Megan was already prepared before I finished talking; she recognized what needed to be done. As the colorful flares faded, another source of light emerged. Megan’s wands radiated a purple aura. She drew magical symbols in the air.
Thorns came her way. She wasn’t finished casting her spell. But her life was much reduced by repeatedly summoning her [Spell Bonded Totem]—she might die!
Herald to the rescue!
I rushed to block the thorns with a Totem. I didn’t have time to summon a second one. The [Superior Replicant Totem] faded after stopping a thorn. Two other thorns continued and hit Megan. She survived. Barely.
The purple symbols floating in front of Megan formed a circle. She pointed her wands at the ring and fired a thin beam. A whirlwind of purple fire burst forth on the other side of the circle. It swirled around the tower of stacked Vinereavers, howling like a tornado.
“We’re going to win!” Megan squealed with excitement. “We’re going to—” She was gone.
The storm of purple flames dissolved, leaving dozens of tiny embers frolicking on the vines reminiscent of festive lights on a Christmas tree. The spell Megan used had a Burn effect, the same as many Mardukryon skills. The Burn wasn’t needed. The health bars of all five Vinereavers had hit zero.
“Yes! We won!” I continued Megan’s cheering. A glance at the quest details of Scraping for Samples III told me we had twenty seconds remaining. “We won—No!”
Where were the notifications? Nothing about the loot dropped by the diseased plants or the completed quests. Vines still wiggled in the air, dozens of eyes darted in their sockets, and frothing mouths gnashed their sharp teeth—the stubborn weeds were alive!
It looked like they had zero health points, but a minuscule amount remained, nearly invisible on their lengthy health bars. Megan didn’t manage to take out that one last bit. The Burn status kept the Vinereavers’ health from going back up—a delicate balance between DoT and regeneration. That was what fooled me.
White noise buzzed in my ear as I became hyper-focused. Everything slowed down. How long would the Burn last?
I had to act before it expired.
Time for the backup plan of the backup plan, which wasn’t really much of a plan but more of a desperate gamble as I had no more options.
As attacks came, I replenished my health with [Healing Touch]. Then I repeatedly whipped myself with my sling while avoiding the vines and lasers, switching back to a shield after capping [Ancestral Constitution] stacks. The many eyes of the Vinereavers focused on me, their last target. I protected myself with [Greater Pyro Shell] as I drank a bottle of [Morabodry]. I followed it up with [Penitent Fortune Healing], inflicting myself with [Penitent Misfortune]. With that, I had two stacks of protection from [Cleansing Flames]. A pity I couldn’t add more, but this would have to do.
It must do!
I noted where the lasers were going to hit, chose a safe spot, and then stopped moving. One… two…
Mon Aleh, the strongest of the weed brothers, brought a thorny vine down at me. I cast [Withering Brand] on the descending tendril. And three… The buff of [Band of Loamy Renewal] kicked in.
Think of a cool line, think of a cool line! I urged myself as I raised both my shields. The vine crashed on my protective barrier. “Eat my juicy ancestral ass!”
BOOM!
[ Loot: 8,823 Artas, (77) Toxic Goop, (2) Little Golden Eye, (6) Vinereaver Prickle, (5) Vine of Possession, (3) Obsidian Shard ]
[ Loot: 23,250 Artas, (148) Toxic Goop, (4) Little Golden Eye, (12) Vinereaver Prickle, (9) Vine of Possession, (8) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract ]
[ Loot: 24,100 Artas, (147) Toxic Goop, (5) Little Golden Eye, (11) Vinereaver Prickle, (10) Vine of Possession, (8) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract, Blighted Crown of Vinereaver’s Revenge{2} ]
[ Loot: 22,900 Artas, (151) Toxic Goop, (4) Little Golden Eye, (13) Vinereaver Prickle, (9) Vine of Possession, (7) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract ]
[ Loot: 23,370 Artas, (145) Toxic Goop, (6) Little Golden Eye, (12) Vinereaver Prickle, (11) Vine of Possession, (7) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract, Blighted Tendrils of Vinereaver’s Revenge ]
[ Quest Completed: Scraping for Samples III ]
[ Quest Completed: Clearing Operations III ]
[ Increased: Player Level to 20! ]
[ Increased: Molten Corium Level to 3 ]
“Herald Stone is victorious!” I raised my arms and performed a celebratory tap dance that’d make the crimson goat proud. I had plenty of practice while dealing with that blasted herbivore. My legs didn’t get entangled while beating a tune with my hooves pounding the ground. The blurry reddishness that obscured my vision gradually lessened as my regeneration pushed my health out of the danger zone. “Scientific proof that Stone beats plant!”
