With twenty-two already defeated, we successfully charged through the rest of the Zombie horde with just doing Normal Attacks. Keen Precision triggered, even on the Level 8 Zombies. It looks like their DEX was slightly beneath mine, and just that alone was enough to inflict a bunch of critical hits onto them. The Level 5 and 6 Zombies fell in one blow each with a swing of my Zanpakuto. With the variance in damage output and Basic Sword Mastery, each swing did around 5,300-5,500 damage!
Those Zombies couldn't even react before the two Zanpakuto tore through them like cutting butter. Except it was their limbs. Rotting blood splattered onto the blades, making the scene rather gruesome. The smell went along with it, but I kept the urge to vomit down into the pit of my stomach. I was not given the Gamer's Mind Skill off the bat, so I had to deal with the disgust that came along with this.
Even with that, Tony and I pushed through. As for the Level 7 Zombies, they fell within two swings of my Zanpakuto. They did around 4,800-5,000 damage. Even the Level 8 Zombies were defeated in such a fashion, doing around 4,500 damage. Tony also got some hits on his side. He didn't have Keen Precision, so the Level 7 and Level 8 Zombies required more hits than I did, but we still took care of them.
To compensate for Tony's lack of Keen Precision, his Basic Hammer Mastery's Skill Proficiency shot up like crazy. I saw level ups left and right!
As for my Zanpakuto, these weapons really are pure cheat skills. Regardless of my LUK Stat, I shouldn't have been given them this early on. I say that, but this is the grind, you know? If I don't get overpowered at some point, how will I survive in the MCU where there are threats around every corner? Both on Planet Earth and in Outer Space and beyond!
Tony took some hits during the latter half of this fight. His HP is around 4000 while mine is already over 10,000. That is because I invested some VIT early on, and the rest comes from my boost gains from my Equipment.
Tony has been investing Points into his VIT steadily with each Level, so his isn't increasing drastically. I opted not to increase my VIT so I can see how Magic works during this third wave, but for the fourth wave, I might put more points into STR and VIT. We'll see. It was Pepper's turn to try Magic next so I may not have to go that far.
Overall, the damage we received wasn't a whole lot. I still had a 100% HP while Tony was floating around 90%. I didn't have to worry about me in particular, as it will likely get restored from another level up.
Once the last Level 8 Zombie fell, the Gamer Notifications followed suit. Seeing each one made me smile while Tony benefited from Fast Learner. Points Doubler also works on Skill Proficiency, but it isn't as fast as Fast Learner. I am a little jealous that I didn't get that Skill. If I did, I bet my Skill Proficiency would level up at four times the pace, or potentially more, haha!
I had a look through each one.
[Ding! Your Party has defeated 100 Zombies!]
[Ding! Your Party has received 3,425 EXP.]
[Ding! With Current Party Settings, each Party Member has received 33% EXP.]
[Ding! You have received 1,142 EXP.]
[Ding! Points Doubler has triggered.]
[Ding! You have received 2,284 EXP!]
[Ding! You have leveled up! 8 -> 9 (1,280/1,280).]
[Ding! Current Level: 9 (1,304/2,560).]
[Ding! Lofty Genius has triggered.]
[Ding! Points Doubler has triggered.]
[Ding! You have received 4 INT and 4 WIS!]
[Ding! You have received 12 Points!]
[Ding! Basic Sword Mastery has leveled up! 1 -> 5 (0.0%).]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - L's Record Count has doubled!]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - R's Record Count has doubled!]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - L's Record Count: 360/100,000.]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - R's Record Count: 360/100,000.]
[Ding! You have received $3,025 USD.]
[Ding! Money Grubber has triggered.]
[Ding! $3,630 USD has been added to your Wallet.]
[Ding! Your Task, Amass Funds, has been updated.]
[Ding! Amass Funds: $5,898/$60,000 USD.]
[Ding! Task, Kill Zombies, has been updated.]
[Ding! Kill Zombies: 180/1,000.]
[Ding! Your HP and MP has been replenished!]
[Ding! Your Status has been updated and is ready to view.]
[Ding! Tony has received 1,141 EXP!]
[Ding! Tony's Level: 10 (1,870/5,120).]
[Ding! Tony's Field Skill, Fast Learner, has triggered.]
[Ding! Tony's Skill Proficiency of Basic Hammer Mastery has drastically increased!]
[Ding! Tony's Basic Hammer Mastery has leveled up! 1 -> 10.]
[Ding! Tony's Status has been updated and is ready to view.]
[Ding! Pepper has received 1,142 EXP!]
[Ding! Pepper has leveled up! 7 -> 8 (603/1,280).]
[Ding! Pepper's Field Skill, Industrious, has triggered.]
[Ding! Pepper has received 4 DEX!]
[Ding! Pepper's DEX: 44 (29).]
[Ding! Pepper's Points: 42.]
[Ding! Pepper's HP and MP have been replenished!]
[Ding! Pepper's Status has been updated and is ready to view.]
The stench remained, but all one-hundred Zombies vanished. We defeated them all.
