《The Devil’s Cage》The Devil's Cage
Advertisement
The Devil's Cage Chapter 235
“If one single player dungeon is not enough, then what about a [Single Player Dungeon Cooldown Reset Card]?”
The consumable instantly popped up in Kieran’s mind.
He sent a PM to Hanses to ask about the card’s availability. He got a reply soon.
…
2567: Have any [Single Player Dungeon Cooldown Reset Card]s?
Hanses: I think some guy I know has one, I’ll ask for u.
Hanses: That thing is a chicken rib though, its value is near to nothing. What do u want it for?
2567: To join the ranks of the veterans faster!
Hanses: Oh…
…
Kieran brushed Hanses off with a joke. Without sufficient information, he could not afford to trust anyone other than Lawless.
Although Broker’s words could not be fully trusted, he had mentioned that he couldn’t guarantee the Harvest Inn did not contain one of his spies, which Kieran totally agreed with.
He squinted his eyes at the crowd of veterans players in the inn.
“Are a couple of them spies for the killers? Or maybe a bunch of them?” he wondered.
Lawless clearly understood what Kieran was thinking about. He tapped Kieran on the shoulder and PMed him.
…
Lawless: Hanses and I found these fellas here, 2567. U can trust them!
Lawless: Even if one of them became a spy for the killers, they must have their own reasons.
2567: If it wasn’t for that last part, I would trust them.
(Lawless took a glance at Kieran and shrugged helplessly. He could not do anything about it. Then suddenly he straightened up and messaged Kieran again. He seemed more serious this time.)
Lawless: 2567, did u notice something weird about me?
Lawless: I know I can’t hide from u, u sharp bastard!
Lawless: A part of it is related to private matters though…
Lawless: I’ll tell u everything when this is over.
…
Lawless did not leave Kieran a chance to reply as he sent him a chain of messages.
Advertisement
Kieran was polite enough not to press the matter. Lawless was honest with him.
Kieran just nodded and switched the topic.
“I actually wanted to know something else. What are the Transcendence options for [Hand-to-Hand Combat], [Evading] and [Firearm Weapon, Light Firearm]?” Kieran asked out loud.
“Transcendence options? You’ve already reached Transcendence? You are truly amazing!”
Lawless shook his head slightly in awe before elaborating.
“As far as [Hand-to-Hand Combat] is concerned, the options will match your previous Master option and give you an additional attribute enhancement. Since you chose Master of Kicks, the Transcendence option will be an additional attribute enhancement for kicking. In other words, it will allow you to attack beings in spirit form without relying on other supportive equipment, but it will drain your stamina faster! Of course, it will have an effect against normal beings as well!”
“[Evading] has two options. One is increasing your emergency response, and the other is confusing your enemies during a battle! [Firearm Weapon, Light Firearm] has two options as well. One is increasing your firing range, and the other is increasing bullet penetration, which is similar to the long-range attack and armor penetration effect!”
“So, what’s your choice going to be?” Lawless asked after giving him all the details.
“I think it will be really hard for me to choose!” Kieran shook his head with a bitter laugh.
The [Hand-to-Hand Combat] Transcendence option would grant his kicks an additional attribute enhancement, not only effective against spirit beings, but against normal beings as well.
It would be the perfect match for the [Boots of Modii], as it would compensate for their lack of elemental damage.
The [Evading]’s emergency response increase also seemed very attractive to Kieran, and so did the [Firearm Weapon, Light Firearm]’s bullet penetration options.
As for [Blade Kick], its Powerful attacking range was enough to make it a good choice.
Although [Wild Soul] and [Wilco’s Grudge] could also achieve a similar range of attack, or an even better one, Kieran had to take a risk if he used them.
Advertisement
When facing powerful enemies, even the slightest misstep could cost him his life.
Master Level [Blade Kick] was much safer.
“What should I choose?”
Kieran fell into the abyss of the dilemma.
“Want some professional advice from the greatest veteran player ever?” Lawless said in a joking tone.
“Please!” Kieran replied immediately.
