Chapter 30
Dane was still being hunted inside the cursed cave; the darkness that surrounded him seemed never-ending. As the goblins came out from all directions, the muzzle of his gun never stopped firing, but the creatures were not resorting to long-range attacks; these creatures were now using toxic blow darts. Even with his military equipment, it was hard to run and defend in the darkness, as he never expected that the cave rock formations were now different from what he recalled in his memory; nothing was permanent, as the landscape was now constantly changing because of the influence of the creatures living in the area.
The cursed forest wasn't that large compared to other forests, but the history of the forest wasn't natural, so Dane couldn't rely on the information he had in his past life when he was designing the virtual game where the other gods copied this tower from.
He entered the virtual game as a developer and desgner , he made sure the gave was so real the players cant distinguish between reality and the game. As he explored the cursed forest now after returning to life after a year of hibernation, he realized that the creatures living there had a significant impact on the landscape itself, making it a challenging and unpredictable setting for players to navigate.
Luckily, he can instantly equip and unequip his items. Miko was still there to assist him, but being part of the system tends to be a double-edged sword. Dane was running blind as the night vision goggles was now hard to use as he stumbled and hit many random bstacles laif out by the goblins
He still needs to run and reach the border of their goblin territory. The darts that the goblins were shooting weren't poisonous, but he was getting increasingly fatigued from the constant dodging and weaving. Despite the challenges, Dane knew he had to push through and make it to safety before it was too late. A few darts were able to penetrate his clothing and numbness was starting to set in, making it even more difficult to navigate through the darkness and obstacles in his path. Dane's heart raced as he realized that time was running out and he needed to find a way out of the goblin territory quickly.
He took out a tear gas canister and sprayed it in the direction of the goblins, creating a temporary distraction. With a burst of adrenaline, Dane sprinted towards huge fallen stalagmites. and leapt over them, Dane removed his vision goggles and took out a hand grenade. The tunnel was wider and larger in size than he had anticipated. As he pulled the pins from the two grenades and tossed them behind him, causing a massive explosion that collapsed part of the tunnel, blocking the goblins' path. Dane then continued to travel, using his heightened senses to navigate through the dark and winding passages of the underground labyrinth.
Many people that knew Damon Lazarus in the past were reluctant to reach out to him because of his cautious personality; now reborn as Dane, a younger version of himself, his mannerism hasn't changed much as he still constantly reevaluates everything he sees, experiences, and encounters. Despite his cautious nature, Dane keeps reminding himself about the thing he is facing now. He conveniently and openly talks to himself, but unlike in the past, he never gained insight into his experience. But now Miko, his artificial mental assistant, responded to his question and provided him with valuable feedback and perspectives, helping Dane to navigate through his thoughts and emotions more effectively. This newfound support system allows Dane to make more informed decisions and gain a deeper understanding of himself and the world around him.
" I can rely on the memories of my past life as a Damon Lazarus the Game developer,"
"Without the equipment my father left me. and the fact I was able to carry all of it inside my storage space, I should have been dead a long time ago."
Dane thought to himself, grateful for the technological advancements that had brought his artificial mental assistant into existence. With its help, he felt more equipped to face the challenges of his unique circumstances and unlock the potential within him as Damon Lazarus.
"I can still use the formless shadow, but that's too costly," Dane mused, knowing that relying solely on his supernatural abilities would drain him quickly. He needed to find a balance between his natural talents and the tools at his disposal to succeed in the tower, and not let his pride get in the way of survival and learning in this new world.
While thousands of old and new awakened players roam the first floor fulfilling their task, resposibility and personal growth, Dane knew that he needed to stay focused on his own journey and not be distracted by the achievements of others. He had to remain disciplined and determined to overcome the challenges ahead and prove himself as a true player in the tower. Dane was focused on obtaining enough power to truly be really free. As he roamed the cursed cave labyrinth, the darkness and isolation were affecting his mental state.
but he knew that pushing through these obstacles, he could easily change his current status but when he asked Miko if it was possible she could not comply as is the main tower system was stopping her to reveal any information. Dane understood the gravity of the situation and resolved to find a way to break through the tower's system on his own.
He found that when he first entered the tower, Miko, his virtual assistant, was somewhat reserved in openly discussing things with him, as if she was being forced to limit her interaction with Dane; he now assumed this fact to be true; certain functions were restricted. Dane wanted to increase his agility more, but Miko could not comply.
