As Garnet's shrill scream echoes through the underground facility, a swarm of "Ghost" enemies rush into the room. Unlike in the game, where there were only two, Alex is horrified to see ten of them charging at their small group of four. These ghosts not only cast fire and thunder spells, but they also use the osmose ability to drain MP from their enemies.
"Oh shit! I need to do it now, they're all grouped together!" Alex immediately reacts, pulling out not one, not two, but three Annihilation grenades. He throws them into the swarm, using up half of his prepared grenades in one go. Stealth is no longer an option, and with no villagers nearby, it's time for an all-out attack.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
The ground shakes from the blasts, and Alex feels the sting of shrapnel hitting his armor, though it causes no damage thanks to the distance away from the impact and the strength of his Armor of Pluto. The explosions cause a whirlwind of damage notifications to appear in front of him, but Alex ignores them, focused on the battle at hand.
Despite the heavy assault, five of the Ghosts survive the blasts, having been quick enough to evade the full force of the explosion. They immediately retaliate, launching fire and thunder spells at the group, with Alex taking the brunt of the attack since he placed himself at the front.
You have taken 14 damage
You have taken 11 damage
You have taken 5 damage
You have lost 23 MP
You have lost 16 MP
"Use your White Magic on them! They're undead!" Alex yells at Garnet, gritting his teeth as his MP is drained. He raises his shield, blocking incoming strikes while using his sword to keep the ghosts at bay. Zidane leaps into the fray, spinning and slashing with his daggers, his movements quick and agile as he cuts through the flying enemies.
Vivi, seeing the chaos, unleashes a massive "Fire" spell, pushing the Ghosts back with the blast of flames.
Garnet begins charging a "Cure" spell, knowing that her healing magic will harm the undead enemies. Meanwhile, Alex and Zidane work together to take down one of the Ghosts, with Alex slamming his shield into the creature, forcing it to stumble back into Zidane's waiting daggers. The sharp blades slice through the ghost, killing it.
Garnet's spell finally goes off, bathing the room in a soft, healing light that deals devastating damage to the remaining Ghosts. All but one are obliterated by the power of the spell. The last surviving Ghost tries to flee, retreating towards the now open door.
Without missing a beat, Alex calmly draws his trusty [Mr. 5's .44 Caliber 6-Shot Revolver] and, with precise aim, fires a single shot.
You have dealt 27 damage to Ghost
You have killed Ghost
You receive 140 gil
The ghost disintegrates into mist, its presence vanishing as the room finally falls silent.
He gets a total of 840 gil from killing six Ghosts, which makes his OCD jump with joy as his gil count returns to a cool 1000.
The group hears footsteps and screams behind them. Alex quickly comes up with an idea: "Inside the gate! The villagers won't follow us, they most likely fear the monsters!"
The group enters the area behind the door Zidane had just opened, next to the production area with the conveyor belt.
As they step inside, they are greeted by a thick cloud of mist, seeping down from the surface like rolling waves. The mist is drawn into a giant machine, which connects to the one spitting out eggs in the previous room. It seems the two machines are part of the same process, linked through the walls.
"Born from mist… no wonder their lives are as fleeting as the mist itself," Alex thinks, finding it all deeply ironic. They are turning the mist into partially sentient creatures, some of which behave almost like real humans. His eyes rest on Vivi, who still hasn't fully grasped what is about to be revealed. "Poor guy," Alex muses.
He checks his status screen, glancing at his current HP and MP:
Alex Kerber: Lvl 1
HP: 100/130, MP: 68/110
He took 30 damage in the fight, and his MP was drained by the Ghosts. He also used 1 MP per grenade activation.
"Not worth using an item just yet. Ether is most effective in the heat of battle," he decides, before calling out, "Dagger… I could use some healing!"
Garnet immediately casts a healing spell, giving Alex a thankful smile for protecting her and the others from the ghosts.
Alex goes through his usual routine of checking the area for hidden items, but to his disappointment, he finds nothing. Unlike in the game, it seems the secret treasures have been removed, or perhaps hidden even more effectively.
"Let's get out of here before more monsters show up. The villagers are hopefully gone by now, and if not, we'll figure something out," Zidane says.
Alex stops suddenly. "There's one more thing that I think needs to be done," he mutters to the group which looks at him with confused looks.
He considers conjuring a fresh Annihilation grenade but quickly decides to take out the "oldest" one from his inventory instead. "Gotta be smart and manage my grenades logically," he reminds himself. Holding the grenade in his hand, he activates the fuse and tosses it directly into the weird, evil-looking machine that's sucking up the mist.
Seconds later, the explosion rips through the machine, leaving it in complete ruin, probably beyond any hope of repair.
Alex smiles, satisfied with the destruction, and is about to turn back to the group when something catches his eye. A glimmer of light from inside the wrecked machine. Curious, he moves closer and discovers:
[Mist Synthesizing Crystal]
World: Final Fantasy 9
Quality: Deep Green
Type: Magic Crystal
Effect: Permanently increases MNA by 1 point but lowers INT by 1 point.
Cannot be traded or taken out of this world. Using this item will cause it to disappear.
Note: Matter over mind! Give in!
Unable to pick it up due to his full inventory, Alex quickly discards his lowest value item: [Freshly Baked Pumpkin Bread] x2.
[Warning: Player has dropped an item. Please be aware that the dropped item will disappear if not picked up within 60 seconds.]
