Party Chat

[Arcs S'tar]: I am mostly out of mana. I have enough for several [Common] skills and I have a couple free ones that I may utilize, but my utility will be lowered for some time.

[Aster K'lon]: I still have a solid amount.

[Thron of the Fallen Skies]: Don't have much, but my class doesn't need much.

[K]: Sufficient.

[Jerome Smith]: I have like five thousand left. I got you if you need it.

[Arcs S'tar]: I will stay towards the backlines for the next room, then.

P-System Log

Right, I need to remember that Jerome is still super unique in terms of abilities. Even if the others can whip out something incredibly powerful like [The First Flame], they don't have the same level of mana capacity that Jerome does. It looks like Aster has really good mana regeneration skills, so she's probably second place in terms of stamina, but it's a distant second. Not even close.

Still, the fact that they're able to whip out sick combos like that says a lot about their competency. I can't imagine how powerful they'd be if Jerome got more power.

It all comes down to power in this world, doesn't it? Now that Jerome is overpowered as shit, none of the others are disrespecting him. All that happens is Aster gives him his deserved shit if he says something stupid. But those two adventurers... the difference between how they treated him earlier and now is like night and day. Now, I'm pretty sure they think he can do no wrong, all because his numbers happen to be significantly higher than theirs. What kind of a stupid fucking society is this?

One in which a System dictates how long you have to live, I guess.

Party Chat

[K]: Going to [Nightwalk] early. I picked up a new skill.

[Aster K'lon]: Understood. Opening the door now.

[Nightwalk] cast! P-System Log Another set of three doors. There's symbols over each of the doors, but they don't resemble pictures at all and I don't recognize the language. Aster and Arcs apparently do, because they both went for the same door. Middle it is, I guess. P-System Log

Next room over is weird. It looks pretty clearly influenced by mythology from Earth, though I don't know how much of that is intentional and how much is just coincidence. Something tells me it isn't the latter.

There's a sphinx in here about twice the size of a person that could've been lifted straight from an Egyptian history museum. Well, a metal statue of one, but I can feel mana coming from it so there's no way it's just a statue. The rest of the room is pretty much just set decoration, all spikes and random threatening paraphernalia that I don't really care about. None of it is armed with mana, so it's not relevant.

Looks like the one enemy here is going to be the sphinx. Kind of weird. This dungeon doesn't really have any thematic consistency. Wonder why that is. Maybe the Dungeon Core just decided to throw everything and the kitchen sink in? That would mean that its name--Hero's Tomb or some chuuni shit like that--is mostly just to be edgy. I can respect that.

Oh, looks like its mana is activating.

[Riddler] cast! Sphinx of the Hero's Tomb I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I? Party Chat

[Jerome Smith]: A fuckin' riddle room?

[Aster K'lon]: I would've thought a reincarnator like you would be better educated on the premise. [Riddler] and its ilk are a series of skills that enable certain monsters to set conditions under which they may gain more power. Should we complete the riddles, the subsequent battle will be against a sphinx of reduced capacity.

[Thron of the Fallen Skies]: If we answer right, it's easier to fight.

[Jerome Smith]: I didn't need the abridged version, but thanks. Got it. So we're fighting either way?

[Arcs S'tar]: Can't go without, not in a dungeon like this.

[Riddler] Enter your answer in the next 5 seconds. Party Chat

[Aster K'lon]: "Echo." Input that, everyone.

[Arcs S'tar]: It's echo.

[Arcs S'tar]: Yeah. That.

[Riddler] 5/5 cleared riddle 1 of 3. Sphinx of the Hero's Tomb I have cities but no houses, mountains but no trees, water but no fish. What am I? [Riddler] Enter your answer in the next 5 seconds. Party Chat

[Aster K'lon]: A map?

[Arcs S'tar]: Map, yeah.

[Riddler] 4/5 cleared riddle 2 of 3. Party Chat

[Arcs S'tar]: Who didn't do what we said?

[Jerome Smith]: I forgot to put it in. Sorry.