I felt satisfied seeing this progress already. Because of Points Doubler, I'm already closing the gap I have with Tony, while Pepper is trying to catch up. Double leveling speed is great, isn't it? I love you, Points Doubler!
I'm already 360/100,000 kills with Zanpakuto too. A little more, and I'll be 0.5% of the way to see how the Zanpakuto will evolve. I am quite curious to see how they will do. While watching the first season of Bleach, I learned the official term for Nameless Zanpakuto too: Asauchi. They can evolve into quite literally, anything!
How will it go if they're influenced by the Gamer System? I can't wait. Right now, they cannot be dropped with the Soulbind Status, so I do not have to worry about losing them. Once they evolve, the blade latches onto one's soul directly, I may even get the ability to summon the two blades without having to rely on my Equipment tab or Inventory tab.
A/N: I know it's very early on still, but I am open to ideas as to what the two Zanpakuto should evolve into (like Sunraku's two custom daggers Waxing and Waning from Shangri-La Frontier).
Nonetheless, like I said, I'm Level 9 now. The Instance Dungeon labeled this Level 5, so yeah, the rest should be a breeze. Seeing our progress, I smiled, and chuckled.
"Heh, well done Tony.", I said, complementing Tony's strength.
Tony might be an exotic philanthropist who loves to get into the inside of a woman's pants, but I was surprised to see how much effort Tony had put in so far in this Instance Dungeon. It almost goes against his character, but then again, Tony said this is an investment to him. I shouldn't worry much about it.
"It was a piece of cake beating those Zombies. I'm already about a third to my next level too. Since we started, you have already gained three levels. What's up with that?", Tony asked. "You're even over Pepper's level now."
"I'd rather not get into that, Tony. Some things should not be said.", I said, showing a serious look in my eyes. "Which is why I will say this now. Try not to show your entire Status anymore, alright? Show what you want me to see. It's equivalent to that of someone's personal information. If you plug that into a workplace, that's considered an invasion of privacy, and could easily get you fired."
"Hmm. I can see that happening, actually.", Tony said, after pondering for a moment. "Very well, going forward I will only show you what should be shown. I do not like getting into another person's business.", Tony continued. "Instead, let me ask you this, Myles. Will we be able to see this Status thing outside of this Party?"
"More than likely, no. You also won't be able to use anything pertaining to this ability of mine either. I don't know what all of that encompasses. I don't think your weapons or gear will up and vanish just like that. You might just not see any special effects it has. It might return to being a normal Tungsten Hammer, a very heavy one. We'll need to test that out later once we're out of this place.", I explained, unsure myself.
Would Tony and Pepper keep their Status, even though they're not part of the Party? I'm the one with the Gamer System, not them. We'll see what happens then.
"Then we'll leave it at that for now.", Tony replied, nodding his head. "We still have eight-hundred and twenty Zombies left to kill. Given we defeated one hundred this last wave, the next one might double, or even triple."
"Come again!?", Pepper exclaimed, becoming shocked. "We still have that many to defeat!?"
"Oh right. Did I forget to bring that up?", I responded, and grinned. "This Instance Dungeon isn't a joke like the Slime Tunnel was. We're about 20% of the way through it now. If it was just me, it likely would have been to defeat 100 Zombies, but we formed the Party, and were given a Party Quest. It increased the required count accordingly, thinking 1000 is feasible with three people. And I am inclined to agree with that logic. Tony and I can take care of the mobs, you needn't worry about that Pepper. Not unless you want to go with what I suggested earlier so you can try out some Water Magic."
"Was that really the case?", Pepper responded, becoming interested. She then glanced at Tony. "And I'm just as surprised you're going along with this, Tony. This isn't like you."
"Why, I am glad you asked Ms. Potts. I'm having fun smacking these Zombies into oblivion. Plain and simple.", Tony said with that smirk of his. "I say that, but I know this is not a game. This is an investment. I can't back away halfway through it.", Tony continued, before looking at me. "Speaking of which, how much did this battle give you, Myles?"
"Over three grand.", I said, raising three fingers at Tony. "I won't say the exact dollar amount, but my earnings since yesterday total over five grand now."
"Three grand from a hundred Zombies, and over five grand since the Slime Tunnel?", Tony responded, and whistled. "I knew it, you really can make a killing in here. Full pun intended, by the way."
"Hahaha!", I laughed. "I know, right? I'm already about a tenth of the way there to the target you gave me."
"Three...grand? What are you two blabbering on about now?", Pepper asked, still confused.
"We're talking about cold, hard cash. The kinds that you'd see get circulated in underground arenas.", Tony replied. "And speaking of which, did you use any yesterday, Myles?"
"I did a little bit of shopping, why?", I asked. I might know where this is going.
"Well, governments don't exactly like the fact you're getting money right underneath their noses.", Tony responded. "This money isn't taxed a single dime. You might need to launder some to make the money you earn more legit. That way, it won't appear on their radar. If you are interested I can help you set up a fake LLC to take care of that."