“Choose basic rank skills! Remember the attributes limitation! When you level up skills, the related attributes increase, but a lot of attributes are capped because of their skill type, so they’re unable to be upgraded any further! However, when a skill reaches Transcendence, its attributes increase anyway!” Lawless said straightforwardly.
“They will definitely increase? Despite the cap?” Kieran asked.
“How would it be possible without a cap? If there wasn’t a cap, why would I suggest that you pick the basic rank skills? The answer is B! Only attributes below B rank can increase! If your attributes are higher than B, you will waste your chance!” Lawless said after shaking his head.
“I see… Thanks!” Kieran nodded slowly in answer.
He was grateful for the information Lawless had given him. If it wasn’t for him, he might really have wasted a golden opportunity and cost himself some Golden Skill Points as well.
“No worries! We’re friends, right? This was friendly advice!” Lawless said with a laugh.
“Well, since we are such good friends, you won’t mind helping me sell some more items, right?”
“The Shadow Strike player?” Lawless quickly understood what Kieran was hinting at.
“Yes, there might be some unexpected rewards there as well!” Kieran said.
…
However, contrary to Kieran’s expectations, there was nothing much.
Kieran and Lawless went over to Shadow Strike’s room, but the equipment there was not very valuable.
All his stuff had to cost 12,000 Points at most.
“So Shadow Strike’s ability to turn into a spirit was a skill? Bummer!” Lawless shook his head.
“Yeah, I know!” Kieran sighed as well.
The skill must have been at least Rare Rank to be able to turn a player into a spirit. If it had been a piece of equipment, it would have to be Rare as well.
Kieran quickly recollected his thoughts.
He knew he needed to face the next dungeon soon. If he was distracted when he entered it, it could be lethal for him.
Even if his strength exceeded the dungeon difficulty, it might still be dangerous.
Flipping a boat in a drain, Kieran had heard so much about similar stories.
If he could he would like to leave it as stories and not be one of the protagonists in them.
Following Lawless and Hanses’ advice, he tried to prepare his best before entering the dungeon.
“I need a polearm weapon and a bow weapon Basic Level Skill Book. I also need a long lasting spear and a bow! If I find even better ones, I won’t mind! I need some [Holy Water VIII] and a couple of potions as well! After deducting the cost of the [Piercing Spear] from the [Sharp Stinger], the remaining funds should be enough to cover it! Oh yeah! You also have to help me sell the [Iron Flaming Boots]! I’m in a hurry!” he said.
“Leave it to me! I’ll take some more to compensate myself!” Lawless said jokingly.
The two of them parted ways afterwards. Kieran went back to 13th Wallway Street carefully.
Nothing happened on the way there. No spies, no ambushes. Kieran was not happy about it though, as the next time the killers struck, they would only be fiercer and more ruthless than before.
“Bring it on then! Let me see what you’ve got! Let’s see who will win in the end!”
After mumbling to himself in encouragement, Kieran opened his basic skills’ upgrading options window.
