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Levelling Up The Weakest System Return of The Proto Lord
After his last encounter with the Proto Lord Alexei had never wanted to hear the hoarse croaking laughter of the creature ever again. Now that he had the hairs on the back of his neck and his arms were all standing to attention and every fiber of his being was telling him to flee, run as far away as he could, and never look back. But he couldn’t do any of that. He had a mission to complete, people to save, and a kingdom to protect. “Show yourself, Proto Lord!” Alexei called out, his staff held defensively in preparation to ward off any attacks, “I’m not the man you faced before, I’ll take you out myself this time.” “So you say,” The Proto Lord wheezed from somewhere in the dark, “And yet you still bring so many users of the Power Divine to fight alongside you. So many snacks for me to feast upon.”That was the final straw for Alexei. With a pulse of arcane power, Alexei slammed his staff down onto the ground. A sphere of light erupted out from where he stood, a magery spell desi
Levelling Up The Weakest System The Ceremony
A wild wind swept through the empty streets of Alandria.It howled past the adventurers guild and shook the trinket and magical wares stalls in their housings.To the untrained eye, the city would seem abandoned. Wiped out by the encroaching scourge that had taken the lives of so many others.But to those that knew the customs of the Drasini Kingdom, the truth was far more exciting.The wind wound on, converging through the waterway streets on the island town square where the ceremony was well underway.The Initiates sat in a wide semi-circle, their robed bodies swaying with the wind as the administrar at the centre finished his chant.The people of the city watched from windows and balconies with bated breath as the first of the Initiates rose up from their kneeling position.These Initiates would go on to become the Vanguard. The first line of defence in the coming battle. Like many Initiates from across the Kingdom, they would likely be dead by the end of the year.The Initiate set
Levelling Up The Weakest System Ejected
Alexei didn't know how to feel. On the one hand, he was overjoyed that he didn't have to go and fight on the front lines. Like every other Initiate, he had heard the stories of the death and destruction that happened out on the front. It was said that 90% of all Initiates didn't survive the first few days of their first tour, as the forces that the Demon Lord had amassed were just too powerful to be overcome by most people's weapons and abilities. If he had been sent out to fight he would have been one of that 90% statistic for sure. On the other hand, though, Alexei was distraught. He had been chosen to come to the city as the best fighter of anyone in his village. Though considering how small his village was, maybe that hadn't quite been the achievement he had thought at the time. Either way, being chosen to join the Royal Defence Corps had been an honor, both for his family and his town. If he returned there now… No, he couldn't return there. That was out of the question e
Levelling Up The Weakest System The Trout's Gills
With his bag of coins weighing his pocket down, and his heavy heart weighing down his chest, Alexei pulled up his hood and stalked through the dark streets of Alandria.In the middle of the day, the city was one of the marvels of the Drasini kingdom.Built in the middle of a vast lake Alandria was Drasini's floating fiefdom, controlled by the Archduke Kartra as a vassal of the Drasini Kingdom's royal decree.While most cities had dirt lining their city's roads where carts could freely be pulled by terra-drakes Alandria had waterways where boats would ferry goods and people too and fro.With the sunlight glinting off the waters and people bustling about it was one of the most beautiful places in all of the kingdom.In the quiet of the night, it was instead an ominous and foreboding place.The water of the lake lapped gently at the underside of the pontoons that made up the city and the boats that were tied to their moorings.Moonlight glinted on the still surface, serving as the only i
Levelling Up The Weakest System Garrick
While small and dingy on the outside, The Trout's Gills was surprisingly large when it came to the accommodation section of the building.Finding Garrick, however, was a simple task.All Alexei needed to do was follow his ears and his nose.Down at the end of the corridor, a solitary light glimmered out of a door, and behind it, he could smell a fish stew bubbling away atop a stove.There was no doubt in his mind that this was the location of Garrick.As a member of the Initiates Alexei had been taught manners and respect with strict punishments if they weren't given, so instead of storming into the kitchen that Garrick was working in Alexei politely knocked.Then he waited…And waited some more…Eventually, when he felt that he really had waited enough time, he knocked on the door a second time.There was still no response from within the kitchen.With a huff, Alexei resolved to just enter the kitchen anyway, what was the worst that could happen?Fortunately, after months upon months
Levelling Up The Weakest System Waterfall
Alexei woke up to the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the city and the smell of sizzling bacon and sausages.In the isolation of the Academy waking up was usually a sudden affair, the bells would ring and a simple porridge would be served for breakfast.Today, Alexei was allowed to drift lazily out of his sleep.He stretched out under the slightly scratchy covers of his bed and let out a colossal yawn.It felt wrong in all the best ways, and while he knew that there was a lot to get done over the course of the day he was content at that moment to lose himself in the smells and sounds of the morning.Before long, though, Alexei was up and out of bed and fully dressed in the same commoner clothes he had been wearing the night before.There really was a lot to get done.While he had been given a bag of coin from the Academy to help see him on his way, that wasn't going to last forever.In other words, he was going to have to figure out a way to make a living.The usual course of actio
Levelling Up The Weakest System The Market District