"A fake LLC, huh? Yeah, I'd like that. I want to start using this money as soon as possible. Not all of it will be saved up for the sixty grand target you gave me. I'll likely earn more than that by the time the 31st comes around. Given what I've seen so far.", I answered, nodding my head in agreement. "We can tackle the details once we're out of the Instance Dungeon. I'd rather not appear on the radar of the US Government."
Hearing that, Pepper experienced a mixture of emotion. Confusion, surprise, worry, you. You name it.
"You're telling me...You really do make an earning by doing this. Hunting monsters that is?", Pepper asked with a frown.
"That's the simple version of it, but yeah. Tony requesting me to earn sixty grand to live in Azure Point by the end of the month wasn't exactly a joke. Remember what he said before this? Tony said not to ask about it until you saw it for yourself. And well, the result is what you see before you. Hunting monsters, that is. Sounds like a dream, right?", I asked with a smile.
"You can say that again. I don't know whether I should continue with this or not. This is similar to fighting in a war, isn't it? Not against another person. It's against Monsters, but I don't think I can put my life on the line with such a business prospect in mind.", Pepper responded, and sighed.
"Now don't sell yourself short, Ms. Potts. You have something others can't easily access. Whenever you're with me, you can use Water Magic. You don't have to fight on the frontlines like Tony and I have been doing! In that aspect, it is very much just like a video game. You can attack from afar, or attack close up. The key lies in your positioning.", I said, trying to ease Pepper's worries.
"Well...", Pepper began to say. "You aren't wrong when you say that. I saw you using Wind Magic earlier. I'm still having a hard time wrapping it around my head that Magic is real, but I can't deny what was played out before my eyes. So, I will bite the bullet. I'll try to create one and see if it really happens. Like I said, I've dabbled into some stories here and there, so I'm not exactly foreign to this concept."
"Excellent. We're in-between waves, so now is the perfect time to try it. Try doing what I did. Start simple.", I said. Anticipation filled my eyes, while Tony watched on with interest.
"Alright. Here goes nothing.", Pepper said, and closed her eyes, just like how I did it.
We didn't hear any growling from Zombies. That has me a little worried. The first wave was thirty, the second was fifty, and the third one was a hundred. If Tony's hunch is true, it is possible the next wave will have two hundred, perhaps three hundred Zombies. If that really is the case, there's likely only two or three waves left before the Undead King arrives.
As I wondered how the rest would go, Pepper took this moment to take in a deep breath, ignoring the stench around us. She did a similar motion to what I did, and stuck her finger outward. It did not take long before we heard a sound reach our ears. Splash. Splash.
"You've got to be kidding me...", Pepper said, only to see something magical happen before her eyes. The splashing sound grew larger, and it soon formed a small bubble of water above her finger! Splash!
It was a pretty-looking, crystal-clear ball of water, which was now floating above her finger. While it may seem gentle on the outside, if it is anything like my Wind Sphere, it could easily become devastating. It's possible Pepper could conjure up several at once too!
Pepper did take my warning to heart earlier, but she still decided to show me the Gamer Notifications.
[Ding! Through a special Action, a new Water Spell has been added to Pepper's Spell Book.]
[Ding! Water Spell, Water Bubble (F) - Lv1 (0.0%) can now be used!]
[Water Bubble]
You create a condensed sphere of water and launch it at a single target. The sphere bursts forth, delivering water-elemental magic damage. Simple, yet reliable. It has no incantation. You can create as many as you want to deliver a powerful punch to your targets!
Name: Water Bubble
Rank: F
Level: 1
Proficiency: 0.0%
Range: Single Target
Cost: 5 MP
Damage: 100% Spell Power
Cooldown: N/A
Incantation: N/A
There it is! The Water Spell equivalent to my Wind Sphere. Water Bubble!
"I can't believe it really happened, just like that...I didn't do anything!", Pepper exclaimed, not knowing whether she should laugh or cry here.
"Welcome to the club Pepper. Water Bubble should react to your command. And well, here comes the welcome party. I feel like a bunch is coming this time.", I said, my eyes turning serious.
As if responding to my words, we saw Zombies start crawling out of the opposite sides again, one by one. They appeared ugly as always. It was definitely a lot this time!
"Grr...!"
"Grr...!"
"Grr...!"
"Grr...!"
"Grr...!"
"Holy sh*t. This is a literal mosh pit of Zombies! I saw you increase your level Myles, does that mean you can use that finisher Skill now?", Tony asked, gripping his Lightweight Tungsten Hammer. He was prepared to strike.
"Yep. I count way more than a hundred this time. Maybe two, perhaps even three hundred. Things are really ramping up now.", I said, nodding my head.
I saw Tony's health, and it was still around 90% HP. He still has the damage from earlier. But it should be enough. As for me, I leveled up, so my HP and MP replenished. I can even use Tenpuzan twice now, now that I reached Level 9!
Being able to replenish HP and MP like that really is handy the more you dive deeper into a given dungeon. Maybe this time around, Tony will also level up.
"I'll follow your lead. You created a bunch of those Wind Spheres, so I'll try to do that with Water Bubble.", Pepper said, and began casting her Spell once more. One after another, more began to show up as the Zombies began their approach.
Bring it on, Zombies!