A quest??

  How many more features have yet to be revealed in these Trials…?

  Still, a ‘slime sword’ sounds pretty cool.

  But…

  “I’m planning on selling these, so unless you’ll pay me more than 75 Points per core, then you’re not getting them.”

  “I do not have money, I am only Slime,” it replied.

  “We really need to give you a better name than that,” he insisted.

  “You can call me Lord Slime.”

  “I’m not doing that. What about Finn or Finnian? That means ‘white’ in Irish, I think.”

  “Lord Finnian. I like the sound of that.”

  “I’m not calling you Lord…”

  “How about Finnian, Lord of Slime?”

  “Listen, Finnian, I’m going to the Market. You can come along if you want.”

  “Very well, Squire Adam. Lead the way.”

  He sighed.

  While walking to the Market, he summoned the barrier and practised his shaping on it. Like he’d expected, the Slime Ring had no effect on the spell whatsoever.

  At the moment, it felt like the biggest hurdle was his mind, so he needed to keep training it, like a muscle. If other magic weapons worked in the same way, then the training would hopefully help him across loops. Although it was hard to say how exactly the experience carried over when he died.

  I still feel like I could pick up a spear and use it as well as I did in the last loop though. Maybe the experience isn’t just stored in the muscles of my body, but also etched into the shape of my soul.

  The focus required to shape the barrier was quickly wearing him out, but after a bit he managed to turn it into a circular disc with a saw-toothed edge. Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to keep the shape coherent, since he needed to keep track of every individual sawtooth as it moved.

  By the time he reached the Market, he’d discovered that a throwing star shape was the easiest to maintain while spinning the barrier around.

  I’ll start small and slowly add more features as I go.

  I should probably be on the lookout for more Manipulation Effect upgrades.

  Adam stopped in front of Yenna, who had a large harp in front of the stool she always sat on. Behind her, the fountain once again showed slime statues shooting water into the top bowl.

  The wasp stopped playing for a moment.

  “Hello Adam,” she greeted. For a moment he thought she remembered him, but then she continued, “Do you enjoy my melodies? If you have a preference for an instrument, I am proficient in all of them.”

  Adam sighed. Being forgotten really sucks.

  Not looking forward to having to get to know Willow and Lenard from scratch again…

  “No, you’re good, just keep playing whatever.”

  Yenna nodded and started strumming the harp again, producing a melody that sounded like it belonged in some elven fairy tale. Finnian stopped in front of the fountain, muttering something about the slime statues, then it started dancing to the music.

  I wonder why she doesn’t have a guitar this time…

  Adam went past the stalls, each of the vendors watching him as he passed. He noted that the stalls for Weaver and Builder were both gone.

  I wonder if it’s even worth getting those two again. Although perhaps I could try to have Weaver make me something like a backpack to carry trophies. Or maybe I could get a thin durable string to incorporate into my fighting style somehow. Since I know where enemies appear from, creating traps might be a good idea as well, especially in Stage Four, since there are so many enemies.

  He stopped in front of the spider’s stall.

  “Welcome, Adam. I am Lucca,” she said in her sinister voice.

  “I’ve got a lot of stuff to sell,” he said, not bothering with pleasantries.

  Adam unequipped the Slime Ring, which to his relief made the skin and flesh on his ring finger slowly grow back. Then he pulled all but one of the Slime Cores out of his pockets, saving a cracked core for his next loop.

  Lucca looked down at all the stuff he’d placed on her counter. She chittered to herself while her thin limbs reached out and touched each item in turn, almost like an obsessive compulsion.

  “My, my, you have been busy,” she then praised him.

  “How much for all that?”

  “I buy Relics for half their price. Since Common Relics are worth 150 and Rare Relics are worth 500 that means the Slime Cores are worth 75 Points and the Slime Ring is worth 250 Points. The total for all 9 Relics comes out at 850 Points.”

  “Deal.”

