185: Reach for the Stars, Part Eleven

Reach for the Stars, Part Eleven

Neve stared at the spell she'd just created. 

{Fireball} 

{New: Fireball now deals an additional 16% max HP damage} 

She blinked twice. Her hands were held up, high in the air, almost in the same position one would get into if someone was pointing a gun at them. She stared at this message for a while, unable to actually process what she'd made. 

Finally, after staring at the message for almost half a minute, she said: 

"T-That's insane!" 

16% Max HP damage on a spell that cost 10 mana was... Not balanced. 

Granted, the amount of damage the spell did could still end up being reduced by the enemy's armor or the enemy's natural resistances. She was likely never going to get the full value of this spell when fighting bosses and minibosses. 

Against regular mobs, however? No, those would likely never pose a threat again, unless Neve ended up {Silenced} somehow. 

[Or, if they're too fast. My Precision isn't exactly the highest it could be,] Neve added. 

That thought prompted Neve to look at her current stats. 

Level 67

MP: 1300/1300 (+300)

EXP: 510/670

AP: 3690

IP: 80

WST: 2500

---

Endurance: 50

Speed: 40

Precision: 38

Strength: 5

Arcane: 100

She wanted to make {Fireball} even stronger, but ran into an issue immediately. 

[Hm... Sacrificing attribute points seems like the best way to use {Reconstruction}, but there's a problem. I actually need all of the points I have,] she thought as she looked at each one. [With all of my enemies being level 67 and above, if I don't have at least 50 Endurance, I'm pretty sure a random gust of wind could one-shot me. Without my 40 Speed, sure, I can take plenty of hits but I wouldn't be able to avoid them really. I'd just get chunked down over time. And, obviously, I don't want to get rid of any of my Precision. What's the point in having a really strong spell if I can never land it?] 

Ironically, her Arcane suddenly became her most disposable attribute. 

[Still,] she quickly countered, [if I don't keep my Arcane where it is, I won't be able to summon Erin as much. Plus, with how many spells I used in Andromeda's fight, I'm pretty sure I need all the mana I can get. So, I can't really waste any of my Arcane either. I mean, sure, I could spend 90 Arcane to make this thing the strongest spell there's ever been, but if I run into one fire-resistant enemy I'm just fucked. Plus, even if I did that, there's still diminishing returns to worry about...] 

She sighed. 

It was a tough position. {Reconstruction} clearly offered an exceptional amount of power, but Neve felt lost in the possibilities. 

[What do I do...?] 

At that moment, Neve's phone buzzed. 

[Huh?] 

She looked down at it and found a message that read "Video call?" Sent, of course, by the usual suspect. 

Neve looked away from her screen. 

[... Maybe I need a second opinion.] 

She typed back a quick "sure" and set up her laptop. 

Finally, she swapped out her Angel Set for some pajamas and then answered the call. 

"Good evening," Charlotte greeted her with a smile. 

Neve just stared at her screen for a couple of seconds. 

[She's hot,] Neve's thoughts produced on their own. [She's probably pretty popular as a reporter or whatever, huh?] 

"Neve?" 

"Uh, yeah, hey," The healer raised a hand in a lazy greeting. "Hi." 

"Heh. Well," Charlotte said, leaning back in her chair, "how's your progress?" 

Neve looked away, hiding a blush. 

The reason was because there was, naturally, an elephant in the room going unmentioned right now.

That stream Neve had done. Neve knew it was probably just a matter of time before Charlotte asked about that. 

[... I'm guessing it would be pretty unbelievable if I told her I hadn't actually meant to, uh... dress like that.] She felt silly thinking about such things in the middle of this place, but, honestly, these insecurities took up a bigger space in her mind than succeeding at the Final Challenge did. 

At least, for now. 

"This Floor is massive," Neve replied. "I've mainly been just... focused on trying to make sure I'm strong enough for it." 

"Through training?" 

Neve nodded. 

"That's admirable. What is the level of the enemies in this place?" 

"Uh, I'm level 67, so the enemies are around that level." 

"67?" Charlotte pulled back, sleek, thin brows arched high. "Neve, you're pretty close to being the highest-level player in the world! Wow!" 

