Unchosen Champion

While Coop slowly waded through the shallow water on the way to the mana well, he basked in the feeling of adding another 10% boost to his Mind stat. When even the smaller physical increases of each level were noticeable, a huge jump in stats felt like breaking through a previously unknown threshold. Coop couldn’t stop himself from admiring the changes.

Coop was particularly in tune to the changes that occurred each time his stats increased, at least compared to other people, primarily because of the physicality of his routine and the emphasis he was placing directly on growing his attributes. Even he couldn’t notice physical changes to his body, though. The stats only appeared to change them slightly before tapering off, like Body making the elderly appear a decade or two younger, and Strength slightly improving physical appearances. He was pretty sure the actual physical changes to his body had been maxed out when he first received the Champion title bonus.

The elderly weren’t able to return to their twenties and no one was hulking out beyond what was possible even without mana. Only the effect of each stat continued to progress after the initial investments, so he could still enjoy feeling stronger or faster. He knew Charlie and Madison wouldn’t notice mental changes in the same way. They normally enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles together, but the effect of continuing to invest in Intelligence and Acumen were improvements to Magic Power and Magic Speed, neither of which humans would have a good way of measuring. Strength and Agility increased Physical Power and Physical Speed, both of which were easy enough to test.

While he squeezed his shoulder blades together, still enjoying the Physical Power added by his Strength stat growing, he reflected on the dangers of interacting with the settlement’s clothier. Erasimus had truly delivered in crafting something spectacular, that Coop would find impossible to pass up. However, after the expert salesman had Coop hook, line, and sinker, he reminded the young Champion that there was a cost for his services.

As a result, Coop’s inventory was 350,000 basic credits lighter. The bonus that his new under armor provided was absolutely worth the price, but when he considered some of the services he had purchased with even cheaper price tags, the experience left him shaking his head. He doubted he would have commissioned something that could result in such a hefty fee, so Coop was glad Erasimus had bamboozled him the way he had. Otherwise, Coop would have missed out on such powerful equipment. Still, it was pretty expensive.

His Spectral-Infused Under Armor was a huge step forward for his progression and he didn’t intend to go anywhere without it. Erasimus had explained that, while it had durability, it wouldn’t break down when he took damage because it didn’t apply anything directly to his actual defensive values. Equipment that didn’t need much maintenance was perfect for Coop, since it wouldn’t become a burden when compared to his uncomplicated ethereal summons.

More importantly, because the under armor was fashioned with a specific mana-weave that was dependent on spectral affinity mana, like what he had empowered the settlement with, it would naturally regenerate while inside Ghost Reef’s territory. It had its own limited form of Regenerative Durability. That also meant that he could repair it himself, using his own mana pool, if it became necessary. Basically, there was no reason to expect to lose the under armor anytime in the future. Coop felt safe considering the stat boost it provided as a permanent buff alongside his title bonuses.

The additional 10% bonus added with his Siegebreaker’s 10% bonus, giving him 20% more Mind. It wasn’t multiplicative, but two additive boosts weren’t enough for Coop to rule out the possibility of multiplying his attributes further.

For now, it was like every level gave him an additional point over the default five. Gaining so many stats at once was exciting, but he had to remember that he was still competing with skill multipliers in other builds.

As Coop put some distance between himself and the shore, making his way toward the mana well, he took a deep breath and looked forward. The mana well represented another opportunity to grow, one that wouldn’t be inherently limited in the same way that completing the Slayer quest chains was. Afterall, there were a finite number of individual monster variants out there for him to grind before the quests ran out. An alternative way to progress was always something he had to keep an eye out for, at least if he wanted to avoid globetrotting for the rest of the assimilation. He had some high hopes for the Coral Forest in becoming that alternative.

After a few minutes of wading, the water was up to his thighs, slightly cooler than the afternoon air, but still as warm as a bath. The light breeze left the waves calm, and the bright sun made the water clear enough to watch every steady step that he took as he planted his feet on the patterns created by the flow of waves on the submerged sand. Seagulls made a racket as they flew around the island in small flocks, but otherwise, the area was quiet enough to be used as one of those sleep aid recordings from the before times. The calm ambience was only interrupted by each of his own sloshing steps.

Coop summoned his ethereal armor along with his three-pronged trident, watching as the ghostly wisps emanated from the solidified equipment.