The Vinereavers shriveled after they died, green goo pouring out their eyes and mouths. Their bloated tendrils rapidly shrunk like vegetables sun-dried fast forward. Even the vines on the floors, walls, and ceiling dried up and crumbled. Chunks of petrified vines rained. The Vinereavers disintegrated, falling off the generator in the middle of the room, revealing a partially destroyed machine that sputtered electric sparks and smoke.
Goal #1—I will become the best tank, crush everyone, and remain standing after every battle.
And would you look at that? Who was left alive after the battle?
Yours truly, the Great Herald Stone.
Granted, I was the last standing, not due to my tankiness but because all my party mates sacrificed themselves for the win. Let’s ignore that minor technicality. There was no point sweating the details. Here I stand, hard and proud, and no one else was around here.
On a serious note, I was surprised I lived. Mon Aleh wasn’t a quest boss like the Mud Golem but an actual open-world boss—well, a mini-boss—integrated into this quest and massively buffed by the Blight. Nonetheless, I was pretty confident I could survive a single vine slap with my buffs up. And that attack would pop my [Greater Pyro Shell] to deal the final blow.
What I was worried about was the aftermath—would the blast from my popped shell trigger the Vinereaver’s retribution and reflect? That was the gambling part.
Seeing I was a scootch away from death after the fight, the answer was a big yes.
It would've been game over if I didn’t have a couple of stacks of the passive of [Cleansing Flame]. I didn’t get Burned while whipping myself with [Mehubanarath’s Old Sling] for another stack; that was probably asking for too much luck. I was already lucky to find a three-second window to stand still and activate [Band of Loamy Renewal] for more tankiness.
As the excitement died, I went through my notifications, starting with the last. This was the first time I had seen this many. I was usually irritated if a deluge of emails arrived simultaneously, but this was a welcome flood of messages.
Leveling [Molten Corium] didn’t matter much. The Greater and Lesser Skill Points from reaching level twenty were impactful. I wasn’t sure where to invest my GSP—[Ancestral Constitution] or [Cleansing Flames]? Next, I waved away the notifications for quest completion. Rereading them was reassuring that I didn’t mess anything up.
Then came the best part—the loot. Each of the Vinereavers separately dropped loots!
“Kezo was right,” I muttered, noting the massive amounts of [Toxic Goop].
The quests were indeed connected. We didn’t need to dawdle around the tunnels looking for goops because most could be found here. I had a little over five hundred extra [Toxic Goop]. And three leftover [Blighted Vinereaver Essence] too. Was this a result of doing this quest as a party?
One batch of drops had fewer items compared to the four others. That must be from Mon-Aleh. The lead Vinereaver had more than ten levels above mine and was thusly affected by the level gap penalty compared to the rest of its weed buddies around the level twenties. Mon-Aleh’s level might be fixed as a mini-boss, while the remaining Vinereavers adjusted to the quest holder’s level to guarantee drops. During the fight, I considered this possible problem and thought of telling Megan to leave the party so we wouldn’t divide the loot, but it wasn’t necessary because she died anyway.
Maybe there’s some good use for all these Vinereaver parts, I thought while scanning the loots. Mon Aleh’s gang dropped [Obsidian Shard] instead of [Statue Fragment], like Zoar Elab and Moa Manot. It must be their black coating instead of statue shells. Then my eyes fell on two items I had missed earlier.
What was this [Blighted Crown of Vinereaver’s Revenge {2}] and [Blighted Tendrils of Vinereaver’s Revenge]? Were these the same items Jensen was farming from Mon Aleh? Couldn’t be. They had ‘Blighted’ in their names. What if they were exclusive quest versions of an item?
I was about to open my inventory when popping noises made me stop. It was like a car engine backfiring.
I gazed up at the towering generator. Smoke coming out of it increased, filling the ceiling like thunderclouds. Angry tongues of electricity licked the walls and ceiling, turning the entire place into a disco ball.
“I’m too important to die like this!” I galloped to the door, boosting my speed with [Horde Stampede].
But the game had other things in mind.
Massive clumps of vines fell right in front of the exit, blocking my way. I reared up on my legs and stomped on the vines, bringing my body weight down to break them. Nothing happened. I was trapped. “What the hell? Is this a scripted death?”
The game answered me with an explosion.
I opened my eyes. It was dim and blurry, but I could see rocks and dirt next to my face. I was on the floor. I tried to stand up. I couldn’t. My body felt very heavy.
Was I still in the game? Did I fall off my bed while playing and hit my head?