Advertisement
- In Serial85 Chapters
Transposition
Please note: the Sexual Content tag is there due to a single brief plot-relevant scene, which has a warning at the beginning. For other details, read the full description below. Rating breakdown, since that should be public info: 5 x 5*, 2 x 4.5*, 1 x 0.5* During a blackout, a frail and ragged old woman stops to ask for a glass of water from a backyard barbecue party. Given a good supper instead, she looks around the group, and tells them, "Be who and what you truly are." Days later, seven of the people from the barbecue find themselves drawn into a trap laid by a pair of wizards and their accomplices, who kidnap them into a bubble reality. All seven, who have known each other all their lives, are informed that they are not in fact entirely human: they have active fae blood, due to a series of conditions culminating with the blessing of the elderly fae woman. The transformation into fae form comes as a shock: all seven, whether originally female or male, find themselves now unreasonably beautiful women. More urgent even than that, though, is their captivity. Getting back to the real world is a higher priority than this metamorphosis that rapidly begins to feel natural... but this is only the first step, as the diverse types of fae blood they carry begin to surface. With no resources except themselves, how can they escape this prison? If they succeed, how can they possibly reclaim their lives? Just how many other faelings have been kidnapped, anyway, and what happened to them? And is there a way to make sure that their captors never put anyone else through this? Back in the real world, Kayla, who learned long ago to trust her gut instincts, is absolutely certain that something is very wrong. The pattern in the list of missing friends is easy to spot, but makes no sense at all. Then a young woman turns up at the backyard gate who knows more than she should, and even though her explanation makes even less sense, every instinct tells Kayla that Riley is her only way to get them back. If they're not quite what they were, well, that's a bridge to cross later... Just a little note: I'm a big believer in endings that are upbeat but not candy-coated, and not a fan of grim-and-gritty or of glamorized violence. These are adults in a difficult situation. However, no one gets raped, and the physical violence is, all things considered, fairly minimal. There is some harassment, sexual and otherwise, and also some mild restraint and mild verbal abuse. Complicating factors are generally wizardly or fae in nature. If I need to warn you about gender in this being all over the map, some of it reality-based rather than fantasy-based, highly diverse sexuality, or that there is (especially later) some indirect fetish/BDSM imagery and honest character discussion, then you probably should just avoid everything I write. :-) Also available on Scribble Hub.
8 183 - In Serial49 Chapters
Centifire: Deciphering Magic
“Lark Rune Titles: [Survivor][Trickster]Happiness Level: 70%STR: 18DEX: 20INT: 18MG: 0SPT: 0LUK: 15Skills - None” 2099 marked the beginning and end of an era for humanity. For Lark Rune, it was just the start of a long journey to find an unfamiliar world with a completely different set of rules...And if he wishes to survive, he'll have to decipher the new system that comes along with an annoying guide. Cover Art by Teoteku
8 189 - In Serial21 Chapters
Zeke Herald, Goblin Slayer
Zeke wakes up inside a small cavemouth, no memories or direction, just the will to live. Also, he's smack dab in the middle of a forest that's teeming with ugly little goblins. The only good goblin is one with a sword sticking out of it, as my father used to say. I tried to incorperate LitRPG elements. I'm only recently introduced to the genre, but I find it really fasinating! So intrigued I even started writing a little story expressing my joy of all things numerical! This story has a focus on hardwork and deliberate progression, no magical deus ex machinas here sorry.
8 104 - In Serial12 Chapters
Dead Reckoning
[A Sci-fi Fantasy story with Space Pirates, Necromancers, Zombies, and anti-hero lead.] Karla Elwis has to pay the bills somehow. Fuel isn't free. The problem is when you're a necromancer not too many of the living want to hang out. She's on a trek across the stars looking for her brother and that isn't cheap either. The Valraiths are in the habit of pressganging anyone they run across to man their ships, and that's just what happened to him. It was either work in the reactor room or take a plasma blast to the head. Karla doesn't know where the space pirates went, but she doesn't need to interrogate them. Once they're dead, they'll tell her everything she needs to know. Now she just has to follow the trail of broken ships and looted bodies floating through space. The only problem is the one thing people like less than pirates are necromancers
8 82 - In Serial16 Chapters
The Goblin Mage
There is no such thing as a goblin mage. Shamans sure but not a single mage ever. But that is all about to change thanks to a slime related research accident or three and bit of happenstance. When a normal goblin slave working for a wizard doing research into slimes is involved in a spell gone wrong he becomes the first goblin mage... eventually. After all it isn't east to become a mage. Before that he has to escape from the Wizard Phyron with the help of a few other oddballs. Read on dear friends to learn why you should never lick a slime.
8 177 - In Serial29 Chapters
Boundless [COMPLETED]
Valerie Anderson was once happily married to the man she vowed to spend the rest of her life with. Everyday was like a dream to both parties, until a mishap happened that drove the two apart. What will happen when her ex-husband, Damian Everson, is suddenly back in the picture? Will they be able to resolve their problems or will the grudge he holds against her stand until the end of time?
8 233