  < < Relics Sold > >

  < Slime Core (Common) x7 >

  < Cracked Slime Core (Common) >

  < Slime Ring (Rare) >

  < 2090 Points Remaining >

  Nice. Glad I could sell all of those.

  I need to remember to collect the ears from Stage Two, since those are considered Collectible Relics as well.

  “Would you also like to sell the Common Relic on your head?”

  “No, I’m keeping my crown. I earned it.”

  “It doesn’t suit you much, only a goblin would find value in such a thing,” she critiqued.

  Adam paused at the peculiar way she phrased it.

  “What did you just say?”

  She ignored him and asked, “Would you like to have a look at the Relics I sell?”

  What the hell was that just now?

  Was that a hint??

  “Eh, yeah, show me what you’ve got.”

  The black chest next to Lucca started to glow with a golden light and then it popped open, revealing four Relics. He immediately noticed that there was not a single Common Relic in the selection.

  Interesting. Although, it’s possible Luck might have a certain cap for effectiveness. After all, if it gets too high and only Epics show up, then I might screw myself over perhaps, since it seems like Epics always have pretty substantial demerits to offset their huge power boosts. Although if it can be pushed to the point that only Legendaries appear, then it might be incredibly powerful. I still have yet to encounter anything of that Rarity, but I’m assuming they’ll be crazy strong.

  < < Relics For Sale > >

  < Bark Armour (Uncommon) — Increases Player Defence by 25%. Breaks after 5 hits >

  < Spellburn Glove (Uncommon) — Spells are infused with fire. Breaks after 4 uses. >

  < Necklace of Thorns (Rare) — All summons are thorny, reflecting 20% of damage inflicted to them >

  < Committed Attack Ring (Uncommon) — All Cooldown-based Relics gain a second use that can be triggered within 10 seconds of the first activation, but the cooldown is tripled >

  The Spellburn Glove and Necklace of Thorns are both new ones. I guess they showed up because I’m using different weapons this time.

  Even though the Necklace has some pretty interesting potential, I get the feeling that it might affect enemy summons too, which would make Stage Three extremely difficult. Not sure I want to spend 500 Points on something that may potentially cause an issue like that. Not to mention, it would require me to fight a lot more defensively with the barriers to make full use of its effect. And what would happen if I tried to stand or sit on it?

  Adam shook his head.

  Maybe I should reroll and see if I can get a Slime Glove.

  Although that’s 600 Points spent, all to get something I can only use every 60 seconds. I’d also have to be close to enemies to make use of its corrosive touch, which seems like a terrible idea given my low Health stat.

  “I’ll be back again tomorrow,” he decided.

  I need to be more careful with my Points. Last loop I spent all of them on Relics, which was a mistake.

  If there’s something that serves me well, then I’ll choose it, otherwise it’s better to invest it somewhere else like my weapon or in Luvicidix’s meta upgrades.

  Adam went over to Nelly the silverfish’s stall.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Show me the weapons you have for sale.”

  “Hi! Adam. Nelly. That’s me. Here’s my weapons. I sell those.”

  < < Weapon Types For Sale > >

  < Backstabber (Common) >

  < Priest (Rare) >

  < Spellcaster (Uncommon) >

  < Berserker (Uncommon) >

  Priest? That’s what Mórrígan had.

  Huh, a Common weapon showed up. I wonder if that means Nelly’s stuff isn’t affected by the Luck stat in the same way.

  The hologram for the weapon was a flanged mace with a rosary next to it.

  “What’s that thing next to the mace for the Priest?”

  “That’s a Relic,” Nelly answered excitedly. “Some Weapon Types come with those.”

  “What kind of Relic?”

  [You will have to buy it to find out,] the Eye explained, taking over the interaction.

  Adam groaned.

  “It heals, right? That’s obviously what it does. Just tell me that.”

  [I cannot say.]

  “Yeah, yeah…”

  “My prices. Do you wanna hear ‘em?” Nelly asked rapidly.

  “Nah, I’m good. See you later, Nelly.”

  “Bye!”

  Adam went over to the cricket who sold general upgrades.

