Leveling up the World

Chapter 491: Realm Invasion

For the first time in a very long while, Dallion found that he could no longer improve any of his skills. The absurdity was that it wasnt a matter of him being too weak to do so. Rather, it was the complete lack of items that was the limiting factor. Everything in his backpack was improved as much as possible without rendering it useless. That had barely been able to increase Dallions athletic skills to sixty-seven and his guard skills to seventy-two. Dallions clothes, armor, and several other items made of metal could potentially allow him to increase another fifty levels or so, but that would be a serious mistake. While Dallion could easily turn all of them into gold, that would be the same as throwing them away. In theory, he would go for platinum, which was the metal beyond gold, according to Nil, but the echo was quite certain that Dallion lacked the skills for that yet. When Dallion had asked Harp for a second opinion, she too had been against it, urging him to go for another level up, instead.

You think I should reach sixty before arriving at the towers? Dallion asked.

I told you already, the nymph replied.

Thatll cost me a whole day.

Half a day, Harp corrected. Youre not in a state to tackle anything here after dark.

Does anything special happen when I reach level sixty? Dallion asked.

The harpsisword guardian didnt reply.

Nil? Dallion persisted.

Nothing that would help you in at present, the echo said. Nothing in addition to the standard gains, I mean. Sixty is the point at which youre informally regarded as a noble, but thats about it. Bragging rights, as you like to say. Quite useful in the civilized world, but, as I said, nothing that would help you defeat a monster.

What are you hiding? Dallion wondered.

It wasnt like Harp to suddenly insist on something like this. She had plenty of opportunities to do so back when Dallion was in Nerosal. He would have listened to her without question back then. At present, though

Are you asking me to go achievement hunting?

No, Harp replied. Just to level up a bit.

Dallion didnt respond, thinking it over.

Please, Dallion. One level now and one tomorrow morning.

And if I fail? Thatll only exhaust me before a potential fight.

You mustnt fail.

The nymphs words sounded absolute. There was little doubt that she knew something that the rest didnt. Thinking about it, that stood to logic. She was the oldest being by far, with the possible exception of Onda. In theory, she could have been alive when the kingdom of the stay was still in one piece. Why didnt she want to tell him what it was all about, though?

The heck with it! Fine, Dallion said at last. Ill give my best.

PERSONAL AWAKENING

Dallions awakened realm appeared around him, replacing the present reality. Coincidentally, it was night when he went there. Unlike before, though, the sky was pitch black. None of the Moons were present, and not a single star.

Its not clouds, a voice said.

Ariel? Dallion glanced at the echo.

You shouldnt have taken the knife.

I checked it. There wasnt any

It belonged to the Star, Ariel snapped. Isnt that enough?

For a brief moment, Dallion felt concern, even fear that he had made the wrong choice. Almost instantly, the moment was gone.

I dont need this crap, he frowned. He didnt need anyone second-guessing his decision. Ill just get this over with and

REALM INVASION

A red rectangle appeared in front of Dallion.

Do you finally get it? Ariel clenched his fists. You cant start a trial until you deal with this mess. And the best partIm all the help youve got!

Invaded? Dallion turned a shade paler. There was no way this was happening! He had checked the pocket knife. He had done so not once, not twice, but five times. There was no way this should be happening. He had even said a prayer to the Moons.

We spoke, Dallion said, still unable to accept the obvious. Felygn would have told me if this was going to happen. He would have

Youve no longer under the protection of the Moons. They dont need to tell you a thing! What did you expect? That they were just kidding? That theyll still keep an eye on you for old times sake? If you thought that, you should have stopped at level forty. The moment you stepped through the gate.

Shit! This was the last thing he needed.

His immediate reaction was to summon his entire gear. What he got was a short sword, a common buckler, and a lyre.

What the heck? Dallion stared at the weapons. Once again, he tried to summon any of his weapons, but none of them appeared.

Lux, come here, Dallion ordered.

Youre wasting time, the white-haired echo said. His open gear was no different from Dallions. All domain links to your gear are gone.

Was that what happened during a realm invasion? Dallion had been protected by the Moons for so long that hed never actually experienced one.

Astreza, Berannah, Centor, Dararr, Emion, Felygn, Galatea, Dallion recited.

All the experience and knowledge he thought hed acquired seemed to vanish like wax in a fire. Once again, he felt like a defenseless level one awakened who had come upon his first guardian.

No, Dallion closed his eyes. Time seemed to freeze as he concentrated on the dozens of thoughts going through his brain. This was no way to act. If Nil or Eury were here, theyd tell him that fear wouldnt help in the situation. The mess had already been made. The only thing he had to focus on now was how to protect his realm with whatever skills and gear he had on hand. Everything else could wait.

Dallion took a deep breath, exhaled, then opened his eyes again. A large part of the fear had gone.

What about Gen and July? he asked.

Theyre safe. I sent them to the old mans library just before you took the pocketknife. His glance suggested that Ariel suspected this would happen.

Why didnt Nil warn me about this?