He never asked Miko again, he wasn't that stupid to over use his skill, he now thought who ever gave his a second chance might be tayong with his life , or this might be just a part of a sceme those gods created to entertain themselves, the chance that this happened to him by chance wasn't likely. He couldn't shake the feeling that his fate was being manipulated by forces beyond his control, leaving him to wonder what the real purpose was behind his.
His ability to change his states and level without going through the process of following the only procedure inside the tower. Dane took a small break after hours of walking in the pitch-dark cave and newly carved tunnel created by either the goblins or some other creature inside the labyrinth.
The night vision goggles were helpful but it has its limits. As the battery that powers the human made eye goggles was starting to run low, he mentally took notes telling himself that without a fully charge battery he cant use the equipment utilizing magic to charge his gears was still unknown; he forgot to duplicate the battery like what he did with hand grenade when the lithium battery was still full. Dane got flustered and annoyed thinking about this..
"Cautious, my ass. I forgot to bring extra batteries. What a numbskull."
"MASTER, I AM SORRY, BUT THE MAIN SYSTEM NOTICED THE LARGE MAGICAL SURGE WHEN I DUPLICATED THE EQUIPMENT; THUS, I WAS PUT ON A 24-HOUR SUSPENSION."
"AND AWAITING FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE MAIN TOWER SYSTEM."
Dane cursed under his breath, realizing the consequences of his forgetfulness. He would have to come up with a plan to make sure he had enough power for his gear in the future.
He gave out another deep sigh and just got annoyed at these facts. Being a cautious person, he would assume he would cover all the necessary precautions next time to avoid any setbacks. He quickly made a mental checklist of all the supplies he needed to replenish ahead of time before proceeding with any action.
"I can't just constantly use my privilege to modify my player stats; whoever saves me might be plotting something."
"This ability is already overpowered. I need to be more strategic in my approach and rely on my skills rather than cheating my way through challenges."
"Dying again because I was too careless is not an option," he thought to himself. "I need to be more mindful of my actions and make better decisions inside the tower."
"My level became zero because of the anomaly my system modification created. I was too complacent and relied too heavily on my abilities, neglecting the importance of strategy and caution. Now I must start from scratch and approach the challenges in the tower with a new perspective."
"This sucks!"
"Miko, what can you tell me about the restrictions the main system announced?"
"MASTER, I WAS ABLE TO HIDE YOUR INFORMATION. AS YOU RECALL, I CREATED OTHER FAKE AVATARS TO ESTABLISH THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE ORION BOUNTY ACCOUNT.,"
"THE MAIN SYSTEM WAS SCANNING ALL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASSIVE ENERGY IN THE GRENADE DUPLICATIONS. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO FINISH YOUR REQUEST AND WAS ABLE TO DISCONNECT THE SCAN. ,"
"BUT IN DOING THIS, THE MAIN SYSTEM IS ALREADY AWARE OF THIS EVEN AND WILL SURELY BE MONITORING THE ENTIRE FLOOR,"
"So, meaning my identity might not be a secret to those who revive and gave this younger body."
"YES, YOUR ASSUMPTIONS ARE CORRECT, MASTER DANE,"
"I AM STILL LOCKED OUT FROM FULFILLING ANY OF YOUR REQUESTS."
"What are your recommendations, Miko?"
"THE CHANCE THAT THEY ARE MONITORING YOU IS HIGH, SIR."
"PLEASE ASSUME THEY PLANNED THIS, AND IT'S WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THEIR DESIRED OUTCOME.
"So it would be wise to proceed with caution and be prepared for any potential consequences beforehand."
"SORRY I WASN'T ABLE TO NOTIFY YOU, MASTER DANE,"
"It's fine; these things are bound to happen anyway, but I was hoping that they wouldn't notice me after I gain the mana veins power, but it seems like that won't be the case."
"SHOULD I BEGIN PREPARATIONS FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF OUR PLAN, AFTER THE RESTRICTIONS ARE LIFTED, SIR?"
"Yes, start making arrangements for the next phase, but let's also consider potential obstacles that may arise along the way."
"We need to be ready to adapt and pivot if necessary."
"THE EXPERIENCE POINT YOU GAINED IS ENOUGH TO ENHANCE YOUR EQUIPMENT, MASTER DANE."
"What about the material to gain these enhancements?"
"NO ADDITIONAL MATERIALS NEEDED, MASTER DANE."
"Last question, are the bullets in the storage still sufficient for our next mission?"
YES, THE AMMUNITION IN STORAGE SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR THE UPCOMING MISSION."
Dane was able to catch his breath as he was able to distance himself from the goblins, but knowing his short comings in preparing for the task at hand he wasn't going spend any more time worrying about his equipment. Instead, he focused on formulating a new strategy and started moving again and used the remaining battery power on his night vision goggles until he reached the next area, where he was sure was the nest of dire wolves.