  Uh, what was her name again?

  “Hi Adam!” said the cricket behind the dark wooden counter. Above was a purple overhang and next to her was a cauldron with a bubbling green soup inside.

  I forgot about that. I really should’ve come here more…

  “My name’s Karie, I sell general upgrades. All upgrades are 300 Points!”

  “Show me what you got.”

  The cricket waved an arm over the cauldron and four symbols popped out in a puff of noxious-looking vapour.

  < < Upgrades For Sale > >

  < Luck (Uncommon) — Increases luck by 2 >

  < Movement (Uncommon) — Increases movement speed by 10% >

  < Dodge (Uncommon) — Grants a 10% chance to dodge a direct attack >

  < Force (Rare) — Attacks pierce armour by 15% >

  Force might not be a bad idea for Stage Four, but there’s no use for it in Stage Two. Although I suppose it may help against the Slothlings in Three.

  Luck is clearly useful and I wanna find out what threshold I need to get to for all rarities to be guaranteed Rare. Investment-wise it also seems like the one that’ll earn itself back the fastest.

  Until Health and Defence upgrades unlock at Stage Three, Dodge is my best chance at increasing my survivability.

  “Wait. What happens if I hit 100% Dodge? Do I just become immune to direct attacks?”

  [Dodge has a cooldown of 2 seconds to avoid such an unbalanced scenario.]

  “Are you shitting me? You should put that on the label!”

  Adam took in a deep breath. It wasn’t surprising to him that they’d do something like that and call it fairness, so it was a waste getting upset about it. “Wait, isn’t it kind of easy to hit 100% though?”

  [Until you unlock a Dodge upgrade, you have 0% chance to dodge. Your first upgrade becomes the base value once you select Dodge. If your first upgrade is 10%, then that means picking a 10% upgrade afterwards raises your total Dodge chance to 11%. Subsequent upgrades are multiplicative, meaning a 20% upgrade will raise your Dodge chance to 13.2% instead of 13.]

  He sighed.

  But of course…

  “Are there any other upgrades that have dumb stuff like that? Like, what if I hit 500% Defence?”

  [It would reduce damage taken by 5 times, resulting in 100 damage dealing 20. There are no unlisted cooldowns related to this upgrade. It is important to note that there are some scenarios where Defence does not protect you from death, such as decapitation. Take care to avoid such a fate.]

  So, it’s game-like damage numbers and health points, except for when an attack clearly kills you…

  I guess that would work both ways. If I decapitate a boss, it doesn’t matter how much health he has.

  Actually, I’m okay with that I think.

  “What about the rest? Is there a cooldown on Venom or Bleed? Is there a limit on Luck??”

  [No.]

  “Gotcha. Well, then I’ll buy the Dodge and Luck upgrades,” Adam said.

  “You can only buy one upgrade at a time,” she replied. “The options are scrambled after every purchase.”

  Oh right, forgot about that…

  I guess Luck makes the most sense then?

  Hopefully Dodge shows up again.

  “I’ll buy the Luck upgrade.”

  “Understood!” Karie replied.

  < < General Upgrade Purchased > >

  < Luck (Uncommon) >

  < 1790 Points Remaining >

  The symbols above the cauldron vanished, then Karie waved her hand over it and four new ones appeared.

  < < Upgrades For Sale > >

  < Bleed (Uncommon) — Attacks inflict bleed dealing 10% weapon damage over the course of 10 seconds >

  < Dodge (Uncommon) — Grants a 10% chance to dodge a direct attack >

  < Venom (Rare) — Attacks inflict venom slowing target by 15% for 10 seconds >

  < Crush (Uncommon) — Increases the impact of attacks by 10% >

  Lucky! It showed up again!

  Wonder if that’s because of my increased Luck or just coincidence. There should be 8 possible general upgrades at this point, so it’s really just a 50/50 chance if something appears in the shop or not.