He was entering Kite country, and if he was being honest, he hated them. They were the worst variant of invaders by a significant margin because they perfectly countered his grinding strategies by virtue of staying spread out and hidden. Even the other monsters that relied on ambush tactics weren’t as bad as Primal Kites.

At least he could find Excavator swarms, attract the Serpents, or let himself fall for Prowler bait to get a decent grind going. The Kite puzzle hadn’t been solved yet. Coop didn’t want to leave any of the quest chains unfinished, rotting in his status, even if the mana well became a more efficient experience grind. The bonus Slayer stats basically defined his entire build so leaving one behind would not be ideal.

It had been a while since he actually tried hunting the Primal Kites, and he had gained more than 50 levels within that period. That meant he had two new skills that might come together to remedy his inability to grind the monsters. So, while he made his way to the mana well, he started channeling Fog of War, establishing a thin layer along the surface of the water in a gradually increasing area around himself. He’d find out, then and there, if he could put the Kites back on his grind menu.

He concentrated on Presence of Mind, seeking the concealed enemies that he knew were hidden in the sand within his vicinity, waiting to ambush him. While he let the overwhelming input wash over him, he struggled to detect anything underneath the water. The surface waves, the wavelets caused by slight shifts in the breeze, and small floating debris were all made clear as day, but the fog couldn’t penetrate the sea. He sought hints that would clue him into the Primal Kites’ hiding places, like maybe a bulge on the surface or a tiny feeler for them to observe above ground, but nothing jumped out at him.

Before he gave up, small streams of tiny bubbles rising from the bottom caught his attention. They flowed in a steady trickle that made him suspicious, so he shifted toward the nearest column. It could just as easily be the result of a crab blowing bubbles as anything else, but it was worth investigating. As he drew closer, he let his hopes get up. All he needed was a way to detect the Primal Kites, even if it was subtle.

Once he concentrated on the suspect sandy patch, he realized there was an extremely slight, invisible dome centered around the bubbles. The sense Presence of Mind funneled into his head when he focused on the perimeter of the dome was like he was licking a battery. It seemed promising, considering the electrical attacks the Kites utilized.

Coop went ahead and passed through the edge of the dome and a Primal Kite burst out of the water in an effort to ambush him. Even as it broke the surface of the ocean, Coop’s trident caught the monster, piercing through its main body and destroying it instantaneously. The low level creature didn’t have any chance to attack or dodge.

Coop shook his trident at the sky in triumph before pumping his fist with a relieved “Yes!” He finally had a breakthrough for grinding the Kites. The sneaky monsters wouldn’t escape his Slayer grind for much longer. He was tempted to get started right away, but regrettably, he had a different mission for the day.

He waded through the thigh high water, toward the mana well, while he let Fog of War cover the sea with an inch thick layer of gray mist, further testing his new tactic for hunting the Kites. The miniscule streams of bubbles were a bit like carbonation floating to the top of a mostly flat soda, but thanks to Presence of Mind, even that small hint was enough, especially when he specifically sought it out. As he found the streams more easily, he slowly acclimated to seeking the slight detection domes of the Kites. Four more of the monsters had their ambushes stymied by Coop’s waiting trident as he successfully identified their burrows. He was ecstatic.

When he arrived at the edge of the mana well, his mood couldn’t have been better. Sure, in a way, he was adding more tasks to his to-do list, but cleaning out his quests was always going to be there, and this was simply a way to get another job done. When a job concluded with extra attributes being piled onto his status sheet, he would be happy to do it.

“First things first…” He looked down from the lip of the sediment rimmed chasm that connected the Coral Forest with the surface. Coop had forgotten what a mesmerizing sight the overgrown corals generated. His eyes followed the sheets of water that fell along the edges, like a thin glassy curtain, pulsing as each gentle wave tipped slightly more water into the waterfalls in a hypnotizing rhythm.

The cascade of water fell until it landed on various coral platforms, each at a different elevation. Inside the cavern, there were massive, deep blue acropora tables, large enough to be the base of a skyscraper, dark purple elkhorn corals branched like lavender edged highways, creating their own bridging structures, pale pink staghorn corals climbed through the waterfalls and bright red brain corals established enormous bulging structures. Everything was comically oversized.

Once again, Coop was struck by how deep the cavern dug into the ocean floor. The entrance was large, having been established by a crashing meteorite, but it barely did the interior justice. It seemed like an endless abyss, angling west as it carved through the coral bedrock. The coral platforms obstructed his view so that it was like peering down into the twilight skyline of a faded neon megacity. There were tiny figments of color floating in the open spaces between overgrown corals that made the whole habitat seem to be flooded with an even thinner liquid than water, like the air was so thick with mana some feathery objects were able to float.

