PLAYER REACHED
THE TOP
BOOK VII
by Rick Scar
Text Copyright © 2021 Dmitry Mikhalek
All rights reserved.
No part of this book can be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author.
Introduced by Valeria Kornosenko.
Translated by Ingrid Wolf
Edited by Sanja Gajin
Contents
Chapter 327. A Sudden Discovery
Chapter 329. Laughter and Tears
Chapter 333. The Founders’ Drafts
Chapter 335. The Peak of a Blacksmith’s Art
Chapter 336. The Shadow of a Legend
Chapter 337. The Monster of All Monsters
Chapter 341. The Turning Point
Chapter 342. Influence Spheres
Chapter 345. Suspicious Persons
Chapter 349. The Ascension Project
Chapter 351. The Starving Thing’s Well
Chapter 352. A Happy Situation
Chapter 354. A Tangled Ball of Schemes
Chapter 355. The First Ten Thousand
Chapter 357. The Grieving Servant
Chapter 359. Giving Up Is Not In My Vocabulary
Chapter 364. The Boundaries of Truth
Chapter 365. A Sudden Connection
Chapter 368. A Battle Epiphany
Chapter 369. Back after A Thousand Years
Chapter 372. A Demonstration of Power
The 7th book is being translated and will be released soon!
My name is Rick Scar and you are reading my adventure LitRPG wuxia saga.
The whole story is planned out and will have 1000 chapters. Now the story in Russian has almost 450 chapters spanning 9 books. 8 books are translated!
The beginning of the story is here (click the link):
Player Reached the Top >>> Book 1
Skydome Corp Headquarters
Penthouse office
T wo men stood next to a panoramic window of a dimly lit office, staring at the great city sprawled at their feet. The crimson gleam of the setting sun reflected off the distant skyscrapers, turning into a million sparks that soared into the air as though from a dying fire.
After five minutes of oppressive silence, Glen spoke.
“Looks like we shouldn’t have worried that much.” With a sigh, he put his hand on the glass. The coolness felt soothing. “Back when we had just twenty-something names on the list. But this... This...” He swallowed the curse that got stuck in his throat. The last thing he wanted was to provoke the powerful alien machine.
“I remember.” Jacob smirked and glanced at the wall hiding the secret room. “Looks like it has everything under control. Most of those who gave up eventually came back. If only the Berserker... I think he ruined its plans by postponing his visit to another Floor.”
“I think you’re right.” Glen turned to look at Jacob. “This event is meant to spur them on. Do you think anyone is strong enough to complete it?
Jacob said nothing. With the administrator rights both of them had, they knew just too well at what cost the new power would come to the players.
The alien machine must’ve considered the speed at which the players were unlocking new Floors unsatisfactory so it decided to give them a push.
After a moment’s hesitation, he walked away to sit down on the sofa and sent a mental command that showed the list of all players starting on Floors other than the first three on the big mounted screen.
“If there’s anyone who can do it, it’s them. Their mind has already been transformed.”
“Maybe.” Seeing one of the names, Glen remembered something and switched his computer on. “Have you seen yesterday’s message?”
“From whom?”
“Alex. Nicknamed Buckshot.”
“What did he want?” Jacob raised his brow. It was the first time Buckshot reached out to the devs.
“His sensitivity level has reached hundred and ten percent, and he can’t figure out where to look for the Novice Temple.”
“The Novice Temple? What the hell is that?”
“I don’t think we’ll ever find out. Unless the machine tells us.” Glen shook his head and, leaning back in his armchair, stared at the ceiling. “But one hundred and ten... I’d rather not know how it feels.”
After a while, both of them got back to their daily duties, driving away all the questions they had been asking themselves since the alien’s visit.
***
Coming home, Will had a brief talk with the security guards and went to his bedroom, snatching a sandwich from the kitchen on his way to it.
Back in the restaurant, he had been so focused on listening to Curtis that he hadn’t bothered to order any food, only the cup of coffee. Seeing the sandwich (which Leah seemed to have left for him), he suddenly realized just how hungry he was.
Technically, he could live on the nutrients the capsule supplied him with while playing. However, he still preferred actual food to proteins, carbs, fats, and vitamins being injected into his blood.
Welcome to Ascension, messenger.
The greeting screen flashed before him and he was back to the place where he had left off.
Opening the map, he checked his location and marked the small town of Riah, the capital of El’Lako, where he was to meet Arrey. Making his way to the nearest teleport, he couldn’t stop thinking just how much he hated wasting time going from one place to another on foot.
This game could really use some teleport scrolls. It already has scrolls that teleport you to another Floor! Why can’t they give us any to travel between cities on the same Floor? I hope they’ll add them in future updates...
