"Even though I've only been eating meals prepared by you for a day, that steak was super delicious. Thanks again, Jarvis.", I said, patting my stomach.
"You are most certainly welcome, Alex. Please enjoy your day. If you have a specific request for dinner please let me know.", Jarvis said, before I heard his voice vanish, leaving me alone. Jarvis is such a nice AI, isn't he?
I felt stuffed, in a good way. Speaking of consumption, my body is that of a Gamer now. I won't go into the details of how that comes out of my body. That still functions like how any normal human does it. I still go to the bathroom and all. But it does beg the question. Can I consume ingredients without having to worry about their effects? Diseases and sickness are very real. I don't know if I can still catch colds.
Perhaps going another round in Zombie Street may prove beneficial for me. I could potentially acquire a Skill like Disease Resistance if I intentionally get hit by them. Zombies are known to inflict a wide variety of Status Effects, right? My HP is looking really good now, so I can definitely take some hits. If the Undead King still has 100,000 HP like it did last time, it'll need some hits with my Zanpakuto, but I don't think I need to worry about taking it on solo.
To begin with, I saw the Gamer Notifications that came through when I finished that steak. My compliments to the chef, as always.
[Ding! Consume has leveled up! 2 -> 3!]
[Ding! Your LUK has increased by 10!]
[Ding! Current LUK: 192 (96).]
[Ding! Your STR has increased by 8!]
[Ding! Current STR: 146 (73).]
[Ding! You have obtained 256 EXP!]
[Ding! Current Level: 13 (3,800/20,480).]
Wow. That was a lot more than what happened last time. Is Consume attempting to scale up because I have a lot more Stats now compared to before? Either way, I felt my strength grow a tiny bit more, just by eating a steak, haha! Consume is almost as overpowered as my SSS-Rank Field Skills are, but I don't think I'd go that far to say they're equal. Consume is designed to feed me endless Stats and Experience, just like Instance Dungeons.
Feeling satisfied with my meal, I opened my Stat Preview, and was left pleasantly surprised with how things are looking now. These definitely aren't what Stats should be at Level 13!
[Stat Preview]
Name Myles Alexander
Age: 18
Level: 13 (3,800/20,480)
Total EXP: 41,206
HP: 35,728/35,728
MP: 1,240/1,240
STR: 146 VIT: 136 DEX: 112
INT: 180 WIS: 180 LUK: 192
Attack Damage: 1946
Magic Damage: 180
'Each Stat is well over 100 now. It was just yesterday I was doing tens of damage to those Slimes...What a freaking power creep.', I thought, feeling pleased with such a growth spurt. I put in a lot of effort though, and I had help from Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Even though I had disbanded the Party for now, they still got to experience the ride of what it feels like to be a Gamer.
But I was in a bit of a conundrum. I let the Gamer System open those three Purple-Grade boxes once I received them, but I kept that Orange-Grade Staff Box to myself. I have yet to open Orange-Grade Equipment before, so I am quite looking forward to opening it!
I did say I would do the Beginner's Pack - Level 5, though. What to do, what to do...
Screw it! I WANT MY LOOT!
Wooosh!
Sticking my hand into my Inventory, I pulled out an Orange-Clad Weapon Box. Instead of a Sword symbol on its center, it was a Staff. Just looking at it, it felt strong. Much stronger than my Nameless Zanpakuto. For a split second, I even felt them quiver as they rested invisible while placed behind my back. Or was that my imagination?
"Come to papa...", I uttered. I'm not crazy, okay? Opening treasure chests is very normal when you play games!
[Ding! You have obtained Frieren's Staff!]
[Frieren's Staff]
Frieren's personal staff, wielded throughout her long journey to hunt and slay demons with flawless precision. Throughout countless battles, Frieren earned the title, "Frieren the Slayer". Now, she entrusts her beloved staff to you. Though weathered by the passage of time, it remains as sturdy and reliable as ever. It is incapable of breaking no matter how fiercely it is used. Saturated with an immeasurable amount of Mana, it almost feels as though Frieren herself resides within it.
Name: Frieren's Staff
Rank: Orange
+100% INT
+200% WIS
+1000% MP
Magic Damage: 3000
Special Effect 1: Grants "SoulBind" Status. This Weapon cannot be dropped, stolen, or lost.
Special Effect 2: Grants "Indestructible" Status. This Weapon cannot be destroyed.
Special Effect 3: Grants Field Skill, Acute Mana Control (B). Reduces Spell Incantation Casting Time by 50%.
Special Effect 4: Grants the Non-Elemental Spell, Zoltraak (S).
Special Effect 5: Grants Field Skill, Wellspring of the World Tree (SS). Excess Mana can now be stored within your body, equal to 100% of your current Maximum MP. The stored mana is consumed only after your normal MP is depleted.
...
What the **** is this!?
I wasn't expecting to see Frieren's name pop out of the blue, let alone it being this busted of a Staff. Holy sh*t! The difference between Purple-Grade and Orange-Grade Equipment is extremely vast. I can't imagine what Rainbow-Grade Equipment would look like if Orange-Grade is this godly already...