Coop hopped down to the first coral platform, recalling his first time exploring the region. He had meant for the first time to be a quick peek, but he ended up lost and spending far more time than he planned just trying to find his way back out. This time, he took note of the direction he was facing and kept track of where he entered. There was no way this little expedition would end up taking longer than he expected this time around. At least not by accident.

He chuckled to himself, still satisfied by the prospect of eliminating Primal Kites en masse. There was no sign of any dangerous monsters this close to the surface within the well. The Stage 1 creatures must not linger near the entrance.

He was curious why the mana didn’t seem to leak out into the surface. Instead, it appeared to coalesce inside the well. His best guess was that the settlement’s territory obstructed the mana from escaping and unduly influencing the settlement. If it didn’t, he was sure they would have elites back up top, but other than the scattered normal Kites, only the natural environment remained. Thriving as the ecosystem was, he doubted mana had anything to do with the growth of seaweeds and coral heads back on the surface, since they still seemed mostly normal at a glance, even when their orientations were slightly odd.

The presence of a civilization shard probably saved them from being overwhelmed by elites earlier in the assimilation and he thought he should be thankful. It would explain why they had to deal with Elite Ancient Defenders before the territory expanded to include the entrance of the mana well. Back then, they had always appeared on the beach nearest to the well.

Carefully, Coop navigated between coral platforms, further and further into the Coral Forest, until the darkness would have engulfed him if it wasn’t for the blue-green bioluminescence of dinoflagellates that not only clung to the rims of the corals, but also floated through the air in wispy clouds of dim light. It was truly an alien world, despite being comprised of familiar, if gargantuan, mutated, species.

He took the trip slowly, ready to confront whatever monsters had discouraged the strongest party of Ghost Reef to the point of questioning the viability of their futures. Shane’s party hadn’t taken the exposure of their relative weakness very well, but they had effectively warned Coop so that he wouldn’t let himself walk into danger. Not only did he keep his eyes peeled, but he made sure to actively concentrate on Presence of Mind. He was moving too much to apply Fog of War without committing to a huge expenditure of mana, though he considered letting the misty domain sink into the abyss as he traipsed across the overgrown corals if he couldn’t find anything on his own.

While he journeyed across a basketball court sized star coral, he spotted his first item of interest. A single white pearl shone from a tiny groove, reflecting light from the shadows in the dark green and blue ringed surface. When Coop approached it, he realized it was a jewel, though it was small and didn’t glow, so it wouldn’t be any good for an array. He scavenged it anyway, dropping it into his spatial storage and feeling a bit more confident about finding more little treasures. He was really looking for monsters, though.

Fortunately, it didn’t come to dumping his mana into Fog of War to find his first challenge. Coop paused on the edge of another blue-green platform, looking over the next purple platform, which held a relatively large, eight foot monster in the center of a flat coral arena. A quick inspection with Presence of Mind revealed his first target as it waited in the center of the deep purple platform.

[One That Hunts (Elite Level 101)]

[(Agility)]

[Of The Hunger]

The creature sat completely still aside from two pairs of forelimbs diligently rubbing against each other. It seemed like it was fastidiously washing the tiny grasping claws at the end of each limb, like a surgeon cleansing their hands before a surgery. The monster wasn’t exactly like any particular sea creature, but Coop could still pick out features that were relatively familiar.

It was far too large for a pre-mana crustacean, yet if anything, it shared the most characteristics with a predatory shrimp. The reddish-brown armored carapace was shrimp-like and layered as it ran down its back. The carapace terminated with a wide tail that would be helpful for swimming if it was still underwater. The tail was admittedly more lobster than shrimp-like, fanning out with wide uropods held slightly above the ground.

However, it had too many smaller legs and two pairs of claws that were shaped closer to a praying mantis than any kind of crab. The obvious weapons were narrower and more spear-like than the crushing shape of a normal claw. The way it held all four of them, cocked back over its shoulders, actually reminded Coop of throwing his own spear.