Half an hour later, he finally arrived at a small, inconspicuous house located on the outskirts of the town.
Two men pretending to be bystanders — Arrey’s guards in disguise — bowed their heads in greeting to Raven, a friend of their master, and resumed their conversation, looking out for any trouble.
The house looked rather shabby and far from being a proper dwelling for any noble, let alone a prince. That is, if we were talking about anyone other than Arrey. As an exile and rebel leader, he could make himself comfortable even in a cave.
On the inside, the house looked much different: not as simple and plain as it seemed at a glance. Raven counted fifty-three guards and servants before he found Arrey in one of the rooms. Just like the house, it was small and crammed with chests and other items.
“Your Majesty!” Arrey’s voice rang out with excitement. “How did you know I was waiting for you?”
“Hi yourself.” Raven smiled, looking around the small room. Its occupant was beyond himself with anxiety. “Let’s call it a lucky coincidence. I see you have something to share with me.”
With those words, he sat down on a chest, preparing to listen — and wait for a chance to use Liar.
“I know you’re a busy man, so I’ll cut to the chase. I found it. The Ancient Scroll of Summons!” Pausing briefly, Arrey corrected himself: “Or rather, I located it. That’s why I wanted to meet you. I need your help.”
Well, well... The last thing Raven expected was any of them finding so much as a trace of that motherfucking scroll. Looks like I won’t even need Liar.
Smirking to himself, he focused on the conversation, already guessing what kind of help Arrey needed.
“So, where is it?”
“Weeeell...” Arrey’s eyes became shifty. “Erm... Ahem... In the Tomb of Lords.”
“What kind of help do you need?”
Arrey looked away.
“From times immemorial, the tomb had three guards who only obeyed the three ruling lords. When a lord passed away, he gave his successor a ring to control the guards.”
Attention! The quest: Outcast has been updated.
Description: Your long and apparently fruitless search for the Ancient Scroll of Summons has finally brought you and Arrey to the item’s supposed location.
Tasks:
- Find the scroll: 0/1
- Steal the ring or kill the guards (0/3)
Reward:
+ 300,000 XР
+ 130 relationship points with Arrey
Raven was sure that the amount of XP and the number of relationship points had been smaller when he had just obtained this quest. The quest’s difficulty level must’ve increased as well.
He winced at the second task. For either of them, he absolutely needed his right hand.
Judging by Arrey’s sweaty face, the prince hadn’t expected such an outcome.
This might be my chance.
“So, the tomb,” Raven said. “As far as I remember, our past agreement said nothing about raiding any tombs, killing their guards, or stealing any rings. If I get caught in the act, I’ll lose my face as a king and my kingdom will suffer the consequences.”
“I understand. But I didn’t... I didn’t expect it to be that close. I swear. Please!” Arrey’s eyes were full of despair.
Raven shook his head, as though pondering over a difficult choice.
“All right. Since you’re such a good friend of mine, I’ll do it for you. Just give me the blacksmith’s name.”
Raven had no doubt that he could kill the guards, but he was dead tired of having to fight with his left hand alone.
“But...” Arrey looked at him and realized that Raven wouldn’t make any concessions. “All right. His name is Hendelson. You can find him in a big cave in the Tsurat Mountain.”
Attention! You have found a lead to an epic quest: The Diabolic Hand of Treason
Find Hendelson, the arcane blacksmith from the Tsurat Mountain.
So he’s real after all.
Raven clenched his fist. Arrey had told him the truth. This blacksmith could probably fix his hand. And if he couldn’t, he could still try asking Esma for help.
Raven suddenly realized that he had already got to know two princes of well-developed empires. He could put these connections to good use after solving his hand problem.
“Thanks,” he said and stood up. “Once I get rid of my curse, I’ll visit this tomb of yours.”
“I’ll be waiting, Your Majesty. I hope you’ll be able to strike an agreement with Hendelson. I don’t remember if I told you, but he’s weird even for an eccentric.” Giving Raven a faint smile, Arrey rummaged through the papers on his desk and finally pulled out an old map. “Here’s the mountain. Four hundred miles away from the border.” He pointed at the thin line. “Across a big lake. You can’t miss it. And... If I were you, I wouldn’t try swimming across.”
As Raven took a look at where Arrey’s finger was pointing on the yellowed scroll, the mountain was marked on his world map.
“Thanks for the advice.”
He turned around and closed the door behind him.
Arrey stared at the door for a minute.
“Should I have warned him that Hendelson hates visitors?” he muttered under his breath.
***
The Tsurat Mountain was on no man’s land to the west of El’Lako, amidst the endless sea of rocks, swamps, and forests. If it weren’t for Arrey’s directions, Raven would’ve long lost his way.
