Gloominess +4: The Cradle of Gods. A LitRPG series: Book 4 Page 3

  Before that, I want to thank you again for everything, boy.

  You’ve been thanking me too often lately, I smiled.

  It’s only right, he responded calmly. You’ve done a good job. You’ve achieved a lot and you became even stronger.

  “It’s all thanks to you,” I said aloud. “It must’ve been hard for you to fight the Mother after I had used the Small Avatar of Darkness.”

  Let’s drop the courtesies, boy. Enough, he replied in the same drawling, unemotional tone.

  “As you wish,” I answered calmly.

  Silence “hang in my head.” Both of us were silent. But that didn’t prevent him from reading my thoughts. I wasn’t thinking about anything bad or offensive. And although I had nothing to hide, I still felt awkward, knowing that my head was like an open book for him.

  You’re right. The Old Man seemed to have caught the tail of one of my thoughts and decided to comment on it. I won’t tell you anything new now. Even though you’ve become stronger, we have an agreement — first you must collect the “Cradle of the Gods,” boy. But as a reward for your hard work, I’ll answer your other question. Yes, “Disciple” Kane is a true “Wizard” now. As a “Wizard,” he surpasses you in everything, because he has revealed the powers of the “Ancient” in him all by himself. You have only the “Wizard” skills that I gave you, boy.

  I took his words calmly. I had been aware of this for a long time.

  So, “Wizards” can feel the energy of the world better than the Gods? I focused on the most important part. Kane managed to find an uncharged “Part” but Viyon couldn’t.

  You’re right, boy. True “Wizards” are closer to the world than the Gods who betrayed it. It’s a pity that there are no true “Wizards” except “Disciple” Kane anymore. But I’m waiting, boy, that you or one of my other “Disciples” reveal the ancient powers in yourselves. Then you’ll understand the difference between borrowing your patron’s power and being a part of the world yourself.

  It’d be easier if you just taught us. I shook my head.

  All in its due time, boy.

  We fell silent again. For a while I pondered, and then the Old Man spoke again. It was a strange feeling — having all thoughts in one place: my private thoughts, the ones I formulated on purpose by using telepathy, and the thoughts my patron would send to my brain.

  Of course, boy, we’re heading to “Oruel.” But not to meet the “Followers of Rugus,” he answered the question I didn’t ask.

  So, for another source? I guessed.

  Yes. And to make new acquaintances. I’ll show the path to Vella. You should rest. I know you’re still recovering from the fight.

  I knew that he was right. My body was still aching, though I didn’t get any system messages about it. That was a bit strange.

  Numbers didn’t always exist in this world, the Old Man said all of a sudden. That’s your answer.

  Our mental conversation suddenly ended. It was as if he had hung up the phone. I had gotten accustomed to it.

  I took the wineskin out of my inventory, took a gulp, and looked around. We were still rushing through the forest, scaring hares and birds. Nothing had changed.

  Before leaving, the Old Man gave me some food for thought. “Numbers...” He obviously meant interfaces. A long time ago they didn’t exist. Was it during the rule of the Ancient? Did the Gods bring them after their victory? It was quite possible. Were there no interfaces when Zurtarn existed? What would happen if Zurtarn was completed? How powerful was the artifact?

  Maybe I just had a wild imagination.

  I sighed heavily and took another gulp from the wineskin. I have started to replace the real world with this one... I have almost forgotten about the life I had on Earth. Honestly speaking, I didn’t want to return there anymore. But I had to find out how to get there so as to avoid returning by accident. A warrior who had shed blood could hardly ever again live in peace. And a monster-slaying “battlemage of Darkness” would hardly be able to fit in a magic-free world.

  I slapped myself, stretched my neck, and put the wineskin back into my inventory. Enough, I have to finish what I’ve started.

  Upgrade “Magnetism of the Rejected” to level ten.

  Attention! You have reached level 10 of “Magnetism of the Rejected.” All of your stats have been increased by 20 points.

  That’s all? I thought with disappointment.

  Without slowing down, Vella turned her head to me and stared at me over her shoulder. She grinned happily, joy dancing in her eyes, and tried to lick my knee, but it was out of her reach.