  It would probably be better to wait for a higher Rarity Dodge upgrade, given how it works, but 10% chance is a lot better than no chance, especially when I have no Health to speak of.

  “I’ll take Dodge.”

  “Understood!”

  < < General Upgrade Purchased > >

  < Dodge (Uncommon) >

  < 1490 Points Remaining >

  10% dodge won’t save my life, but it’s better than any Relic. Although maybe I should’ve gotten the Bark Armour…

  Adam shook his head as he walked over to Thea the beetle. Finnian was standing in front of the stall.

  The vendor looked away from the white humanoid slime to face Adam.

  “Afternoon, Adam. My name is Thea. I offer weapon upgrades in exchange for Points.”

  “Are you certain I cannot purchase cores from you?” Finnian asked Thea.

  She turned away to face him, her response cutting like a knife as she said, “For the last time, I do not sell those. Go talk to Lucca. Also, your slime is not valid currency.”

  The slime looked at Adam. Although it didn’t have a face, it managed to look exasperated. “Can you believe the hostility?”

  I wonder if the NPCs arguing can lead to fighting… Would be a dumb way to lose access to a vendor.

  “I just sold all my cores to Lucca, try and talk to her,” Adam replied.

  Finnian walked up to Adam and looked at him, insofar as such a thing was possible for a transparent eyeless creature.

  “You still possess a core on your person, Adam.”

  How can it tell? Creepy.

  Adam pulled out the Cracked Slime Core. It was still hissing slightly.

  “This one I’m saving.”

  Finnian immediately sprang back, landing in a crouched position with its ‘hands’ pressed to the ground. It reminded him of a cat somehow.

  “Foul! Broken! Dangerous! I do not want it!”

  “It’s not for you, dumbass!” he replied and shoved it back in his pocket.

  He turned to Thea. “Show me the upgrades.”

  The beetle gestured to the anvil next to her and it lit up with a golden light, before four symbols appeared above it.

  < < Weapon Upgrades For Sale > >

  < Barrier Size (Rare) — Increases maximum barrier dimensions by 15% >

  < Barrier Efficiency (Uncommon) — Reduces barrier summoning cost by 10% >

  < Manipulation Effect (Uncommon) — Increases manipulation responsiveness by 20% >

  < Manipulation Range (Rare) — Increases manipulation range by 35% >

  Adam eyed the Effect upgrade. He was pretty sure that would boost his shaping ability.

  If only it wasn’t 450 Points…

  He recalled his promise to Willow.

  I have to get it.

  “I’ll buy the Manipulation Effect upgrade.”

  “That will be 450 Points,” Thea replied.

  Adam sighed.

  Bye-bye Points…

  “Deal.”

  < < Weapon Upgrade Purchased > >

  < Manipulation Effect (Uncommon) >

  < 1040 Points Remaining >

  That’s still a good chunk of Points remaining at least.

  “You buying anything else?” Thea asked.

  “Not right now, but maybe tomorrow.”

  He looked over at Belin the cockroach’s stall.

  Maybe I should buy a Health-boosting root. Although they only last 10 minutes.

  No. If I can’t make it through Stage Two with 50 Health, then a 10% buff won’t make any difference.

  And 300 Points is too much to spend on such a temporary boon.

  His eyes moved on to where Finnian was arguing with Lucca about paying with slime in exchange for something.

  “Hey, Finn!” Adam called. “I’m going to the Tavern.”

  The slime ignored him so he just left it behind.

  Adam stopped when he reached Yenna.

  “Would you mind if I come back tonight for a song?” he asked her.

  “Of course, Adam.”

  “Thanks.”

  He summoned a new barrier and continued practising his shaping, while walking back to where Luvicidix waited. It was still impossible for him to bend it into a tube, but he’d gotten better at maintaining a simple buzzsaw shape.

  < < Meta Upgrades Progress > >

  < Rewards — Increase Reward Options by 1 — 625/4000 Points >

  < Relic Saving — Start every loop with 1 Saved Relic Slot — 1040/5000 Points >

  “Since you have no Points left, I will take my leave. See you tomorrow,” Luvicidix told him.