During his journey, he had killed at least two dozen level one hundred and twenty-six monsters, filling his XP bar by three percent. Compared with the days when he could use both hands, he felt like he was grinding at the speed of a snail.
He stopped at the lake, wiping his dagger from the blood of the monster he had just beheaded.
“It must be here.”
Glancing at the blinking marker on the map, he realized that his destination was the towering mountain three miles away from his current location, situated across the seemingly endless lake.
Scratching his chin with the dagger tip, he ran right. Unfortunately, Wings wouldn’t last long enough to fly over the lake, and he’d rather not land into the water full of monsters. His class and race were hardly good for fighting water mobs.
Ten minutes later, he got a notification that he was approaching the Tsurat Mountain.
Time to find this Hendelson guy and get my normal life back.
T he nights in Ascension were nothing like those in the real world. As the giant sun sank below the horizon, three triangular objects emerged in its stead, moving across the inky sky and emitting a soft, silvery light.
Those who, like Raven, had seen this view many times before paid it no heed. But the new players enjoyed the opportunity to wander this world around the clock, provided by the new capsules. Many of them would stop and stare at the strange pyramidal objects floating across the sky, wondering who had put them up there and for what purpose.
As Raven looked up and saw the “moon and the stars,” he just muttered a curse. Having spent two hours looking for the cave entrance, he had totally missed the moment when the night fell.
“Where’s that fucking cave?”
He had examined every inch of the damn mountain, which was much smaller than the Mountains of the Heavenly Plague. As hours passed, he was more and more convinced that Arrey had made up the cave. If it weren’t for the system message about getting a lead, he would’ve already returned to Riah to educate his friend on how bad it was to lie to someone like him.
The cave must be hidden really well. Or any passerby could’ve easily dropped in.
Reaching this conclusion, he activated the Revelation Sphere.
Four hours later, he finally found what he was looking for.
Congratulations! You have discovered a hidden cave.
+0.3 Luck
Once the Revelation Sphere touched the illusionary wall, a passage slightly taller than three feet opened up.
Raven let out a breath of relief and entered the mountain, hoping that the ceiling would become higher at some point.
Half an hour later, he realized that such a thing wouldn’t happen. He was still creeping on, stopping every two minutes to wait for Twilight Walker to cool down, his stooping back resting against the ceiling.
The deeper he went, the hotter the air became. Soon, he got a heat debuff.
You are affected by the high temperature.
You will sustain fire damage every 5 seconds.
- 10 HP
- 12 HP
- 14 HP
The damage increased with every step. Cursing the devs and Hendelson, who was probably a dwarf, he eventually reached the cave, which was much larger than he had expected. The air was burning-hot, hurting his lungs as he took it in.
The source of the heat were symmetric patterns carved deep into the walls. One filled with flowing lava and another with clean water. Both were brimming with magic.
The cave looked like a hall once used for receptions, although the comb of Time had thinned its splendor out.
In the middle of it, surrounded by two channels (one with lava, another with water) was a stone dais about fifteen feet wide and long with stairs climbing up to it. Sliding his gaze on, Raven noticed a big anvil, a kiln, a table with tools, and a haphazardly piled-up stack of ores.
- 100 HP
- 100 HP
The damage didn’t move past a hundred points. Having to watch his HP bar more closely than ever, Raven drank another Health Potion when a booming voice came:
“You’ll be the first one in a long while to die on my doorstep!”
Swish!
Raven barely escaped the hammer with a thin chain thrown at him. Dodging the blow, he squinted in the attacker’s direction, but the hammer suddenly stopped in the air and dove, shooting at him the chain that coiled around his arm like a snake.
Yanked into the air, Raven used Leap, targeting the spot where the attacker probably was.
The chain clanked as it fell to the floor, losing its target, but then soared once again and rushed after the rogue, obeying its master’s will. There was nothing good about the glowing magic symbols that adorned the chain and the hammer’s head.
“I’m not an enemy! Arrey sent me!” Raven cried out, raising his hand in a friendly gesture. He wasn’t going to fight someone who could remove his curse.
“Arrey? The exile?” Hendelson’s voice showed no emotion, but at least he stopped attacking — and finally showed up, appearing about fifteen feet away from where Raven stood.
You have met Hendelson, an arcane blacksmith known to but a few.
Hendelson was a short stout man with a dark-red beard that became visible only when he removed his helmet. Raven guessed that the headpiece was probably what allowed the blacksmith to turn invisible.
“If it weren’t for him, I don’t think I would’ve ever found you. Your cave is so well-hidden,” he complimented him but kept his eyes open.
Why didn’t I get a quest update? Do I not meet all the requirements?