Letting the mechanical arm take the dishes to the sink so they can be washed, I walked over to the same low-rise table Tony flipped over after we exited the Instance Dungeon out of shock.
A loud thud echoed around me, only to see the table upside-down again.
Seeing the table in this manner a second time, the mechanical arm whirred in sadness. After Tony left, it managed to lift it up, and place it back where it belonged.
"Sorry about that. I'll fix it alright?", I said, letting out a chuckle seeing the mechanical arm react like this. I even saw it do a thumbs up. Seriously, why does Tony hate this arm a lot in the movies? Even if it is just a robotic arm driven by artificial intelligence, he's nice to have around! And for whatever reason, he's quite skilled in Cooking!
I have yet to cook for myself, so I haven't unlocked that Field Skill yet. It is only a matter of time, since Jarvis is only making me meals for the next five and a half days.
"Is everything alright, Alex? After that weird-looking wooden staff with a large red crystal inside it appeared, you've appeared deathly pale.", Jarvis's voice called out, wondering if I was fine or not.
"Hahaha...", I said, letting out a drawn sigh. "I mean, it may look that way, I'm just really surprised. This staff is amazing.", I continued, walking back toward the kitchen space where I had my meal. It is where Frieren's Staff is.
"Is it really that remarkable? I am not that fluent in staffmaking. I cannot tell if it is good or bad.", Jarvis asked.
"Heh. You might want to create a new folder or two so you can research weapons. Aren't you supposed to be an AI for a weapons manufacturer? Have you no shame?", I asked, and grinned.
"We deal with modern arms, Alex. What Mr. Stark made, those swords of yours, and now this staff, all of it is outside of my expertise. I will need to divert some energy so I can look into this.", Jarvis said.
"You can do that if you want, but like I said, this staff is quite strong. I don't know if you can understand what I'm about to say, since it mostly relates to video games, but imagine your damage output is doubled while the amount of Spells you can cast is increased by a hundred-fold. It's that crazy.", I said, still feeling amazed by what Frieren's Staff can do.
This Gamer System of mine is really wanting me to take the mage route, isn't it? I'm not against that. The Spells I have access to can attack from a wide variety of ranges. It can easily check both of my sixes. I won't neglect the Nameless Zanpakuto, since they can evolve, but I have multiple routes I can work with now. A magic swordsman in the making!
"It sounds strong, Alex. I was curious as to why you did that outburst just now, but it looks like you have things handled here, I will not disturb you again.", Jarvis said, and cut his voice off a second time.
I really appreciate the fact that Jarvis respects both my boundaries, and tries to check up on me to see how I'm doing. It's going to be a shame once he leaves Azure Point after my rental agreement is formalized.
Still, my eyes remained on Frieren's Staff before me. Should I try it on and see how my Stats are afterward?
Instead, I had a look at what Zoltraak does first before putting it on.
[Ding! Observe has leveled up! 5 -> 6.]
[Zoltraak]
An ordinary offensive Spell originating from the world of Frieren. By compressing and firing your Mana, Zoltraak can take on a variety of attack patterns, from precise piercing shots to devastating wide-area blasts. Its overwhelming penetrative power allows it to tear through any form of barriers with ease. This Spell has been modified by the Gamer System to deal significantly increased damage to Demon-type Monsters. This Spell has no element.
Name: Zoltraak
Rank: S
Incantation: N/A
Uses: 0/10,000
Range: Custom
Cost: Custom
Damage: Deals 100%-1000% Spell Power
Special Effect 1: Low-Grade and Medium-Grade Barriers become nullified.
Special Effect 2: Inflicts 300% Magic Damage against Demon-type Monsters.
Wow...
This Spell really is THE Zoltraak Spell from Frieren's story. It is the very same Spell Fern masters under Frieren's guidance. And you're telling me I have access to it now!?
Does this mean I'm going to start seeing attacks and spells from other anime too? It isn't just Equipment? I don't know how I feel about that yet.
Thankfully, Frieren doesn't exist yet here. As far as her story is concerned. If anyone happens to come across Zoltraak, they wouldn't be able to link the two together. But holy cow, what a Spell!
Do my other Spells even matter at this point? That's a trick question again. Of course they still matter. Having a wide variety of Spells in one's Spell Book is the way to go. If someone knows how to use one of your Spells, they can easily block it. I will graciously add Zoltraak to my Spell Book. I need to use it ten thousand times to make it my own. Or five thousand, since I have Points Doubler.
I keep getting attack-type Spells, though...
I should try to change that up and get some defensive Spells or support Spells. Man, I'm already thinking like a Mage already.
As tempting as it is to equip Frieren's Staff right away, I decided against doing that.
Instead, it was time to bring out the Beginner's Pack - Level 5! Plop!
Right next to Frieren's Staff, a more fancy-looking, tightly-wrapped gift box suddenly emerged onto the table. Let's see what this has to offer!