  “See you,” he replied.

  As the white moth flew away, he watched the sky for a bit. There were still several hours until it would get dark. He’d been a lot faster in the Market than usual.

  Man, it’s gonna be awkward getting to know Willow again…

  He wasn’t looking forward to it, though he was excited to see how she’d fared this time around. She had been competent in both his first and third loops, so odds were good that she’d done well this time around too. Especially if she’d gotten the bow.

  Adam went in through the dumpy-looking door to the Tavern and Charlie the red ant was there to greet him. Last time he’d seen her, he’d promised to save Belamouranthe. He was pretty confident it had something to do with the All-Mother’s Wrath necklace, but he was saving his speculations on that topic until after Stage Two.

  Part of him was kind of excited to have her fate undone and being able to see her again. Another part of Adam feared he wouldn’t be able to undo her fate, despite what the tesseract had told him.

  “Can you bring me a strawberry milkshake and three croissants from Jameson’s bakery?”

  “Of course,” Charlie replied and went towards the ‘kitchen’.

  He remembered his last time here. It felt like such a long time ago.

  I wonder if any kind of sitting would activate the Tavern.

  Still not sure how Mórrígan was able to teleport around though. But perhaps that’s not specific to the Tavern and instead some kind of Relic she had?

  He summoned a barrier and flipped it horizontally. Then he climbed on and sat down.

  To his surprise, it actually worked.

  The long wooden tables lit up with holograms of Players.

  Cracks started to form on his white barrier, but Adam remained seated, curious what would happen.

  As it broke and he fell the half metre to the floor, the holograms all vanished.

  Then they reappeared when his ass touched the wooden planks and he came to a seat again.

  Bizarre.

  He got up and walked over to a stool. Before he even sat down, he was able to turn the stool into a comfortable leather chair that could recline. It even had a cupholder for his milkshake. The ease with which he did it was perhaps thanks to his training with the barrier and the Manipulation Effect boost, but it was also likely that simply knowing it was possible let his mind perform the command.

  Adam summoned another barrier and moved it into the air, while practising his shaping on it absent-mindedly as he looked at the many people who appeared around him along the tables.

  “How many survived Stage One?”

  [Over 600 million Players survived Stage One. Currently, 108 million Players are utilising the Dimensional Tavern.]

  That’s a lot more than last loop. I wonder why.

  Adam looked around at the people filling the tables. Many were crying, staring blankly at food in front of them, or just completely zoned out. Every time the holograms flickered and were replaced by different ones, it was more of the same.

  Hardly anyone looked like they were engaging with the core function of the Tavern. He knew that’s why most of them would be dead in just a few days.

  Adam sighed.

  I can’t save them all. Besides, this isn’t even my universe.

  That’s long gone, thanks to me…

  Besides, it’s more important that the Trials are beaten, since that will save everyone.

  Unless of course that was another of the cube’s lies…

  “Show me Willow Martin from Australia.”

  The holograms vanished and left behind a woman he recognised.

  Although she was slightly different. Her hair wasn’t in a ponytail and she looked very upset, somewhere between sadness and anger.

  I wonder what happened.

  “Are you okay?” Adam asked.

  Willow turned to look at him, surprised.

  “Were you watching me!? Who are you!?”

  “I’m Adam. Adam Fischer.”

  “I don’t know you. What do you want?”

  Shit, I think I fucked up this introduction…

  “I was just looking up people I know.”

  “How exactly do you know me?” she asked, her expression turning suspicious.

  “It’s a long story and you probably won’t believe me,” he said.

  “Let me guess, you’re another ‘fan’ pretending to know me!? Well, I’ve had enough of people like you!”

  “Wait, no that’s not—!”

  Willow vanished.

  “Connect me to her again,” he told the Eye.

  [I cannot. If a Player so desires, they can be made inaccessible to others in the Tavern.]

  Adam’s heart skipped a beat.

  “She blocked me!?”