NOVEL WEB Chapter 9: Tutorial Ⅳ
Tom turned and bolted towards the staircase as he launched a light bullet at the Draugr mage. The spell impacted easily enough but didn't stop the draugr from launching its own ice bolt back at him.
Tom ducked under the flying icicle as it shattered against the wall behind him.
<[Lumenmancy] has Reached level 4>
“Not helpful,” Tom muttered as he leaped up the stairs two at a time. Weaving his hands together, he created a crude glyph trap halfway up the stairs. It was actually just an oversized fire-starting glyph that he purposely drew wrong, turning it into a bomb.
<[The Pen is Mightier than the Sword] has Reached level 6>
<[Words of Power] has Reached level 7>
<[Wordsmith] has Reached Level 7>
<[Knowledge] has Reached level 7>
<[Gift of Tongues] has Reached level 6>
<[My Mind is a Temple] has Reached level 6>
When Tom reached the landing at the top of the stairs, he froze in dread. There was a door at the end of the second floor and three tombstones, one on each side and one in front of the door. And the moment he stepped onto the second floor, the tops of all three coffins burst off, and three more draugrs walked out.
"Fuck" Tom swore, then he screamed as an ice bolt hit him in the back.
Tom whirled around to see the undead mage preparing another shot. He ducked to the side. Pulling up his menu, he quickly selected two new light magic spells.
DING!!!
Congratulations! You have learned the Light Magic spell [Mana Bomb (Light)].
The Light Bomb spell emanates pure luminosity, forming a radiant sphere that swiftly travels before unleashing a blinding burst of light, illuminating everything in its path.
Damage: 10 - 100
Mana costs: 100 MP
Range: 10 meters
DING!!!
Congratulations! You have learned the Light Magic spell [Lesser Light Shield].
You create a small barrier made out of light capable of deflecting a single attack.
Mana costs: 50 Mana
Tom didn't even have time to enjoy his new magic as the draugr behind him closed in with massive great swords raised. Leaping off the staircase and out into the open air, Tom created a light shield that was a stepping stone in mid-air. Using it as a makeshift platform, he stepped onto and off the shield and landed on the chandelier.
He was almost safe now—he just needed to kill the only ranged mob in the room. His thoughts were cut off as he had to jerk his head to the right to avoid an icicle from slamming into his eye.
"Just die, asshole," Tom cursed as he conjured his light bomb and tossed it at the mage.
The mage didn't stand a chance. As the spell impacted its body, it exploded, blasting the room with light and causing the chandelier to sway dangerously.
<[Lumenmancy] has Reached level 5>
<[Light Magic] has Reached level 8>
<[Light Magic] has Reached level 9>
<[Light Magic] has Reached level 10>
Tom ignored the notifications and lobbed two more Light Bombs down on the undead. The first or second, depending on how you counted, killed the two basic draugr that had been with the mage. The second group of draugr tanked the Light Bomb.
Their blue eyes glared at him with rage as they leaped off the stairs, hoping to slash him on the way down. They missed. Tom found their attempts funny, as they tried to reach him with their weapons but utterly failed.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll get to you in a minute," Tom muttered
He took a moment to heal his injuries, burning the last of his mana to heal the frost mage's second attack. All while the undead below waved their weapons around like a bunch of role-players at a bar.
<[Biomancy] Level Increased to Level 3>
He took a moment to examine them with [Identify].
DING!!!
Draugr Warrior * 2
Level 7
HP: 150 / 250 / Stamina: 490 / Mana: 80
A specialized undead whose body has been preserved by the cold. This undead creature is both a zombie and a ghost. Utilizing intelligence beyond that of the common undead, it has retained some of its ability to fight.
DING!!!
Draugr Viking
Level 9
HP: 400 / 500 / Stamina: 960 / Mana: 120
A specialized undead whose body has been preserved by the cold. This undead creature is both a zombie and a ghost. Utilizing an intelligence beyond that of the common undead, it has retained its abilities to fight and sail.
"You have got to be shitting me," Tom murmured as he looked at his enemies. "I take it back. The devs are definitely trying to get me to quit."
Pulling up his menu, he assigned his two levels to new classes.
DING!!!
You are now a level 1 Life Mage
+2 CON +4 PER +8 INT +7 WILL +1 SPIRIT +5 CHA
Please select a Life Mage Skill
<[System Wiki] has Reached level 12>
DING!!!
Congratulations! You have gained the Skill [Life Magic] - Inferior
Life is eternal. It permeates every corner of the galaxy, every world, and every energy source. You are learning the intricate dance of life.