Relieved, Alex snatches up the crystal and wastes no time using it. "Worst case, I break even with 1 stat point gained and 1 stat point lost… but maybe…" he trails off in thought.
You have gained 1 MNA.
You have lost 1 INT.
ERROR: Current stats not aligned with Statistical OCD lvl MAX.
You have lost 1 MNA.
You have gained 1 INT.
You have received 1 Stat Point.
"BROKEN! THIS SKILL IS BROKEN!" Alex laughs loudly, overwhelmed by his unbelievable luck. His laughter confuses the rest of the group, who stare at him, unsure what to make of his sudden outburst. He quickly remembers the discarded bread and rushes to pick it up before it vanishes.
Feeling oddly celebratory after his newfound exploit and wanting to savor the moment, Alex decides to eat one of the pumpkin breads, leaving him with just one portion.
[Freshly Baked Pumpkin Bread]
World: Final Fantasy 9
Quality: Gray
Effect: Heals 5HP and increases natural HP regeneration by 10% for 2 hours
Note: Dirt cheap, rock hard but very nourishing.
Price: 100Gil (Limited to 3 per player inventory)
"Damn, this is delicious! A bit of extra HP regen can't hurt before the next fight," Alex justifies, feeling pleased with his decision.
As the group heads back out, they make sure to securely fasten the door behind them, effectively sealing it and buying some time before any more monsters can break through.
Alex pulls up the exact description of his innate skill Statistical OCD lvl MAX, filtering through the relevant part. "There it is!" he exclaims, his eyes narrowing as he reads.
Stat Distribution Limitation: The player cannot freely distribute stat points. They must use 4 stat points to raise all stats by 1 evenly.
Stat Conversion: Stats gained through special items (e.g., potions, artifacts) are automatically converted into regular stat points, which must also be distributed evenly.
"No way, this is a clear exploit but also an oversight by the Realm… or maybe they're aware of this interaction and still consider it a bane! It's written right there, plain as day. 'Stats gained through special items are automatically converted into regular stat points'! But there's no mention of stats lost through special items. The same weird loophole that happened after my awakening is happening again. My innate skill really embodies my greed and obsession with perfection in character creation. I'm so lucky!"
He realizes what this means, and his excitement grows. "I need to keep an eye out for items that raise stats but come with heavy downsides. It seems I can just ignore any permanent stat decrease, thanks to this skill! Although, it only seems to work on permanent changes, so I better not get too reckless. It doesn't matter if I lose 10 stats, as long as the item brings me a single increase, it's a net positive for me. I just need to find those rare items! This item was only deep green but has the same value for me as the blue items I used before to increase my stats"
They continue their investigation of the Dali underground, moving quickly toward a new area where the eggs are hatched. Alex strides ahead with a renewed, almost euphoric energy, feeling like he can take on the entire world. "I'm going to be invincible! Guilds? Who needs them? I'm a one-man army! I'm superior!" he thinks, a bit drunk on his newfound potential. As they move forward, he pulls up his status screen, eager to see that he's just one stat point away from raising all his stats by 1 again.
His confidence soars. He envisions a future where his stats are perfectly balanced, where every stat increase brings him closer to perfection, and nothing can stand in his way.
Alex Kerber: Lvl 1
HP: 130/130, MP: 70/110
STR: 7 (+1), AGI: 7 (+1), PHY: 7, SNS: 7 (+1), CHA: 7 (+5), MNA: 7, INT: 7 SPR: 7 (+5), LUK: 7
Available Stat Points: 3
Innate Skills: Genius Conjurer lvl 1, Statistical OCD lvl MAX
Free Skill Slots: 0/2, Free Basic Skill Slots: 0/8
Basic skills: Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Footwork lvl 1, Basic Endurance lvl 1, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 1, Basic Eloquence lvl 1, Basic Concentration lvl 1, Basic Meditation lvl 1, Basic Mana Control lvl 1
Passive Skills: Pistol Proficiency lvl 1, Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 0
Active Skills: Annihilation Grenade lvl 1, Sealions Icewing Embrace lvl 0
Fantasy Coins: 3500 Soul Crystals: Small x2 Gil: 1000
Current Weapons: Mr. 5's Revolver (Downgraded) (Deep Blue), Sword of Pluto (Deep Blue) Barbed Dagger (Light Green)
Current Equipment: Commander Shepard's Dog Tag (Deep Blue), Sealion's Might (Deep Blue), Shield of Pluto (Deep Blue), Armor of Pluto (Blue), Visor of Pluto (Blue), Cuisses of Pluto (Blue), Gauntlets of Pluto (Blue), Sabatons of Pluto (Blue)
Miscellaneous Items: Navalia Wolf Jerky x4 (Gray), Healing Potion x1 (White), Potion x4 (White), Ether (Light Green) Antidote x3 (White), Eye Drops x2 (White), Freshly baked Pumpkin bread (Gray), Various cards x10 (Mix) Jack's Spare Silvery Mask (Light Green) Navalia Fur Armor (White), Navalia Fur Boots (White), Navalia Fur Gauntlets (White) Solid Marine Saber (Light Green), Plant Essence x3 (Green), Frost Essence (Green), Steepled Hat (Green), Dagger (White), Rod (Light Green), Mage Staff (Light Green), Silk Shirt (Light Green), Wrist x2 (White), Iron Sword (Light Green)