NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52: Segue
6 Hours, 35 Minutes Until Reset
It takes a while for the fires to burn down the whole 14th floor library. We just wait it out and a few of us get naps in. Jose brings out his crate full of coffee and we get caffeinated.
I'm not sure how many monsters died in the fire, but I'm alright with an easy victory once in a while. The roughly two hours end up being extremely profitable for Quins, who gains 6 levels and I, who gains 3 levels. I slot one level into Scoundrel/Archmage to reach level 10 in Scoundrel, and the other two levels go into Phantom. I still think trying for the Doppelganger 5th step class is my best bet.
For my levels I get stat points aplenty and two interesting abilities.
Vision Cones
You see enemy vision cones as part of your radar. Requires Basic Radar.
Passive
Proficiency: 0%
Masked Dash
While in a costume or other alternate persona, your Agility is increased by 10%
Passive
Proficiency: 0%
While Masked Dash won't help me now, an extra 10% Agility when you're at 100 Agility is a pretty nice bump. The other two are immediately useful. I'm not a particularly sneaky person, but having vision cones on my radar can help me know who's being targeted by who, and help defend and control the battle.
I've come to realize that while I can function as a damage dealer, in most situations my allies can handle that. What I can do with defense, setting up shields and parrying attacks, is utterly unique and can keep my comrades alive. I can still attack thanks to my sub-minds and telekinesis, but I don't need to focus on it so much.
We finally enter the smoldering ruins of the floor 14 library and A) it stinks and B) there's a LOT of coins and items around. There must have been dozens and dozens of the big handed monsters in here. We check corners and use night vision to make sure there's none left but I'm pretty sure the fire took care of-
A hand made of hands bursts out of the burned rubble and lunges at Mercy.
All Hands. Tier 4. It's a giant hand. Instead of fingers it has long arms that end in giant hands. I'm not sure what more of a description you really need. Oh, it's weak to ice if that helps.
Possible Loot: Rings
Another foe I can use ice magic on- aaaaand it's dead. Mercy just stabbed it with a laser spear and chucked it away.
A dozen more All Hands burst from the rubble, and I can hear more emerging in the distance.
“Looks like we didn't have all the fun, eh?” Quins asks me.
“Horde protocol, V spread,” I say and I hear my team get into position behind me. I pull nine wakizashis up into the air, and turn the three under righty sub-mind's control into holo shields, then try and succeed at using Ice Armor to turn them into large shields of ice. I post them in front of us for now and prepare for the attack.
Five of the All Hands rush ahead. They move by dragging themselves forward, the palm of the hand being pulled along. They're much faster than I expect, booking it towards us in no time flat. They're on us as Jose and Quins each take one out with heavy attacks, and Mercy stabs into one. I fire Freezing Beams at two hands, the thin beams of cold freezing joints which crack under fire from Alicia's twin handguns.
A second wave of 10 All Hands hits us just as we finish off the first five. Quins and Jose take out targets but we're about to get overrun. The charging hands push past their shocked and exploded allies and are within 15 feet when I send a blade to the right and cast White Dragon Breath through it. A spiraling cone of white snow and sparkling ice shoots from my blade, instantly freezing the closest two hands. The others come to a halt but I just sweep the cone across their ranks and freeze four more hands. My allies are quick to capitalize and shatter them with a few well placed bullets.
The remaining four hands resume their charge as my ice breath attack fades buuuut I just cast White Dragon Breath from a different blade and we wipe out the remaining hands.
“Well, that was easy,” Mercy says while flipping her spear around.
“Nah,” Jose says, “Jun is just too strong.”
“It was a team effort,” I say.
As he plucks a few arrows from a hand Quins says, “nah, sir, he's right as rain. You just froze the shite out of the monstas and even had shields up fer backup. You're bleeding strong.”
I just shrug. I'm a Ranger. Or I was. We were supposed to be strong. I flash back to putting Nat on the ground and threatening her. A moment where I used my strength the wrong way. “Being strong isn't everything,” I say. What I don't say is that even if you're strong you still have to not be a dick.
We comb through wreckage and enemy corpses to find a lot of coins and various rings.
All Hands Index Finger Ring. When you put it on you get to choose which stat it gives a +5 to.
All Hands Middle Finger Ring. Gives +5 to whatever stat would help you the least.
All Hands Ring Finger Ring. Gives +1 to all stats.
All Hands Pinky Finger Ring. Gives +10 to your lowest stat. If multiple stats are your lowest, the bonus is split between them.
Most of us walk away with three or four rings, though I don't take any of them, letting my allies take the stat ups. I feel like I'm already ahead of them too much.
I don't know why it makes me uneasy to be strong. Maybe because I don't feel like I've done anything with this strength yet. Sure, I've fought monsters, but the people we've saved have been a group effort. Anyone could have done that… Right?
We get to the final exit of the dungeon, the stairs down to the 15th floor. The stairs are a bannistered wooden staircase in the exact middle of the floor, though the top parts of it are a tad scorched. The walls are lit with gas lamps, giving the passage a dim, yellow tint. I go down first.
These stairs aren't nearly as long as some previous floor connections. Just a couple of stories’ worth of stairs and I come to two wide wooden doors. There are iron knockers on the doors, like there would be on the outside of a manor.
“What knockers,” Quins says right in my ear.
I wave him away and try the door handle. Locked. “Wait, locked?” I ask the door. The door doesn't explain itself.
Alicia brushes me aside and crouches at the door, peering through the keyhole. “Just a two pin lock. I'm guessing there's a key in the room above, hidden in the books. But screw that.” She uses a technique and the lock glows gold for a second and we hear a click.
“Jill is the master of unlocking,” Jose says right in my ear.
I lightly slap both him and Quins away as the door creaks open. And then we hear just about the last thing I expected. Arabic. I speak just a smidge and can make out a little.
“Come… friend… Enter.”
-----
Conversation Log 0061
Spear Saint: Are our custom classes done? Will we get them right away?
Saturn's 2nd Ring: The five 5th step classes we selected should be given to us by the system via the secret qualifications. You can use a 5th class to quickly unlock your custom 6th step classes.
Hyperion: And we're the only ones who can get 5th steps on day one?
Saturn's 2nd Ring: Well, to make it happen at all I had to open it up to anyone. But each 5th step class will only be given once, and only ours will be given out. You have to ask the system specifically to even access these classes.
Fortuna: What did everyone decide on for their 5th step classes? I chose Shadow.
Spear Saint: Highlander.
Skull Master Flash: Technomancer.
Hyperion: Commander.
Saturn's 2nd Ring: Synergist.