I tried reaching out with my arm—charcoal-like skin with glowing ember veins. Still in the game. Casting [Cleansing Flames] to remove any negative status keeping me down didn’t work. Neither did [Healing Touch] have any effect.
What in blazing meatballs is going on? That was what I wanted to say, but I also couldn’t speak. It was like I was Petrified.
Approaching hooves, heavy plodding feet, and some raking sound. “My dear youngling!” a voice croaked. “I was right to come to find you.”
Bullshit cinematics, I thought before everything went black.
I woke up.
This time, I was in a room with many different-colored lights. A couple of Mandrake Borple were by my side. One held a small item that might be a medicine dropper. The other balanced a large bottle on its mushroom cap.
The bottle was familiar. If I weren’t mistaken, it was Bawu’s prized healing elixir.
I pushed myself up. The Mandrake Borples retreated.
The Carrion Golem was to my right, while the Chimera Borpillar was to my left. A very long table was in front of me carrying beakers, test tubes, cauldrons, and plenty of other alchemical paraphernalia, some I had seen at Arakmad’s shop. Several large glass containers filled with [Toxic Goop] were on the left end. Bawu was behind the table conducting experiments.
“You’re finally awake, dear youngling,” Mad Brewer Bawu said. She wiped her hands on her dirty robes and trotted around the table to get to me. Considering the table’s length and her labored shuffling, it took her several seconds to reach my side.
Dear youngling? Good Grandma Bawu? I made the deal about the locations of her test subjects with her evil persona. Would Good Grandma Bawu remember our agreement?
“Are you feeling well?” Bawu asked. “You were in sorry shape when I found you."
“As healthy as the day I was born,” I said. “I was a healthy baby, according to my mother. Anyway, I have cleared the source of the Blight and also collected the materials you needed.”
“Splendid news! I’m grateful for your aid, dear youngling. These old bones of mine are so creaky, like a loose floorboard, and my back isn’t as strong as it used to be.”
“Does changing into your other persona give you a calcium boost?” I asked. Evil Grandma Bawu stood straight and walked just fine. “Maybe what they say about the mind affecting our health is true.” Even if Good Grandma Bawu was hunched, she was still taller than me.
Or was she?
There was something off I couldn’t quite pinpoint. I stepped closer to Bawu and compared our heights. We were about the same height. Our hooves were on the same level, and she wasn’t bent more than usual.
“Did I… Did I get taller?”
Megan was already prepared before I finished talking; she recognized what needed to be done. As the colorful flares faded, another source of light emerged. Megan’s wands radiated a purple aura. She drew magical symbols in the air.
Thorns came her way. She wasn’t finished casting her spell. But her life was much reduced by repeatedly summoning her [Spell Bonded Totem]—she might die!
Herald to the rescue!
I rushed to block the thorns with a Totem. I didn’t have time to summon a second one. The [Superior Replicant Totem] faded after stopping a thorn. Two other thorns continued and hit Megan. She survived. Barely.
The purple symbols floating in front of Megan formed a circle. She pointed her wands at the ring and fired a thin beam. A whirlwind of purple fire burst forth on the other side of the circle. It swirled around the tower of stacked Vinereavers, howling like a tornado.
“We’re going to win!” Megan squealed with excitement. “We’re going to—” She was gone.
The storm of purple flames dissolved, leaving dozens of tiny embers frolicking on the vines reminiscent of festive lights on a Christmas tree. The spell Megan used had a Burn effect, the same as many Mardukryon skills. The Burn wasn’t needed. The health bars of all five Vinereavers had hit zero.
“Yes! We won!” I continued Megan’s cheering. A glance at the quest details of Scraping for Samples III told me we had twenty seconds remaining. “We won—No!”
Where were the notifications? Nothing about the loot dropped by the diseased plants or the completed quests. Vines still wiggled in the air, dozens of eyes darted in their sockets, and frothing mouths gnashed their sharp teeth—the stubborn weeds were alive!
It looked like they had zero health points, but a minuscule amount remained, nearly invisible on their lengthy health bars. Megan didn’t manage to take out that one last bit. The Burn status kept the Vinereavers’ health from going back up—a delicate balance between DoT and regeneration. That was what fooled me.
White noise buzzed in my ear as I became hyper-focused. Everything slowed down. How long would the Burn last?
I had to act before it expired.
Time for the backup plan of the backup plan, which wasn’t really much of a plan but more of a desperate gamble as I had no more options.
As attacks came, I replenished my health with [Healing Touch]. Then I repeatedly whipped myself with my sling while avoiding the vines and lasers, switching back to a shield after capping [Ancestral Constitution] stacks. The many eyes of the Vinereavers focused on me, their last target. I protected myself with [Greater Pyro Shell] as I drank a bottle of [Morabodry]. I followed it up with [Penitent Fortune Healing], inflicting myself with [Penitent Misfortune]. With that, I had two stacks of protection from [Cleansing Flames]. A pity I couldn’t add more, but this would have to do.
