest. Keeping focus despite those distractions was what made this training hard. Still, that made me level my skills faster since I had to try harder than normal.

After about five hours of that, I needed a break, so I walked out of the base. I sat inside an abandoned car, the car lowering as I sat inside. It was time to examine my stats again. Of course I'd dumped all my status points into endurance, besides for the last few levels. The three of us had been focusing on clearing so quickly that I didn't have time to invest my stats.

Now I did. I put all my extra points into endurance, ending up with a clean 540 points in the stat. An absurd amount by anyone's standards, even Kessiah's no doubt. When I finished investing my points, the perk screen popped up. I had finally gained over a 100 intelligence.

[All-Knowing(Intelligence of 100 or more. Note - Only three level 100 perks are currently left. Choose wisely.) - Your mind is a trap that never releases its prey. Emotional tolerance further doubled. 5 extra mana per point in intelligence(20 before multipliers). +4 total mana per level. Another tenth of intelligence added to luck. Doubles increased critical thinking and memory per level. Photographic memory acquired. Increases mythical skill cap by 1(3).]

I actually didn't have the perk point required. I put every bit of my attributes into endurance. I did have the dungeon core from earlier though, so I absorbed it before selecting the perk.

My flesh turned to steel. The arcane bonds in my flesh were dense and tightly knit as chainmail. This came with a sudden, sharp clarity. Fuzzy memories became crystal clear, and other memories from my childhood appeared from hiding. I could calculate numbers with ease, and my reasoning snapped like a whip, fast and forceful.

I opened my menu screens. They didn't disappoint.

Level 273 Attribute Totals

Strength - Increases carrying weight, maximum speed, and physical power 44.2

Constitution - Increases hardness, density, and weight of your body 36.3

Endurance - Increases regeneration of stamina, health, and their totals 540

Dexterity - Increases ease of movement, flexibility, and reflexes 32.8

Willpower - Increases internal motivation, mana regen, and Mental Res 258

Intelligence - Increases memory, critical thinking, and total mana pool 101.4

Charisma - Increases likeability, persuasion, and decreases prices at shops 29.3

Luck - Increases money found, odds in your favor, and chance of rare events 54.4

Perception - Increases comprehension, the five senses, and awareness 30.5

Daniel Hillside Totals Regen Buffs/Debuffs

Health 19,188/19,188 3631.2/min Oppression Damage- 10,000+30%hp/min

Stamina 9905/9905 117/sec Elemental Res - 97.5%

Harbinger of Cataclysm 2,340,489/256,000,000 0/per min Plasma Res - 97.5%

Phys Dam Reduction - 97.5% Rad Res - 97.5%

Phys Dam Bonus - 595% Mental Res - 97.5%

I forgot how intelligence fed into luck. That actually added a bit of extra health I hadn't thought about. With my evolution and my leveling perk out of the way, I was where I thought I'd end up in my current build. I was tremendously difficult to take down, regardless of what attacked me. My offensive potential wasn't amazing, but it would grind someone down over time.

All in all, it was effective considering how early I was in the leveling game. I could probably give Torix a run for his money in durability, and eventually I would surpass Kessiah in that regard. At this rate, it wouldn't even take that long. I had become a tank, someone capable of dishing out damage and with no easy way of taking me down.

Still, there were several things I needed. I needed something to stop enemies from running away, and a ranged attack. Anything after that was just gravy.

So with my layout handled, I put my skill points into genesis of potential. As I pressed the button, a knocking on the window of the car scared the shit out of me. It was Kessiah, and she opened up the door before shutting it closed. She grinned,

”Hey there. We need to talk.”