  “Watch the road!” I cried out in surprise, having noticed a boulder ahead.

  “Woof!” she cheerfully barked. Turning her head, she easily jumped over the giant boulder and increased her speed.

  “Hmm…” I drawled thoughtfully. The reason for Vella’s sudden enthusiasm was pretty obvious. But there wasn’t a word about possible buffs for the “rejected” in the description of the skill. Was this a bug then? Was Vella’s behavior a normal side effect? Did I “magnetize” her? Did that make her so happy that she decided to run faster? If you thought about it, it was kind of funny that my level ten Gloominess repelled ordinary people, but attracted and encouraged my friends. I could become a Dark Lord if it continues like this…

  Okay, enough procrastinating. I have six “Everyday Points” left...

  Upgrade “Weakness Perception” to level five and “Military Science” to level three.

  By doing this I increased my own combat potential and improved my leadership. That is, if I got the term “military science” right.

  Of the unfinished business I had to do was to distribute the last twelve skill points. This was trickier. On one hand, I could spend them all on one of the Gloominess skills, like Trident of Darkness, Aura of Darkness, or the new Clot. On the other hand, I could save up and upgrade Omnipresent Darkness. Or…. Shit, I totally forgot about the basic skills. Eyes in the Dark and Dark Side of the World were two very important passive skills. Especially the latter one, which increased my immunity against the Decay. Not to mention my most frequently used skill — Tranquility of Darkness.

  I took the wooden disc, which hardly fit my palm, out of my inventory, and stared at it thoughtfully. The main law of the market economy — supply and demand — was a truthful one. One couldn’t exist without the other.

  The Followers of Glozeysk worked quickly and efficiently, supplying me and other Disciples of the Old Man with storage devices, filled with skill and stat points. I’d be able to consume my portion in two days, which would net me twenty-seven skills points. I’ll decide what to do with them then.

  Chapter 4

  The Ogroids

  Two days had passed; we were still rushing through the forest.

  I consumed the contents of the storage device and after a some hesitation spent twenty skill points to upgrade Tranquility to level ten, maxing it out. I also put seven points into the Dark Side of the World, upgrading it to level seven.

  Tranquility of Darkness

  Level 10

  Active skill

  Cost: 250 mana

  Cooldown: 3 seconds

  Grants 85% chance that a minion of “Darkness” will feel its “Tranquility” and refuse to keep fighting you and your team.

  “Darkness” awards those loyal to it. “Followers” of “Darkness” gain 100 % chance of accelerating the regeneration of all their stats.

  Has 25% chance to spread on all the living beings within a six-foot range.

  Has 75% to trigger “Horror” status effect and 10% chance to trigger “Contagious Horror” status effect when used on those who are not loyal to the “Darkness” and are incapable of feeling its “Tranquility.”

  Dark Side of the World

  Level 7

  Passive skill

  Practically fully neutralizes the effects of any debuff, except those caused by the power of the Gods. Grants the caster 40 % chance to block such debuffs complet
ely.

  Looking at the skills and their new abilities, I had no doubt that I had done the right thing. Tranquility was now an AoE skill and would work in our favor in the upcoming battles. As for the Dark Side... I pondered for a long time whether or not I should upgrade it, but then my patron whispered his favorite words into my mind: “Don’t doubt, boy.”

  It irritated me a little that he was in my head and that he knew all of my thoughts. Fortunately, the pros outweighed the cons. The Old Man gave good advice, which led me closer and closer to my goal. I wasn’t so prideful to wish to make all of my decisions by myself. I should be able to use the experience and knowledge of other people (or Gods) for my own and everyone else’s good.

  I had one skill point left and I spent it on one of the basic skills, which had already been upgraded by Bon when he was still the owner of this body. I upgraded the Way of the Strength to level two. Instead of every tenth, now every ninth point of strength added plus one to vitality. This bonus wouldn’t have added much before and would’ve only been a waste of points. But now that my strength was almost 1,000 it made sense to spend points on it. It was a pity though that the skill couldn’t be upgraded to level three for some reason.

  I spent all of my seventy stat points. Not taking armor into account, my stats looked more impressive than ever before.