[Arcs S'tar]: You-- okay. It's just powering it up. Just deal with it if it gets too strong.

[Jerome Smith]: Got it, boss.

P-System Log Gods damn it, Jerome. Sphinx of the Hero's Tomb If A is a 5 × 5 matrix with det A = −1, compute det(−2A). Party Chat

[Aster K'lon]: Hm. This is not my area of expertise.

[Jerome Smith]: What the fuck? I forgot how to do this.

[Thron of the Fallen Skies]: This is very much over my head.

[P-System]: det(−2𝐴)=(−2)^5 det𝐴=−(−2)^5=32

[P-System]: Answer is 32.

[Riddler] 5/5 cleared riddle 3 of 3. P-System Log

Well, I still remember some math. That's not bad.

It would've been neat to see the sphinx power up more, but I don't think I would get more W Inertia from it and besides, I need to find where that green shit was coming from. Time is of the essence, so I want to make this as easy as possible.

[Riddler]

Final results: 14/15 successes.

LOW TYPE L power granted.

P-System Log

Oh, it got bigger. Just a little. Also, its eyes are glowing.

Guess that means the fight's starting. I don't really care how this one goes, I just want it to be fast. I think the green system retreated, because I can definitely feel W Inertia reacting abnormally further down the line. Given that it was apparently possessing the Translator Beast in the first room, maybe it's possessing something else now? The dungeon boss, perhaps?

[Sphinx's Judgment] cast! P-System Log A green eye laser. Unoriginal, but at least it's fun. [Berserker Shield] cast! [Adaptive Wall] cast! Party Chat

[Arcs S'tar]: [Stareater] is out of charges for now. Still on cooldown.

[Aster K'lon]: My defensive skill is totally shot from that. I may be able to stall for a while, but I am unlikely to maintain this for an extended period of time.

[Thron of the Fallen Skies]: I'm good for now, but I don't think I can attack or defend at the same time.

[P-System]: Please just do something simple so you can get XP and Jerome can clear this room. This is a really boring boss fight.

[K]: You can get bored? You really are just like Joann.

[P-System]: Cut the shit and attack already.

[Nightwalk] + [Zenith Strike] = [Seven Shadowy Sins] cast! P-System Log Holy chuuni, what a skill name. Party Chat

[K]: 526.

[P-System]: Yes, we get it. You're very cool. Now please just hit it, everyone else.

P-System Log Yeah, when I said that Aster was the second before, I think I kinda forgot about K. Something's not right with him, with his mana, but I think that might be a side effect of being resurrected to be used as a dungeon boss. Also, he's another reincarnator, so it makes sense that he'd have some bullshit damage multiplying skill or something like that. [Magic Missile] cast! [Sparks] cast! [Axe Throw] cast! Party Chat

[Aster K'lon]: 49.

[Arcs S'tar]: Doesn't matter. Jerome's next up, right?

[Thron of the Fallen Skies]: Ha! 1.

P-System Log Well, that's that then. I'm getting bored of this fight. The riddles were cool, and having to remember bits of linear algebra was fun, but this is just a standard boss battle. Let's just get this over with. P-System Message Go crazy. [Edgelord] activating! [Edgelord] dealt 943 damage! Enemy defeated! Experience split and distributed! Party Chat

[Jerome Smith]: 943. How was XP?

[Aster K'lon]: Four levels. I may be able to evolve my class soon.

[K]: 2.

[Thron of the Fallen Skies]: Two and a half.

[Arcs S'tar]: Three levels. This is an exceptionally productive dungeon.

P-System Log

Damn, that was supposed to be a serious boss, wasn't it? I got almost 1400 W Inertia from that. Still not spending any of it until I get a little more back, but that's nice to have.

Man, I'm tired. I don't know why, but I am. Mentally, if not physically. Not that I can be physically tired.

And there's still that abnormality way out in front of me. I'm almost tempted to reach for it...

receive();

#is there someone out there?

defense_sys();