It must do!
I noted where the lasers were going to hit, chose a safe spot, and then stopped moving. One… two…
Mon Aleh, the strongest of the weed brothers, brought a thorny vine down at me. I cast [Withering Brand] on the descending tendril. And three… The buff of [Band of Loamy Renewal] kicked in.
Think of a cool line, think of a cool line! I urged myself as I raised both my shields. The vine crashed on my protective barrier. “Eat my juicy ancestral ass!”
BOOM!
[ Loot: 8,823 Artas, (77) Toxic Goop, (2) Little Golden Eye, (6) Vinereaver Prickle, (5) Vine of Possession, (3) Obsidian Shard ]
[ Loot: 23,250 Artas, (148) Toxic Goop, (4) Little Golden Eye, (12) Vinereaver Prickle, (9) Vine of Possession, (8) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract ]
[ Loot: 24,100 Artas, (147) Toxic Goop, (5) Little Golden Eye, (11) Vinereaver Prickle, (10) Vine of Possession, (8) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract, Blighted Crown of Vinereaver’s Revenge{2} ]
[ Loot: 22,900 Artas, (151) Toxic Goop, (4) Little Golden Eye, (13) Vinereaver Prickle, (9) Vine of Possession, (7) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract ]
[ Loot: 23,370 Artas, (145) Toxic Goop, (6) Little Golden Eye, (12) Vinereaver Prickle, (11) Vine of Possession, (7) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract, Blighted Tendrils of Vinereaver’s Revenge ]
[ Quest Completed: Scraping for Samples III ]
[ Quest Completed: Clearing Operations III ]
[ Increased: Player Level to 20! ]
[ Increased: Molten Corium Level to 3 ]
“Herald Stone is victorious!” I raised my arms and performed a celebratory tap dance that’d make the crimson goat proud. I had plenty of practice while dealing with that blasted herbivore. My legs didn’t get entangled while beating a tune with my hooves pounding the ground. The blurry reddishness that obscured my vision gradually lessened as my regeneration pushed my health out of the danger zone. “Scientific proof that Stone beats plant!”
The Vinereavers shriveled after they died, green goo pouring out their eyes and mouths. Their bloated tendrils rapidly shrunk like vegetables sun-dried fast forward. Even the vines on the floors, walls, and ceiling dried up and crumbled. Chunks of petrified vines rained. The Vinereavers disintegrated, falling off the generator in the middle of the room, revealing a partially destroyed machine that sputtered electric sparks and smoke.
Goal #1—I will become the best tank, crush everyone, and remain standing after every battle.
And would you look at that? Who was left alive after the battle?
Yours truly, the Great Herald Stone.
Granted, I was the last standing, not due to my tankiness but because all my party mates sacrificed themselves for the win. Let’s ignore that minor technicality. There was no point sweating the details. Here I stand, hard and proud, and no one else was around here.
On a serious note, I was surprised I lived. Mon Aleh wasn’t a quest boss like the Mud Golem but an actual open-world boss—well, a mini-boss—integrated into this quest and massively buffed by the Blight. Nonetheless, I was pretty confident I could survive a single vine slap with my buffs up. And that attack would pop my [Greater Pyro Shell] to deal the final blow.
What I was worried about was the aftermath—would the blast from my popped shell trigger the Vinereaver’s retribution and reflect? That was the gambling part.
Seeing I was a scootch away from death after the fight, the answer was a big yes.
It would've been game over if I didn’t have a couple of stacks of the passive of [Cleansing Flame]. I didn’t get Burned while whipping myself with [Mehubanarath’s Old Sling] for another stack; that was probably asking for too much luck. I was already lucky to find a three-second window to stand still and activate [Band of Loamy Renewal] for more tankiness.
As the excitement died, I went through my notifications, starting with the last. This was the first time I had seen this many. I was usually irritated if a deluge of emails arrived simultaneously, but this was a welcome flood of messages.
Leveling [Molten Corium] didn’t matter much. The Greater and Lesser Skill Points from reaching level twenty were impactful. I wasn’t sure where to invest my GSP—[Ancestral Constitution] or [Cleansing Flames]? Next, I waved away the notifications for quest completion. Rereading them was reassuring that I didn’t mess anything up.
Then came the best part—the loot. Each of the Vinereavers separately dropped loots!
“Kezo was right,” I muttered, noting the massive amounts of [Toxic Goop].