“Mind your words,” the dwarf muttered into his thick beard and tugged at the chain fixed to his wrist, pulling his hammer in. He sounded grumpy and weary. “I’m not hiding. I just need to focus on my work. All those prying eyes...” He waved his hand. “I don’t like people disturbing me while I work so I had to make sure that I’d be left alone. But... I guess I’ll have to make an exception... Come, follow me.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Raven followed Hendelson deeper into the cave. He desperately needed this quest to update and progress.
“Please, forgive the intrusion,” he began, “but it’s only because of extreme circumstances that I am disturbing you, Great Master.”
Raven never hesitated to praise and even flatter someone to get what he wanted, but this time his honeyed words seemed to have been wasted.
“Whatever your problem is, I can’t help,” Hendelson replied, his voice softer than before even though his words were no less harsh. “Not now. Too busy with another order. No new customers until I finish it.”
Raven could swear he heard a strain in the blacksmith’s voice as he mentioned the order.
What could it be? he wondered. Forcing a smile, he said through gritted teeth: “If there’s anything I can do for you... I’m ready to pay in advance not only with gold but with my services.”
Hendelson had already reached his anvil but turned to Raven as he heard these words. Struggle was evident on his wrinkled face.
“Well, I do need one thing. For my friend’s spear, I need a very rare material. It can only be found in the Land of the Forgotten Giants. Have you heard of it?”
“I have, yes.” Raven mentally thanked Lily for this information and, checking his HP, gulped down another potion. “What exactly do you need from that place?”
The Land of the Forgotten Giants was the final resting place of this once great race, riddled with their yellowed, crumbling remains. Lily had no idea what those creatures were or what had killed them, but she had warned Raven that the place was swarming with scavengers and undead things. On top of it all, it was the headquarters of the infamous Dead Hand cult.
“The necrotic flower.”
Attention! You have been offered a quest: The White Flower
Description: To complete his work on the spear, Hendelson needs the necrotic flower that only grows on the graves of giants.
Goals:
- Find the flower
- Complete the quest in 3 days
Reward:
+ 45,000 XP
+ Relationship with Hendelson Nir upgraded to Friendship
Accept: Yes/No?
“All right.” Putting on his sweetest smile, Raven accepted the quest. “I’ll come back with it as soon as I can.”
“Ho, ho, ho. I’m starting to like you, kid.” The dwarf gave a nod of approval at the resolution on Raven’s face and stroked his beard. “I’ll be waiting. But hurry up. If you can’t do it within three days, better tell me now so I can think of something else.”
“Sure I can,” Raven said, still smiling despite the damage he was suffering. “May I ask you, Great Master: are you really comfortable with this temperature?”
“I see you’re drinking your third potion.” Hendelson raised a finger and, tapping on his lips for a while, turned to the table. Sliding a drawer open, he took out an azure sphere. “Here. Take it.” Tossing it to Raven, he added: “I forgot you’re too fragile for this temperature. It’s not a gift. Don’t you dare lose it.”
Once Raven’s fingers touched the sphere, he felt a pleasant coolness envelop him. The fire damage came down to forty-five HP and stayed there.
ARTIFICIAL SNOWSTORM
Type: Accessory
Description: An item made by Hendelson from a Bigfoot Boar’s tempered heart.
+55% heat resistance
“Thanks.”
Equipping the sphere into a free slot, Raven turned around and, saying goodbye to the dwarf, walked off to the exit.
***
On the way to his destination, Raven visited several cities in the Crowtan Empire and then in the neighboring countries of Finar and Del, for which he got three Energy, two Agility, and two Strength points.
He was seven hours into his journey when a message popped up:
You have entered the Land of the Forgotten Giants.
The residual energy of death lingers in the air, harmful to all living creatures.
Beware, traveler.
Once he set his foot into the cemetery, his HP began to decline, albeit at a slower pace than in the cave as the two Death Substances he had swallowed in advance reduced the damage. It stopped him from dying, but it didn’t make the process any more comfortable.
Maybe I can have Abenkhriar send a couple more of his servants here? I need more of this Substance.
Dismissing this idea, he focused on his mission and made his way forward, navigating through the maze of scattered bones that became bigger and bigger, and toward a small group of mobs that looked like dogs walking on their hind legs, and a few big and fat jelly-like things, sucking at the huge cartilages. The blobs seemed extremely slow.
The bone pile was rather large, the remains heaped on top of each other forming some semblance of a cave.
Name: Kobalir
Level: 152
Name: Bone Leech
Level: 161
Shit. I’ll have to kill them all to get that fucking flower. Can I kill that many in just three days?
Having no other choice but to give it a try, he shot a crossbow bolt at the pile.