He might be a permanent resident of your realm, but hes not part of it. And neither are the others. There are things that they cant feel.

The familiars should still have been able to sense it, Dallion thought. Or maybe they couldnt because he had made them guardians? There were a number of advantages that came with this, but apparently there were some disadvantages as well.

Everything comes at a cost, Dallion said. I guess its back to basics. Any idea what we must do?

I just know that the knifes linked to your realm. Whatever was hiding there is now here. As long as we kill it, everything should be fine.

Dallion could tell that his echo was guessing. Even so, that was as good a plan as any. Splitting into two dozen instances, Dallion rushed along the path to the central area of his domain. Ariel followed.

Lets split up, Dallion said. You go to the beach, and Ill continue inland. My skills are higher, so itll be easier for me to

Before he could finish, a large archway emerged from the ground less than a hundred feet away. In many aspects, it was similar to the ones Dallion had seen in the awakening shrines. The only difference was that instead of leading Dallion into another domain of a realm, it brought creatures in, and did so in vast numbers.

A swarm of giant insects poured out. All of them were pitch black, with bodies made entirely of blades. It was as if someone had taken a pocket knife and combined it with a cockroach to create a nightmarish creature, the sigh of which was enough to make Dallions stomach churn.

VOID CREATURE

Species: BLADEROACH

Class: BROKEN STAR

Health: 100%

Traits: UNKNOWN

Skills: UNKNOWN

Weakness: UNKNOWN

No, you dont! Dallion thrust his sword forward.

The weapon, while far smaller than those he normally used, was perfectly capable of performing a point attack. The force extended forward, slicing through the stream of creatures until it shattered the archway. Stone and creature fragments filled the air, but even they werent enough to stop the devastation of the attack, which continued on to the nearby mountain, drilling a hole into it.

Splitting into instances, Dallion looked around. This all seemed a bit too easy. A glance at the red rectangle still in the air confirmed his fears.

REALM INVASION

92% ongoing

Five more archways emerged in various parts of the realm. In his minds eye, Dallion could see hundreds, even thousands, of insects fill his realm, slicing up everything in sight. The Star wasnt playing around. It didnt just want to trick him into submission, it was planning on de-levelling him!

An awakeneds realm was made to endure a lot. The damage Dallion had just caused with his attack could be fixed in the blink of the eye. However, should an invader destroy any of his skill frames, the skill would be lost completely and would have to be relearned from scratch. The same was valid for the level of his skills groups, his traits, even his overall awakening level. And if losing all those wasnt bad enough, there was no way hed survive in the forgotten land of the Star, if his level was much lower than its current value.

Protect the skill columns! Dallion shouted as he rushed in the direction of the nearest archway. Also, make sure youre safe.

Those are conflicting instructions! Ariel shouted behind Dallion.

Damn it! Dont play the sacrifice! Dallion thought, knowing that the echo could read his thoughts. There was no doubt that Ariel would fight to the deathwhich, in his case, was one good hit. Even with the ability to create two dozen instances, that didnt give the echo a lot of chances for survival. The best way to ensure its survival, and keep himself from de-leveling, was for Dallion to take out as many invaders as quickly as possible.

Looking at them, they didnt seem too strong. With a bit of luck, maybe he was actually going to survive this.

Holding his breath, Dallion did another point attack. The destructive force flew forward, crushing everything in its path. Sadly, the swarm of bladeroaches had learned from the first group. They were no longer pouring out one after the other, but dispersed as quickly as possible. Although the point attack managed to shatter the archway, destroying many of the creatures along the way, almost as many had filled the air.

REALM INVASION

86% ongoing

Gritting his teeth, Dallion created an echo of himself, then another, and another. Even after all this time, the sensation felt unpleasant, as if he were doing something that he wasnt supposed to. The echoes, in contrast, didnt share his scruples, each rushing towards a different archway.

Damn it, Lux! Why cant you be here? Dallion asked. Lacking the ability to fly put him at a series disadvantage. By very rough estimates, there had to be close to fifteen archways, many of which he couldnt even see. Even with echoes, Dallion was going to have serious trouble reaching every corner of his domain on foot.

A line swept through the air, slicing several waves of creatures in the sky. Ariel was no stranger to using line attacks, either. Unlike Dallion, though, his ability to do so was strongly diminished. Back when Dallion was level forty, he could do five such attacks at most before exhaustion cut in.

Someone help Ariel, he thought.

Get your firebird, a strange voice said in Dallions head.

I cant! Dallion replied. All links to my items have been severed by the invasion.

Then unsever them.

The suggestion sounded so childish that it was outright absurd. However, thinking about it a moment more, Dallion understood precisely what the voice had in mind. The tower that represented the physical embodiment of the harpsisword was plainly visible in the distance. If it were still there, Luxs domain had to be as well, and that meant it could be accessible. It was a tough call: going to the firebirds domain would mean letting more insects invade the realm in the short term, but it might prove worth it. Either way, the decision had to be made fast. Glancing at the red rectangle, eighty-four percent of the bladeroaches remained.

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