The quests were indeed connected. We didn’t need to dawdle around the tunnels looking for goops because most could be found here. I had a little over five hundred extra [Toxic Goop]. And three leftover [Blighted Vinereaver Essence] too. Was this a result of doing this quest as a party?
One batch of drops had fewer items compared to the four others. That must be from Mon-Aleh. The lead Vinereaver had more than ten levels above mine and was thusly affected by the level gap penalty compared to the rest of its weed buddies around the level twenties. Mon-Aleh’s level might be fixed as a mini-boss, while the remaining Vinereavers adjusted to the quest holder’s level to guarantee drops. During the fight, I considered this possible problem and thought of telling Megan to leave the party so we wouldn’t divide the loot, but it wasn’t necessary because she died anyway.
Maybe there’s some good use for all these Vinereaver parts, I thought while scanning the loots. Mon Aleh’s gang dropped [Obsidian Shard] instead of [Statue Fragment], like Zoar Elab and Moa Manot. It must be their black coating instead of statue shells. Then my eyes fell on two items I had missed earlier.
What was this [Blighted Crown of Vinereaver’s Revenge {2}] and [Blighted Tendrils of Vinereaver’s Revenge]? Were these the same items Jensen was farming from Mon Aleh? Couldn’t be. They had ‘Blighted’ in their names. What if they were exclusive quest versions of an item?
I was about to open my inventory when popping noises made me stop. It was like a car engine backfiring.
I gazed up at the towering generator. Smoke coming out of it increased, filling the ceiling like thunderclouds. Angry tongues of electricity licked the walls and ceiling, turning the entire place into a disco ball.
“I’m too important to die like this!” I galloped to the door, boosting my speed with [Horde Stampede].
But the game had other things in mind.
Massive clumps of vines fell right in front of the exit, blocking my way. I reared up on my legs and stomped on the vines, bringing my body weight down to break them. Nothing happened. I was trapped. “What the hell? Is this a scripted death?”
The game answered me with an explosion.
I opened my eyes. It was dim and blurry, but I could see rocks and dirt next to my face. I was on the floor. I tried to stand up. I couldn’t. My body felt very heavy.
Was I still in the game? Did I fall off my bed while playing and hit my head?
I tried reaching out with my arm—charcoal-like skin with glowing ember veins. Still in the game. Casting [Cleansing Flames] to remove any negative status keeping me down didn’t work. Neither did [Healing Touch] have any effect.
What in blazing meatballs is going on? That was what I wanted to say, but I also couldn’t speak. It was like I was Petrified.
Approaching hooves, heavy plodding feet, and some raking sound. “My dear youngling!” a voice croaked. “I was right to come to find you.”
Bullshit cinematics, I thought before everything went black.
I woke up.
This time, I was in a room with many different-colored lights. A couple of Mandrake Borple were by my side. One held a small item that might be a medicine dropper. The other balanced a large bottle on its mushroom cap.
The bottle was familiar. If I weren’t mistaken, it was Bawu’s prized healing elixir.
I pushed myself up. The Mandrake Borples retreated.
The Carrion Golem was to my right, while the Chimera Borpillar was to my left. A very long table was in front of me carrying beakers, test tubes, cauldrons, and plenty of other alchemical paraphernalia, some I had seen at Arakmad’s shop. Several large glass containers filled with [Toxic Goop] were on the left end. Bawu was behind the table conducting experiments.
“You’re finally awake, dear youngling,” Mad Brewer Bawu said. She wiped her hands on her dirty robes and trotted around the table to get to me. Considering the table’s length and her labored shuffling, it took her several seconds to reach my side.
Dear youngling? Good Grandma Bawu? I made the deal about the locations of her test subjects with her evil persona. Would Good Grandma Bawu remember our agreement?
“Are you feeling well?” Bawu asked. “You were in sorry shape when I found you."
“As healthy as the day I was born,” I said. “I was a healthy baby, according to my mother. Anyway, I have cleared the source of the Blight and also collected the materials you needed.”
“Splendid news! I’m grateful for your aid, dear youngling. These old bones of mine are so creaky, like a loose floorboard, and my back isn’t as strong as it used to be.”
“Does changing into your other persona give you a calcium boost?” I asked. Evil Grandma Bawu stood straight and walked just fine. “Maybe what they say about the mind affecting our health is true.” Even if Good Grandma Bawu was hunched, she was still taller than me.
Or was she?
There was something off I couldn’t quite pinpoint. I stepped closer to Bawu and compared our heights. We were about the same height. Our hooves were on the same level, and she wasn’t bent more than usual.
“Did I… Did I get taller?”