Alexei did, of course, have a game plan that he was determined to follow.For a start, staying in the city for any extended length of time was probably a bad idea.While he hadn't been the most well-known initiate of his class he was still an initiate, and much like the barkeep had said the night before, he was at least somewhat recognisable.Staying in the city would only make him a target. He wouldn't be able to find any work after his disgrace, either.No, he'd only stay for one or two nights at the very most. Long enough for him to take care of a few things.After realising that he could make almost unlimited water it occurred to Alexei that there were many people in certain areas that would pay hand over fist for a steady and unlimited supply of the stuff.Towns in areas that simply didn't have enough water to go around.Farms in areas of drought that needed to save their crops.He could very easily make a living by exploiting areas like that.To do that, though, at the very leas
Levelling Up The Weakest System The Slave Tent
Alexei didn't want to be in the slave tent.He hadn't really wanted to be in the slave tent before he had entered the slave tent, but now he was walking deeper into it that sense of not wanting to be there had drastically increased.Some of that was due to the sounds of pain that had somehow been suppressed while he was in the entranceway of the tent.Some of it was due to the horrific smells that were wafting into his nose.A lot of it was due to the… creature… which had asked him to walk deeper into the tent that was now looming out of the gloom."My master will see you, yes, yes," The creature, a beastkin no doubt, said in its strange high-pitched voice.Its arms were long and slender, stretching far below the creature's hips so that they were almost dragging across the ground. This was impressive considering its legs and torso were also slender and long, causing it to tower above Alexei's more average height.Alexei wasn't sure what creature this poor soul had been merged with, bu
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- Levelling Up The Weakest System
Return of The Proto Lord
After his last encounter with the Proto Lord Alexei had never wanted to hear the hoarse croaking laughter of the creature ever again. Now that he had the hairs on the back of his neck and his arms were all standing to attention and every fiber of his being was telling him to flee, run as far away as he could, and never look back. But he couldn’t do any of that. He had a mission to complete, people to save, and a kingdom to protect. “Show yourself, Proto Lord!” Alexei called out, his staff held defensively in preparation to ward off any attacks, “I’m not the man you faced before, I’ll take you out myself this time.” “So you say,” The Proto Lord wheezed from somewhere in the dark, “And yet you still bring so many users of the Power Divine to fight alongside you. So many snacks for me to feast upon.”That was the final straw for Alexei. With a pulse of arcane power, Alexei slammed his staff down onto the ground. A sphere of light erupted out from where he stood, a magery spell desi
- Levelling Up The Weakest System
Manifest
Nerves had seeped into the hearts of the men that Alexei and Harold had chosen to take with them into the underground sanctum of the Proto Lord the moment they took their first steps into the tunnel system that the creature had made its home. They all looked to be strong and full of heart, but Alexei could sense it. The fear was electric and it was all he could do not to get caught up in the worry himself. Instead, he drew his staff and allowed it to shift forms into that of a magery wand, perfect to be used in enclosed situations and easier to maneuver with so many bodies around. With a flex of his will, Alexei summoned a ball of light at the tip of the wand and sent it out ahead of the group. It illuminated the dank depths of the tunnel that they were slowly descending into. Once upon a time, Alexei could have imagined the tunnel being used for mining and most likely to serve as a lower down access port to the well that he had originally sensed the malaise of the Proto Lord seep
- Levelling Up The Weakest System
A New Team
As Alexei explained what the Proto Lord was to Harold and the other members of the Royal Defence Corps he could tell that their willingness to fight such a creature was waning further and further. Alexei could understand. After being told to go to the front line and expecting to die in combat defending the kingdom the shades had all disappeared. That had given them all a second chance at living. Being told that they instead had to fight a being that was well on its way to becoming the next Demon Lord? Something that, just like the shades, could kill you and then perhaps use you to fight the rest of your friends? That wasn’t something that a lot of people were keen on. Harold, though, was a brave man and always had been. “Very well,” He said as Alexei came to the end of his explanation, “If that is the case then this so-called Proto Lord must fall before the Proto part of the wretched thing's name becomes Demon instead.“I will not order anyone to join myself or Alexei in this f
- Levelling Up The Weakest System
Ancient Evil
Alexei placed his hand onto the Warp Gate and sent a pulse of magery through the system. He’d never actually had to operate one of the things before, but thanks to his more innate relationship with magery it was a bit like opening a book and simply reading from the pages. He placed his palm onto the stone and it fed information directly to him and allowed him to open a temporary link between the gate he was standing next to and the gate that was back in Alandria. It opened with a sputter at first and then, as Alexei made the link between the gates more solid, it blazed into life with a swirling blue glow. “You really are full of surprises now, aren’t you,” Harold said with a shake of his head, he couldn’t believe how different his friend had become compared to the last time he had seen the man. “Just a bit of advanced magery,” Alexei shrugged, “What did you expect me to do when I got kicked out of the Academy, go become a merchant somewhere?”“That probably would have been the sm
- Levelling Up The Weakest System
Royal Defence Corps
Alexei worked his way through the woods until he was able to catch up with the soldiers of the Royal Defence Corps. These were all men and women who had gone through the training at the Academy and come out the other end, each of them with a Power Divine powerful enough for the previous Demon Lord to want to absorb it. Perfect for fighting against a Proto Lord who hadn’t fully come into the powers that Eldreth was offering them. At first, Alexei wasn’t sure who he should approach, but then he noticed someone who looked just a little bit familiar. Without any doubts, Alexei was sure the man he saw walking in the centre of the column was none other than his old friend from the Academy, Harold. “Harold!” He exclaimed, “Is that you?” The column of marching soldiers froze instantly, like a rabbit caught in the path of an oncoming dragonhorse, before turning on Alexei with their powers at the ready. It took only a moment for Harold to realise who had called out to him. “A… Alexei?!