Even stranger, for a shrimp, were the pair of thick segmented legs that held all of the rest of the thin grasping limbs in the air, and the gaping, sharp-toothed jaw that would have been more at home in the lightless depths of the deep sea. Coop shook his head from his perch as he decided this thing was an amalgamation of a shrimp, fish, and dinosaur, like a shrimpy velociraptor. They hadn’t gotten any more pleasant to look at since his first visit. If anything, they had added to their disturbing appearance by adding more limbs and growing larger.

The creature’s aura was comparable to anything else he had inspected, nearly the same, except that just made the glaring difference stand out. Whenever he faced an Elite monster, the ‘Elite’ was placed before the monster variant’s name. In this case, Elite appeared before the level. Whether or not that had any significance, Coop didn’t know, but he thought it could be a quirk of mana well creatures and the difference between a mana manifestation and what he considered a mana mutation.

It being ‘Of The Hunger’ was also a bit strange. Had the creatures of the mana well formed a faction somehow? Maybe they defaulted into one, but he was pretty confident in asserting that they were not Chosen. The shrimp was a kindred unchosen spirit, in a way.

Coop swapped weapons to his most reliable set and leapt onto the creature’s platform and gauged how it reacted.

It twisted to face him, shuffling its two base legs, but otherwise remained in the center of the arena. Coop took a single step, planting his foot on the solid purple coral surface, and threw his spear directly at what would be the creature’s chest, between the first pair of forelimbs. It wasn’t the hardest he had thrown his spear, but the force would be enough to annihilate just about any of his previous opponents, excepting the bosses, which would still assuredly take significant damage.

The spear crossed the arena in a fraction of a second, leaving a streak of bioluminescence as it disturbed inactive clouds floating in the air, turning it into the spitting image of a blue laser bolt, but the moment before it collided with the creature, one of the four pointed claws twitched and a massive cracking sound boomed through the cavernous forest. The sound made Coop involuntarily wince as it overwhelmed the more gentle constant falling water cascading against coral heads.

Coop’s spear shot into the ground without touching the creature at all. The claw had moved so swiftly, Coop’s eyes couldn’t even track what it did, but he was sure it hadn’t physically touched his spear.

The smaller forelimbs continued to rub against each other as the two combatants judged the other. Coop was impressed by the ability of his opponent, but he wasn’t sure about the shrimp’s feelings. Perhaps it looked down on him. It just faced his direction with its gaping maw revealing extraordinarily long, narrow teeth, glistening wet as they slowly dripped with thick saliva.

Coop channeled Fog of War, not holding back. He wanted to make a thick cloud that covered the entire platform. If this creature was that fast, he would need the full value of Presence of Mind to anticipate its attacks. His ethereal spear was returned to his hand while the mists billowed from around him and engulfed the creature in a tidal wave that swallowed the arena before the excess spilled over the edges.

Presence of Mind zeroed in on the shrimp, and Coop prepared to explore what else it could do. The creature was clicking rapidly, though Coop couldn’t tell what exactly was making the sounds, it seemed like the carapace itself was repeatedly snapping and he feared it would molt and reveal an even more formidable form. Enough prior monsters had multiple phases for him to be concerned. The creature continued to face Coop without leaving its position in the center of the coral platform. There was no transformation taking place.

Coop flipped his spear and threw it again, with the same amount of force as the previously countered throw, but with the additional obfuscation provided by Fog of War. The spear zipped through the fog, right on target, until another of the shrimp’s claws twitched and a massive cracking sound erupted across the platform, blasting a temporary cone-shaped clearing in the fog.

With the additional awareness provided by Presence of Mind, Coop was able to understand what happened, but he still couldn’t exactly witness it. The shrimp’s claw swung and snapped shut with such unbelievable speed and force, it created a vacuum bubble that blocked his spear’s trajectory and smashed it into the ground. The claw actually targeted the air in front of the spear rather than the weapon itself and the disturbance was enough to completely deny the spear’s momentum.

The clicks continued to emanate from the creature, and the fact that it was able to counter the Fog of War disorientation settled onto Coop. In a way, he thought that made sense. Deep sea creatures were at home in a much more extreme environment than a thick fog, even if it was magical. The murky depths introduced their own challenges for such species to naturally overcome. If mana enhanced those abilities, then he wouldn’t expect these creatures to be confused.

Coop hesitated, not sure if he really wanted to try anything else. Maybe Shane’s party was right to respect the challenge the Coral Forest mana well was presenting.

“...Nah.” Coop muttered, as he resummoned his spear.

He wasn’t going to let an elite shrimp get the better of him unless it was way more than a few levels ahead.