I may have gone a bit overboard...
It's been about 8 days since last time, and I currently have 16 extra artifacts to save my ass when in a pinch. Though They used SSS-rank magic stones, not MAX-rank. There aren't many artifacts of that level.
The people that get to that point so far are more adventurers, and want to explore the places yet to be mapped.
I'm currently a peak MAX-rank, going against a Z-rank is practically a death wish. But, if I have my many artifacts and an ingenius usage of skills, I'll be able to inspect their power.
I was going to do this solo, the weaklings of my clan would only get in the way. I gave them free reign to make a real base at the 2nd area, and grind to SSS-rank to MAX-rank.
Though others should probably just use traditional dungeons to get to SS-rank, maybe another Hidden territory for SSS-rank. This place wasn't really that sentient friendly.
I stood right before the reciever just before the clouds, and confidently walked upwards with my slightly upgraded items.
[Death negated by
Hmmm... Who/What did that?
I waited for a few moments, to see if it was enviornmental damage.
...
Nothing, so not envirornmental damage.
Was it the fact that I passed through the clouds?
I tested this theorum by walking back down,
Nothing.
Then I walked back up.
[Death negated by
Bingo!
Let's try it again to make extra sure...
[Death negated by
[Common stats increased by 60%]
Let's quickly write that down... 'After entering the 4th area of the 'Sky anchor', you will die/be dealt a certain amount of damage.'
Then write a note to self... 'Check if the 4th layer of clouds deals damage or kills you, and if there is something that's needed to evade a it.'
This was for latter, but first I dropped back down to the mortal plane, used the permanent portal, quickly took a few days to get a few herbs and other medicinal objects, quickly made a potion.
Then returned.
As before, the death automatically happened.
Then I drunk the potion I made.
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Skill restore_
Restores the
*Credited by the first creator; 'Break_that_spine'
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[Skill
Now, I'm at 100%, if you count my many, many artifacts; at least 624%.
I quickly started to use a few skills to counter the problems incurred by climbing steep cliff-faces, and after enjoying a hike with a few stealth skills, I found the real peak of this specific floating island's mountain, since we had already left the peak of the real mountain touching the ground below at the third quarter of the 1st area.
I gazed at the new floating islands all the while noticing how the further I went up, the mountain started to morph and contort into the 'Theme' or 'Style' of the new layer.
Though even till the peak, it had yet to completely warp.
I personally found this effect very interesting, and decided to, if I came back from the voyage alive, I would make an official clan office here.
And if didn't? I'd make it more than a mere clan office when I returned. Sadly, my clan-hall was already in stable state for 13 years. Meaning I was no longer allowed to move it beyond the region it is set within without reason, this was a law of the adventurer's guild to stop big clans, same with guilds, from throwing the center right on the most valuable and newly found to be supreme region among other places or regions.
Of course, I could completely disregard this now, but I currently want to keep at least a visage of 'Social-credit-filled citizen'.
Back to reality, at the peak there was a circular hole, as if the real peak had dissapeared.
Within this 5km across pit, in the middle, the lowest point of the circular hole, was a nest. Not a nest of grass, sticks, or whatever else a bird uses for it's nest.
It was created from a material I honestly did not know, which was exciting. Extremely exciting, because; If it had different characteristics, it may be possible to make more specific artifacts and such things.
I quickly started to prepare, while the beast within the mysterious nest started to slowly notice me.
The beast seemed to be more reptilian, with hints of avian-ism. It also had wings instead of front legs too, though, if it's bones were partially hollow was still up in the air.
It seemed to be more 'Darkness' and 'Terror' attuned, because of the darkness and terror mana that it was radiating.
To counteract these forces I needed 'Light' and 'Courage', though I didn't have 'Courage', since I'm not a leader who guides with words. I lead through example, so I use 'Grit', usually.
Though these (Courage, Terror, Grit) are a high level of combination, and not actually an element.
Though they are talked about by the community as if they were.
So I choose to get out my light element things.
First a few artifacts of light attacks, then I took out my light element sword 'Infinite rainbow'.
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Infinite rainbow;
Radiant rule; Allows the user to wield light as if their muse.
Radiant hegemony; Causes all chosen by the user, which are befallen with it's radiant light, to be surpessed and weaken.
luminescent execution; Imbues the element of 'Light' and it's superior version 'Sunlight' on the next attack, and increases damage and speed of the next attack by 3 times.
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Then I took out a few potions, all of which added on even more 'Light' damage.