- Levelling Up The Weakest System
Good News
“Okay, wish me luck you two,” Alexei said, he was standing in front of a Warp Gate, one that Risa had told him led to a town that was very close to the front. Neave wrapped her arms around him as best she could and he returned it by holding her close. “You better come back safely, yeah?” Risa said, she held his gaze with a stern look. “Hey, if the Shades are running wild then you have my promise that I’ll be jumping right back into that Warp Gate,” Alexei said, “This is a recon mission, nothing more nothing less. Promise.”She gave him a critical eye, “You know, every time you’ve ever said that you’re just going to look at something or do a bit of recon you’ve come super close to dying.” “Yeah, but those times I had no idea what I was going into, this time it’s either going to be one of two things, and only one of those two things could actually be dangerous. Pretty good odds if you ask me,” Alexei said with a grin, though he could tell he was only annoying Risa with his banter.
- Levelling Up The Weakest System
Grief
Waking up in the morning Alexei realised that, despite everything that was going on, he actually felt pretty good. Not only was the threat of the Demon Lord technically dealt with, he’d also met with the Administrar and had basically engineered a situation where the man would no longer be able to send people after him. All things said and done, that was two of his major problems dealt with already, even if he did still plan to get his revenge on the Administrar in one way or another. The man couldn’t be allowed to continue in his post, not after he had sacrificed so many Initiates to the Shade Front for no good reason. When everything had concluded and everyone was safe, Alexei intended to go to the Royal Household and speak to the Emperor, perhaps he would listen to reason, if Alexei could get an audience with the man of course. Alexei pulled himself out of bed, wrapped a towel around his waist, and walked off to the shower room. He shivered as the cold water streamed onto his
- Levelling Up The Weakest System
One Last Stew
“So, let me get this straight,” Lyla said, “You’re going all the way to the front to maybe take on a massive Shade Army that you have no hope of actually fighting against just in case they’ve gone wild now that the Demon Lord is actually properly dead.” It was a pretty succinct way of explaining the situation, but Alexei was glad that Lyla had grasped the broad strokes of what was going on. “Yeah, pretty much,” Alexei shrugged, “Though I have a feeling that it’s not going to be nearly as bad as you’ve just made it sound. In fact, I think it’s going to be a wasted trip, but a necessary one just in case.” “A wasted trip?” Lyla asked. “Well, after first meeting the Demon Lord and being given a sliver of his powers I’ve always been able to sort of… you know, sense them,” Alexei said, “Just as a kind of dark fuzz off to the eastern border. Can’t feel that anymore.” “What, as in they’re just gone?” “That’s what it feels like, yeah,” Alexei said, “It feels like the Demon Lord had one l
- Levelling Up The Weakest System
Lyla
While Alexei had made it seem as if he were going to be running off to the front lines as fast as he could, there was one thing that he needed to take care of before he left Alandria again. He was sure that if he left the city without at least swinging by The Trout’s Gills at least once then Lyla would have probably ripped his head off with her inhuman beastkin strength. Once again Alexei was struck by a distinct sense of de ja vu. The day had receded into night, with the final glimmers of the twilight sun just about peaking over the very top of the mountain. It was dark, and the streets of Alandria had drawn to a near-empty silence. The only thing that guided his way was the lamplight from the many torches that hung off of the sides of various buildings. The water lapped at the underside of boats and barges alike, and he knew that somewhere deep down under the water there was the body of the very first assassin that he had dealt with, now likely stripped of flesh to the bone by
