Chapter 17: Hastily Rested

"I remember there was a really nice spot around here…" Markus led them to a good campsite that he found while they were hunting. It was a bit better than the previous one. Soon they came to a cave entrance that was hidden by the natural terrain around it. After navigating through the difficult terrain for a few minutes they finally entered the underground cavern.

"Waaah! This place is incredible!" Punch was the first to exclaim. Everyone silently agreed as they looked around in awe. The cavern wasn't dark like they expected. The walls were lined with various bioluminescent plants that gave the place a mystical blue glow. Along the back wall of the small cavern was a steady flow of water, creating a large pool below it.

Markus released the firewood he collected on the way and set up a small fire near the mouth of the cave to deter animals from entering. Punch had already used several incantations today, so he went ahead and lit the fire himself. After a few strikes from a piece of flint he found onto his sword, the kindling caught fire. He crouched down to blow at it and let it spread.

Once the fire was going, he leaned back onto the cave wall and rested his head. With a comfortable sigh he stretched his legs and pointed his toes, releasing a satisfying pop from his joints. 'Feels good to relax after a long night of work…' He ignored the fact that it had only been an hour since the last time they rested. Unknowingly he was reverting to his previous self that he worked hard to change for the last few months.

Markus looked at the server time and saw that it had almost been 5 hours since the server opened. He had confirmed something about the [Overworked] status. If he took regular breaks, it would ultimately delay the condition indefinitely. However, that is when he began to see a decrease in his overall abilities. It felt as if his skills were fading, and his combat prowess was decreasing. After reading the talent description again, he seemed to gain an understanding.

'So that's where the difficulty increases plays in…'

In a sense, the harder he worked, the higher the difficulty of the game. Thinking of the game's difficulty as a slide bar, the more effort he put into the game, the more the slider would move towards a higher difficulty. He would be playing on hard mode while everyone else was still on easy. Although this was annoying, it didn't really impede him very much. The main reason was his base strength was already so much higher than the current stage required.

"What incantation did you learn?" Once the group was finished admiring the cave, they sat down and started a conversation. Markus recommended that they not level up until after they finished hunting. Once they settled down, they all spent their experience and increased a level. For Guardians and Fighters, levels would focus mostly on increasing the body's attributes. This value wasn't visible to the player but played a major role in the background.

However, for casters, each level would give them an opportunity to learn a new incantation. Until class advancement, they couldn't control which incantations would appear to them. Just like the original talents, they were random. Each caster started with two basic incantations, "Ignis" to create a small flame and "Induro" to create a protective barrier.

"I don't know which one to choose. The two combat spells are only mortal ranked." Punch said scratching her cheek.

"What about the third one? What rank is it?" Fists asked.

"Its Hero rank, but I don't know if it'll be useful… here let me show you."

[Invigorating Sermon

Rank: Hero

Incantation: "Vigoris"

Effect: Improve the targets' constitution, liveliness, and concentration by 150%.

Message: The party don't start 'til I walk in.]

When Markus read the ability in the group chat, he was tempted to drink some water and spit it out dramatically. This incantation was tailor made for him! He started to wonder if he had some sort of lucky aura around him. However, thinking about it, he knew that Punch had some sort of song-based talent. Also, her personality was very cheery, so if the incantations were generated in the same way as talents, it was logical that she would get something like that.

"A higher rank incantation has more potential late game." Markus said mysteriously. If it were him, he would prioritize combat skills instead of vague support skills. Therefore, he didn't want to let his intentions be too obvious. However, a game notification almost made him lose his composure.

[Deception has increased to level 2.]

[Deception level 2

Rank: Mortal

Effect: While you have the intention to deceive, others are 15->30% more likely to believe you.

Message: You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!]

Fortunately the skill increase improved the control of his micro-expressions and he was able to prevent outing himself.

"You don't like fighting anyway. I'm with the expert on this one." Fists said with confidence.

"Well, I guess you have a point…" Punch still hesitated. Markus was impressed by her instinct. In a game like this, you couldn't always rely on having teammates. What if you were singled out or got stuck in solo content? It was hard to predict at this stage of the game, but the safest choice was always improving your own strength first.

"You can always use it on yourself too." Baby said from the side after finishing writing something down. It seemed everyone was enlightened by those words as they thought about it. Nothing said that she couldn't use it on herself.

"I think you should pick it already!" Lloyd, who had been quiet the whole time finally couldn't hold back. Unknown to Markus, she was a huge fan of games and especially loved being a tank. Seeing such a powerful support ability made her drool. Since she was obviously biased in this situation, she didn't want to pressure Punch, but seeing it drag on made her restless.

"Okay okay, I'll pick it." Punch closed her eyes and after a moment opened them again. Markus thought he saw some sparkles fly off from her eyelashes. He blinked his eyes and rubbed them.

"Who wants to go first?" She was itching to test her new incantation. Markus just happened to raise his hand to rub his eye when she asked so she turned to him with expectation. Seeing the situation, he couldn't brush it off as a misunderstanding, so he owned it.

"I am the most familiar with my avatar since you guys just leveled, I'll be able to give accurate feedback." He made up an excuse. He felt that his ability to lie had improved. He stood up and walked over to the side, ready to test the changes.

"Okay, hold still." Punch stood up and grabbed his hands. Then she started to hum a tune and sung the incantation. "In~vig~or~is" A green light appeared above her head and then flew around Markus with a shimmer. The light deposited stardust all over his body. He suddenly felt everything become brighter.

His mind started to race, and his heart began to beat with a newfound vigor. His limbs were full of energy, and he felt like he could run three marathons. Markus unconsciously grasped Punches hands which illicit an awkward cough and three pairs of menacing stares. Markus ignored them and took out his sword. He swung out at the air following the knowledge from his weapon skill. Being in a state of hyper-concentration he was able to discover several flaws in his previous form.

[One-handed Weapons has increased to level 3.]

[One-handed Weapons Level 3

Rank: Mortal

Effect: Using weapons in one hand is 40->60% more effective

Message: En garde!]

He continued excitedly practicing his sword skill until 5 minutes elapsed.

"You okay?" Punch asked awkwardly as she handed over a leather waterskin full of spring water. Markus gulped down several mouthfuls before gasping for air. He was currently lying on the ground, unable to move. The incantation was a major success, however, it seemed to have a drawback.

[Lethargic

Rank: Hero

Effect: All mental and physical attributes are halved, and it takes twice as long to perform actions.

Message: Just five more minutes…]

"Kill me…" He faintly replied. Punch chuckled awkwardly and walked away. She didn't expect the side effects to be so bad. However, the performance Markus showed during the effect of her incantation was incredible. It would be very good in a pinch.

"So how is it?" Baby asked.

"Ah, he's fine. Should we start cooking?" She looked over at Lloyd and suddenly regretted her words.

"Yes! Don't worry, I learned a lot from watching Markus." Her eyes twinkled as she brought out the tough, unpalpable meat. Punch felt two sinister gazes as she walked away, ignoring them. She looked down at her hands and smiled.

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Pill_Guy

Got a lot of writing in today! I'm also off tomorrow and I hope to set up some chapters for automatic release during work the rest of the week, look forward to it!

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