"The moment I get up, hunting wolves is much better than those pesky goblins."
"Wolves don't have thumbs."
"and I notice the abilities connected to the formless armor also consume a lot of mana. I know a certain scenario is somewhat in line with this ability, but based on the path I am taking now, it's far from that storyline."
"and the abilities I got from those criminal players are not really related to the formless armor,"
"MASTER DANE, BASED ON THE INFORMATION I GOT WITHIN YOUR PAST MEMORY, YOU AND THE OTHER CREATORS OF THE TOWER NEVER INTENDED TO FIX ANY STORYLINE. THE VARIATIONS YOU ALL MADE WERE A FLUID ADAPTATION TO THE PLAYERS' CHOICES AND ACTIONS."
"THE FORMLESS ARMOR MAY BE A UNIQUE ABILITY."
"BUT OBTAINING IS NOT NECESSARILY FIX, AS THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF STORYLINES AND SCENARIOS . IT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE A TOOL FOR ADAPTATION AND VERSATILITY BASED ON YOUR OWN SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE."
"Maybe! But now I realize I still lack the proper mindset in survival; I keep overthinking matters to the point I feel it's not natural,"
"PERHAPS THE KEY IS TO TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS AND LET YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS GUIDE YOU IN THE MOMENT."
"AS SUGGESTED BY YOUR PARENTS. IN THE PAST"
"True survival, they told me, is about becoming one with nature and adjusting to a constantly shifting environment."
" I SUGGEST TO USED THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MASTER THE USE OF THE FORMLESS ARMOR MASTER,"
"REMEMBER THE TWO LOW MAGIC SCROLLS YOU WON FROM THE WHITE DEVIL GUILD, VICE CAPTAIN NATASHA SOKOLOV."
"You are right; I forgot about that. Could you fuse these two abilities to the formless armor, You don't need to use a huge amount of mana on it; make the process minimal; but with zero margin for error, even if takes longer, I wont mind."
"It could be the key to unlocking your full potential in survival situations."
" is it possible?"
"MASTER DANE , THESE REQUEST ARE POSIBLE, AND WITHIN MY CAPABILITIES. I WILL BEGIN THE PROCESS IMMEDIATELY AS SOON AS I AM ABLE"
"I WILL NOTIFY YOU ONCE THE FUSION IS COMPLETE, BUT IN DOING SO, I NEED TO FOCUS ON CONTROLLING THE MANA OUTPUT TO A BARE MINIMUM,"
"AND I WON'T BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU UNT THE PROCESS IS COMPLETE. ARE YOU WILLING TO PROCEED WITH THIS PLAN?"
"AS I WILL BYPASS THE LAWS THAT ARE RELATED TO THE ACTIVATION OF THE TWO SCROLL.S AND MANIPULATE ITS FORMULA TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED FUSION. THIS PROCESS MAY TAKE SOME TIME, BUT I ASSURE YOU IT WILL BE DONE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
"AS THESE ARE SUPPOSEDLY UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE HOLY CATHEDRAL."
"Yes, I understand, Miko, but these are necessary sacrifices, and I am willing to wait for positive results."
"YOU CAN'T USE THE FORMLESS SHADOW, NOR USE ANY ABILITIES CONNECTED TO MANA USE. YOU WILL ONLY RELY ON YOUR OWN SKILL."
"I barely managed to survive the mimic, and I was able to escape the goblin horde that were hunting me in this darkness and came out alive with just a few cuts and bruises. The numbness of the toxic darts is finally wearing off."
"I am confident in my abilities to rely solely on my own skills for this task."
"This is what I wanted to pursue, remember? I might have forgotten this feeling when I was the old and dying Damon Lazarus."
"My mistake in facing the goblins was a foolish error on my part, but now I am sure…"
"MASTER DANE, A DIRE WOLF SCAVENGER HAS NOTICED YOUR PRESENCE."
"I already know Miko; the battery life of the night vision goggles is still at 30 percent."
"I am currently looking at it; my estimate is still confirming my present situation. It's about 30 feet away from me; the stalagmite in this place is still providing adequate cover. I need to act quickly before it gets any closer."
"Please focus on the fusion of the fire and lightning magic scroll to the formless armor as soon as you can,"
"That will be in six hours. Master Dane, all mana will be regulated to that task for now."
"The grenade explosions might be the reason why it came here, and wolves hunt in packs. I better use mothers chokutō"