+0.5% to the effectiveness of your Life Magic per level. Due to picking a magic skill before level 10 you can select four spells of level 0-9 or below.
< Select your Spells >
<[System Wiki] has Reached level 13>
DING!!!
You are now a level 1 White Mage
+2 CON +4 PER +8 INT +7 WILL +1 SPIRIT +5 CHA
Please select a White Mage Skill
<[System Wiki] has Reached level 14>
DING!!!
Congratulations! You have gained the Skill [Meditation] - Uncommon
White Mage - [Mediation]: Whether you are truly meditating or just sleeping, this skill is perhaps the most important one you can gain. When meditating or sleeping, all regeneration is increased by an additional 2% per level. Allows the player to enter their soul space.
<[System Wiki] has Reached level 15>
"Alright then," Tom muttered as the undead tried to get at him from below. "I just need to wait for my mana to recharge, and then I can kill these assholes."
Crunch
Tom felt his stomach and his body drop an inch. He looked up to see the chandelier chain slowly pulling itself out of the ceiling.
"Crap," Tom said.
Pulling out his mana potion out of his storage, he drank it back like a shot of vodka. As his mana returned, he began to swing the chandelier back and forth.
"Come on," he muttered.
There was a high-pitched squeak as the metal continued to sheer above him. As his swing hit its apex, he leapt from the chandelier towards the staircase. The chandelier fell to the ground, slamming into the ground with a bang.
Rushing for the stairs, Tom swerved around the glyph trap he never got to use. The undead raced behind him, clearly faster than the first group. Reaching the stairs' top, he started drawing another glyph trap.
He was really starting to wonder if he should have put points into dexterity as he quickly constructed the trap. And not a moment too soon as the draugr touched his first glyph trap. Tom lept backwards as fire engulfed the draugr.
"Fuk fuck fuck" Tom muttered as the undead emerged from the flames damaged but functional.
Lobbing his last light ball into their midst, the ball exploded on impact.
<[Lumenmancy] has Reached level 6>
<[Lumenmancy] has Reached level 7>
"Of course, I didn't kill them all," Tom muttered. "That would be too easy."
The Draugr Viking charged up the stairs and right into his second trap. This one charged the draugr's body. Its bones were showing in places, and its once-white skin was nearly black now.
"What does it take to kill this thing?!" Tom swore.
The Viking draugr charged at him, it's great ax raised to strike him down. Tom fired off a light bolt into its face as he ran around the center coffin of the second floor, and the draugr chased him.
Tom quickly realized he was running out of stamina. If he didn't finish this fight before that bottomed out, he would be very dead. Turning, he launched himself off the first floor, tumbling towards the ground. The draugr chased after him as Tom scrambled desperately on the ground, picking up one of the steel swords the draugr had held. Picking it up, he held it with trembling hands as the undead charged at him, bringing its ax down in a fatal arc. Only to bounce off of a pane of pure light that shattered the moment after it had blocked the attack.
"Lesser Light Shield, Bitch" Tom shouted as he launched himself forwards, the tip of his sword punching through the draugr's chest where its heart had once been.
<[Lumenmancy] has Reached level 8>
<[Lumenmancy] has Reached level 9>
<[Lumenmancy] has Reached level 10>
<[The Pen is Mightier than the Sword] has Reached level 7>
<[Words of Power] has Reached level 8>
<[Wordsmith] has Reached Level 8>
<[Knowledge] has Reached level 8>
<[My Mind is a Temple] has Reached level 7>
<[Party Leader] has Reached level 4>
"Oh, thank the gods." Tom breathed out a sigh of relief before toppling over. His stamina was nearly gone, his mana was gone, and his health was fine somehow.
"I hate being the god's damned healer!!" he shouted to no one in particular.
As happy as he was with his gains from that fight, that was too fucking close for his liking. If that last attack hadn't killed the draugr, he would be going for respawn right now.
For a good thirty minutes, he just sat there recovering his resources as he looked through his status.
[Light Magic] and [Lumenmancy] were both at level 10, giving him a 15% boost to all of his light magic. And that number was destined to grow even larger. His Bloodline skills were coming along nicely. He was getting faster with his glyphs. Once he switched to paper and ink, he would be a true terror to behold. When he was done reviewing his status and nodded at the results, he assigned his new levels.
DING!!!
You are now a level 1 Pathfinder
+2 CON +4 PER +8 INT +7 WILL +1 SPIRIT +5 CHA
Please select a Pathfinder Skill
DING!!!
Congratulations! You have gained the Skill: [Far Sight] - Common
Extend one's vision beyond the horizon. Distant details become vivid and clear, bringing the world closer as if it were within arm's reach.