  Level 126

  Vitality: 1,159

  Endurance: 923

  Strength: 1,004

  Agility: 1,030

  Intelligence: 1,078

  I felt ready for new challenges. Rocking back and forth on Vella’s back, I even managed to get some rest. I quickly become bored of the long trip; I needed some action!

  As soon as I thought about it, the Bullkorg began to slow down. And then she stopped.

  All in its due time, boy, the drawling voice sounded in my head. You’re almost there. You have a couple of hours to rest, and then you’ll continue riding.

  I didn’t argue. But I did have a question.

  May I ask you something?

  Don’t worry, he answered at once. I’ll keep an eye on Vella. I won’t let her die. There’s no need to repeat your request.

  Thank you.

  I dismounted and took a roe’s leg out of my inventory — leftovers of Vella’s dinner.

  I sat down, leaning my back on the thick trunk of an old tree, and had a snack myself. From time to time, I’d glance at Vella, who was happily devouring her meal. We were equal before, but now there was a colossal difference in our levels and strength. But since I wanted to continue travelling and fighting together with her, I had to ask the Old Man to look after his furry Disciple.

  I even took a nap. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a long one. Someone’s long, spade-shaped tongue started licking my face.

  “Okay, I’m up,” I assured Vella and opened my eyes.

  I took a gulp of wine, and we continued our journey through the drab and seemingly endless forest. Luckily, I had no time to get bored, as Vella soon began to slow down. Staring into the distance, I noticed that the forest ahead seemed to thin out.

  As we continued, the trees became lower and younger, and the distance between them grew.

  “O-o-ohh…” I drawled thoughtfully. “And where are we?”

  Ahead of us, I saw ruins of a big town, overgrown with grass and bushes. Dilapidated carcasses of houses, buried almost to their roofs into the ground, greeted us with silence. It was difficult to figure out when the town had died and what exactly happened to it.

  I hadn’t upgraded my Riding yet, so I decided to jump off Vella’s back. Taking the trishula out of my inventory, I continued on foot.

  “Follow me. Don’t rush forward,” I hissed at the Bullkorg. She growled with displeasure, but listened.

  The grass was up to my chest in some places, and some of the burdocks were so big that their leaves could be used as a carpet. They could easily cover half a room.

  It seemed like we were walking along what once was the town’s main street — empty and forgotten, the stone cadavers loomed over us. The same grass was growing everywhere. Hell, it was growing even in the buildings.

  At that moment, my eyes caught a glimpse of trampled grass leading to the left and into the woods.

  “Grrr…” I heard Vella’s cautious growl behind me. I turned around and glanced at the Bullkorg — tail in the air, she was looking in the opposite direction.

  Suddenly, Darkness billowed near the dog, quickly getting a form. A couple of moments later, a figure of a hooded man put its hand on Vella’s withers.

  “Easy, girl,” the Old Man’s voice sounded warmer than usual. “They’re friends.”

  “I’m surprised to see you,” I said in all honesty.

  “You’ll be even more surprised when you see the local habitants, boy,” he answered in his usual drawling manner. His hood was looking to the right; Vella was staring in the same direction.

  My patron was wrong. Having met the Frogoids and other strange beasts, the sight of giant, gorilla-looking creatures walking out from behind the corner of an overgrown and destroyed building didn’t surprise me much. The beasts with short, gray fur didn’t seem to be hostile. Quite the contrary, their big, orange eyes were looking at us with warmth and interest.

  They were all of about the same height — at least three heads taller than me, they were roughly no less than eight feet tall and five feet wide in the shoulders. Almost all of them were flap-eared, and the shape of their noses reminded of a pear. The creatures had different teeth — some of them had fangs sticking out from under their full lips, but the rest looked like human ones. Those who couldn’t boast about the size of their fangs had spearhead-shaped front teeth. Did they sharpen them on purpose to keep up with their long-toothed brethren?

  The creatures seemed intelligent (to a degree, at least), which was clearly demonstrated by the rough, leather armor like garment that covered their groins; some of them even had chest plates. A few of them also wore spiked knee-guards, elbow-guards, and pauldrons. I couldn’t tell for sure, the seemed spikes seemed to have been made out of some sort of hardwood. The creatures were armed with crude cudgels, though I noticed that one of them had a two-handed sword, which had definitely been made by a human. I doubted that the giant would’ve been physically able to handle a one-handed sword.