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Consumable_Temporary_Single-Use_Light_Enhancement (Formula 6-2-7-3_Alpha^5);
After consumption, allows the next attack to gain an extra 813563 light damage.
*Credited by the first creator; 'DJ_Blue_Jay'
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Just so you know, I'm currently not showing everything on these screens of information, just to make it easier to read.
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Consumeable_Temporary_2-min_Light_Speed (Formual 62-34-BS-Theta^1);
After consumption, causes light to shine if the user goes faster than 34 m/s, also adding on 7756 light damage. It also increases speed by 173 units.
-duration: 2 mins
*Credited by the first creator; 'Void_Beast'
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I'm just going to skip the next 4, since I believe you understand what they all do.
Next, I took out a solution, and poured it over the blade, and it suddenly flashed with light.
Hmm... Was that all? Potions, check. Highest-class blessing, check. SSS-rank artifacts, check. Max-rank artifact... Check. Alchemical enhancement, check.
That's everything I can use to prepare, anything else has a good chance of being detrimental.
I breathed slowly and calmly, following a few patterns at the same time.
[Skill
[Skill
[Skill
...
[Skill
I steeled myself, and ran with all my might and skills.
The strange lizard/bird/wyvern thing noticed me the moment, and stood up, showing it's unbelieveable size.
Being more than 71m long, the being roared towards me while lowering it's head and pointing it at me.
['???' activates
[All stats of those confined by mortality lower by 10%-50%]
[Stats decrease by 16% temporarily]
Shit.
The weirdo wyvern suddenly raised itself into proper wyvern form, it's presence overwhelming.
['???' activates
[Death comes for all.]
The world started to deteriorate, fragments of reality started to 'flake-off'.
Before it did anything else, I needed to at least attack it once. And what the hell is with that quote in the Battle record?! Even I can't do that! And I did my best to break the system, and I'm not a monster!
[Skill
Reality rippled like a still pond from where I dissapeared, and the same phenominon happened when I appeared behind the beast less that 0.01 seconds later.
I quickly activated the artifacts on my person.
Light shone as if there were a second sun, and many skills fused into two.
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Boundless will (Partial);
Increases all stats by 400% for 5 seconds.
'Will overturns reality' -'???'
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Dying sun (Partial);
The next attack will contain 10% 'Sunlight added ontop of the original damage. The next attack will deal an additional 71874 'Sunlight' damage. The next attack will deal an additional 41634 'True damage'.
'Die like the sun, die with endless glory' -'???'
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Infinite rainbow, with all my extra speed and stats was not avoided by the being. And as such, it activated all the prepitory, one attack long buffs.
With all this preperation, all that happened was the slightest scratch on it's reptilian/wyvern-like neck.
At this moment, I knew I... Very much fucked up.
['???' activates
Suddenly, I felt the void become like a totally silent sea, and when I tried to enter it to escape, I felt unprecident resistence.
At that moment, I realized, I had courted death, and failed in the process.
['???' activates
Again, suddenly, the world turned black, and I could only see the wyvern thing and me.
I steeled myself and used the only artifact with a MAX-rank magic stone.
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Divine eye of truth (Prototype);
Allows the user to see through anything*1
'break the illusion of reality.' -'Urial'
-Single use
*1; Maybe
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Suddenly the pure black cracked and splitted, and showed what was actually real again.
['???' activates
Yea, that must be those chains binding me from the. Though they were actually pretty weak for the wyvern/bird's level, must be because I'm not scared.
I'm feeling 'Dread' not 'Terror', big difference.
Since it's not strong right now, let's get rid of it.
[Skill
[Skill
The two had a synergy, and the chains easily broke.
Before the thing again did it's magic, I took out the sixteen artifacts that I made for this little trip.
And I just dropped them to the ground, they'd do their thing, just need to stop '???' from messing with it.
It's blueprint released for testing during a little break while I went outside the mountain, so I am almost certain combat use is not reccomended, or an intellegent decision.
Though, just to increase the chance, I took out the only other artifact with a MAX-rank magic stone. This one having been slightly tested, and with many, many SSS-rank magic stones.
A pocket watch, to be specific
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Chronos' pocket watch;
Allows the user to speed-up the flow of time within a 2x2x2m cube.
'Even the greatest gods fall with time' -'Urial'
Single use.
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Of course, I used it on the space the artifacts would take place within.
Now,
['???' activates 'Rift claw']
I used 27 'SSS-rank magic stone' using artifacts to defend against the sudden claw that appeared from a 'Rift', or a tear in the fabric of reality.
This was so unfair.
-Written in the 24th of january, 2023