Just one more level, and he would have the Augur class. That would last him until he reached level 30, at which point he would have to consider his second class. But that was a problem for future Tom.
He decided to leave the new spells for future Tom as well. Free spells of any level were rare. For most players, 99% of all of their spells would come from spellbooks. For a full-on pro-wizard like Alex, they memorized most of their low-level spells, so when they started a new character, they would come out with a full arsenal.
Standing up, he collected the draugr's weapons and all of the food before getting up and moving to the door. The Mage actually had a spell book for a simple frostbite spell. He stashed it away so he could give it to Alex later. While the book might be useful for him, it wasn't very useful right now. Also, there was Alex to consider. If she didn't already have the spell, he would give the book to her, or else he would use it for himself.
The Viking, on the other hand, wore a helmet and even had some gold on his person. Once he had looted the easy stuff, he rolled up his sleeves and prepared for the gross.
"This is going to be so gross," Tom muttered as he gripped the iron knife and moved over the draugrs head.
Tom brought his new iron sword down on the draugr’s neck, severing its head—just in case. He picked up the head and set it on the now-empty table, bracing himself for the task ahead. Positioning the tip of his iron knife at the tear duct, he carefully pushed it in, trying not to puncture the eye. His stomach churned as he fought back nausea. Gagging, Tom wiggled the blade between the eyeball and its socket, then twisted it, popping the eye out with a sickening sound.
“Okay, I take it back. This is way too realistic,” Tom gagged, turning away just in time to vomit.
“I hate this so much,” he spat the last of the taste from his mouth before grabbing a bottle of wine. He took a swig, swished it around, and spat it on the ground. “At least it actually tastes like wine,” he muttered, wiping his mouth.
Part of him wanted to quit then and there, but he knew draugr eyeballs were valuable alchemical ingredients, and he needed them. He managed to collect eleven of them; the twelfth exploded, prompting him to retch even more. Maybe he should pick up a looting skill to help with this… but that felt like such a waste of limited skills.
You may skip to the next Chapter!
Name: Tom Bruner
Race: Half-Elf ()
Type: Humanoid
LVL: 8
SubRace: High Elf / Caucasian
Age 18
Health: 160
Stamina: 160
Mana: 1280
Health Regen: 2.4 per hour
Stamina Regen: 2.4 per min
Mana Regen: 5.6 per min
Immune
None
Resistances
Mental 7%
Weakness
None
Bane
Manslayer
Classes: Light Mage 1, Lumanancer 1, Seerer 1, Diviner 1, Biomancer 1, Life Mage 1, White Mage 1, Pathfinder 1
Total
STR: 0
AGIL: 0
DEX: 0
CON: 16
END: 0
PER: 32
INT: 64
WILL: 56
SPIRIT: 8
EGO: 0
CHA: 40
LCK: 0
Base
STR: 0
AGIL: 0
DEX: 0
CON: 16
END: 0
PER: 32
INT: 64
WILL: 56
SPIRIT: 8
EGO: 0
CHA: 40
LCK: 0
Personal: +4 PER +4 WILL +3 INT +3 CHA
Racial: +3 WILL +2 CON +2 CHA +1 SPIRIT
Bloodline: +5 INT
Bloodline:
[Bloodline of Inkheart] - Ancient: Your blood has turned into ink as the sum total of written wisdom has coalesced within your veins.
- [The Pen is Mightier than the Sword] - Level 5 >> Level 7
- [Words of Power] - Level 6 >> Level 8
- [Knowledge] - Level 6 >> Level 8
- [Gift of Tounges] - Level 5 >> Level 6
- [Wordsmith] - Level 6 >> Level 8
- [My Mind is My Temple] - Level 5 >> Level 7
- +5 INT per Level
Skill Slots: 14/60: Skill Points: 0
Personal Skills
- [Party Leader] - Level 3 >> Level 4
- [Analyze Person] - Level 1
- [Best of Both Worlds] - Level 5
- [Storage] - Level 12
- [Mapping] - Level 2
- [System Wiki] - Level 10 >> Level 15
Light Mage 01/11
- [Light Magic] - Level 7 >> Level 10
Lumenmancer 01/6
- [Lumenmancy] - Level 4 >> Level 10
Seerer 01/6
- [Pierce the Veil] - Level 11
Diviner 01/6
- [Identify] - Level 10
Biomancer 01/6
- [Biomancy] - Level 2 >> Level 3
Life Mage 01/11
- [Life Magic] - Level 1
White Mage 01/11
- [Meditation] - Level 1
Pathfinder 01/11
- [Far Sight] - Level 1