  “Who’s that?” I asked the system, fixing my gaze on the nearest creature.

  Grock the Ogroid

  Level 101

  HP: 10,410/10,410

  “THE ANCIENT?” Making a step forward, Grock roared with surprise. His voice almost made my ears almost pop. “IT CAN’T BE! THE ANCIENT!” He turned to the rest of his tribesmen, as if asking for support. The creatures nodded.

  “THE ANCIENT…”

  “THE ANCIENT!!!”

  “THE ANCIENT! HE REALLY IS!”

  I glanced over their descriptions. The weakest among them was level eighty-seven, and their HP was higher than that of an average human of the same level. A dozen of mighty, sturdy warriors. I was glad that they were friendly.

  As soon as I thought about it, Grock, as if confirming my thought, turned to me and bared his teeth. His fanged and lippy face became even more ridiculous.

  “LITTLE WIZARD. UNDER-WIZARD! WE ARE GLAD TO SEE YOU, TOO! THOUGH YOU ARE NOT STRONG, WE ARE HAPPY THAT THERE ARE HUMANS WHO STILL FOLLOW THE WILL OF THE ANCIENT!” He spoke surprisingly well and coherently, which contradicted with his voice and appearance. I wondered what he meant by saying that I wasn’t strong. I was sure that I could easily defeat him in a one-to-one battle, so he couldn’t have been talking about levels. He must’ve felt that I had potential to become a Wizard, but that I was only at the beginning of my journey.

  Hmm, we’ve run into some really interesting creatures.

  “I’m glad to see you too, my friends,” the Old Man drawled, spreading his arms as if to embrace the Ogroids. “Would you take us to your chief? I want to talk to him and to your Priest.”

  Sparks of joy and com
passion quickly faded from the eyes of the Ogroids. They lowered their heads in sadness, some of them sighed, snorting like horses.

  “Is something wrong?” the God of Darkness asked in surprise. I realized that even though the Ogroids worshipped the Ancient, their connection had grown very weak over the years. In fact, this must’ve been new territory for the Old Man, on which there were no fully-fledged Followers anymore, let alone Disciples, otherwise he would’ve “read” their minds a long time ago.

  “YOU HAVE BEEN GONE FOR TOO LONG, ANCIENT ONE,” Grock roared, lifting his gaze. “JUST LIKE THE OTHER ANCIENTS! SO LONG THAT THE CHIEF’S KIN GOT WEAK! OUR CHIEF HAS A STRONG BODY! HE IS STRONGER THAN ANY OF US! BUT HE IS CURSED FROM BIRTH! THAT IS WHAT THE PRIEST SAID. HE IS CURSED TO LIVE LIKE A MADMAN! LIKE AN ANIMAL!”

  Grock turned away and roared loudly. For a couple of seconds, silence hung over the ruins. It was strange: if the loud Ogroids lived this close to us, how come that we’ve never heard them?

  “OR MAYBE… MAYBE THE ANCIENT ONE WILL HELP OUR CHIEF?” Zorh, a level eighty-nine Ogroid without fangs, but with sharpened teeth and a vertical scar on his round belly, asked unsurely.

  Grock jerked his head and stared at the Old Man. The other Ogroids looked at each other and started whispering.

  “CAN HE HELP?”

  “HE CAN!”

  “OF COURSE HE CAN!!!”

  The whispering got louder and louder. Eyes full of hope stared at the God of Darkness. He waved his sleeve; the Ogroids immediately fell silent.

  “I’ll see what I can do for your chief,” he replied calmly. “Lead the way.”

  Chapter 5

  The Ruins

  The huge Ogroids moved soundlessly, somehow managing to no trample the grass. At first I thought that it was because of some racial skill but when I turned around, I realized that I was wrong. Zorh, who was behind us and last in the line, followed Vella; the grass, trampled by the Bullkorg, rose behind him, as if we had never been there. I observed the other Ogroids more attentively. It wasn’t that they didn’t leave a trail behind themselves, but that it was immediately covered up.