[... I literally was, at one point,] Neve thought, choosing not to say it. [But, being extremely high level is a bad thing in this place.] 

"Uh..." Neve paused. "Nice." 

Charlotte blinked. 

And then, she burst out laughing. 

"Hahahahaha," Charlotte cackled. "I-I suppose that isn't too comforting when the monsters around you are also strong. Sorry." 

"I... No, it's, ehm..." 

Neve stopped trying to speak and put her hands back down.  2

"Yeah." 

"Yes~" Charlotte said with a grin stuck to her face. "Anyway, about that stream you did yesterday..." 

A cold wind passed over Neve's heart. 

"Yeah?" 

"Since you're so focused on the Final Challenge, I'm guessing you're not really keeping your eyes glued to the forums. I felt you may want to know what people have been saying about you." 

"Uh..." Neve's mouth opened and closed as she tried to figure out the best way to say, "I don't give a shit what people have been saying" without sounding like a bitch to her own ears. 

Charlotte kept going before Neve could protest, though. 

"Honestly, a large part of the stream was spent in confusion for most of the audience. Look." 

Again, before Neve could stop her, Charlotte began to share her screen. She had a video saved that she opened then, showing Neve fighting Erin. 

As she hit play, Neve quickly understood what she meant. 

What she saw here, on the recording, did not match her own memory of the fight. 

Erin had been faster than Neve, sure, but not so fast that Neve couldn't keep up. Of course, that was because Erin held back. It was training, after all. Still, Neve could clearly see what she was doing, how she was moving. 

As the video played in front of her, she couldn't say the same. 

"Uh, are you fast-forwarding this?" 

"No," Charlotte replied. "This is what it looked like to all of us lesser beings, hehe." 

Neve and her friend were moving so quickly on the screen that it was hard to keep up with their movements. Even for Neve. 

She could see the chat as well. The majority of it was people saying one variation or another of "WHAT IS HAPPENING?" 

[Huh... I, uh, I guess cameras don't really capture high-speed fights that well. Though, I only have 40.] 

"10 million." 

"What?" Neve asked, pausing the video. 

"10 million." 

"What do you mean? What's that?" 

She smirked. 

"That's the number of views this video has."

Neve blinked. 

[Oh.] 

"It's been all over the news, lately. This clip gave people a taste of what you're going through in the Final Challenge. What you've been doing for the past several months. You were already quite the prominent figure, but this is turning you into an icon." 

"..." 

Neve guessed that she must have made a rather troubled face, because Charlotte's immediate reaction was to bark out more laughter. 

"Désolée, désolée," Charlotte said with such a genuine smile that Neve couldn't find it in her to be mad at her reaction to Neve's distress. "I take it you are not happy to hear that?" 

"Not really," Neve replied, hugging herself. "I... I'm not... Having people's attention on me is..." 

"I understand," Charlotte suddenly told her with a much softer tone. "I mean, I can't relate. Journalist, and all. But, I understand. I just felt that you should know... The overwhelming majority of the sentiment surrounding you is positive. Very positive." 

Neve hung her head low for a time. 

"Setting that aside, what else can you tell me about your progress? When do you believe you will be done with this place?" 

"Uh, I'm not too sure... Should be about two weeks," Neve said, relieved that the conversation had moved away from her. Or, her image, rather. "I found this thing... it's helping me to get stronger, but I can only use it once per day. I'm going to use it for two weeks and then I'll start tackling the Floor again. I just..." 

"Yes?" Charlotte asked, picking up on how conflicted she sounded. 

"I... I'm not too sure how to use it." 

"Ah, well, given that I'm not really a player, I might not be the best person to lend you advice on this. She probably could, though." 

"Huh?" 

Neve turned around, finding Erin standing by the entrance to the tent. 

"Oh." 

"Hehehe... Well, this looks like it could be rather important. Maybe I should leave you two to this conversation. Shall I check back in with you again tomorrow?" 

"Huh? Uh... Did you listen to all of that?" Neve asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Mhm. Quite interesting," Erin replied. 

"Goodbye!" 

Charlotte turned the video call off before Neve could say anything. Erin was right next to the healer before Neve could process what was happening. 

[I feel like I'm being pulled in 15 different directions. That lady...] Neve sighed. [I'm exhausted.] 

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