Unchosen Champion-Chapter 331: Strange World

“Okay, Coop, you ready for this? Here’s what we got prepared for you.” Derek began, flipping a poster board that had been positioned on a simple stand behind the bar. The front side displayed ‘Derek’s Drinks of the Day (no refunds),’ but turning it around revealed a complicated diagram full of information. Scattered papers broke loose as he dramatically presented the board, but he ignored them as if shedding the excess notes was fully intended.

They were moving forward with the original game plan because someone had spotted the shrimp monsters rushing back up the coral colony, clearly intent on claiming the best spots to bathe in mana. The return of familiar opponents was a relief, and the Adventurers were already preparing to get back to their hunting grounds in order to complete their assigned missions. Meanwhile, Derek decided that was a good enough signal to bring Coop up to speed and have him join in on the taming of the Coral Forest, mostly because it allowed him to avoid any further responsibility while dealing with emergencies.

“Lights!” He shouted at no one in particular, but someone from the guild jogged over to a corner of the shack and pointed a lampshade toward him, providing a small highlight on the surface of the board. For a moment, Coop had no idea how to feel about the mood, but it seemed like Derek was going for a snappy presentation like he was the mastermind behind some kind of heist. It was certainly a choice.

Coop rolled his eyes before he scanned the illustrations on the board, connected with red strings, recognizing just two of half a dozen potential enemies with lines drawn to their three dimensionally represented habitats. They were color-coded and arranged on a chart that was meant to designate the different layers of the Coral Forest like a multi-tiered map coming in from the side. The monsters were further categorized for danger levels and had specific details regarding their attack habits, preferred environments, growth factors, and individual behaviors.

Coop grunted, surprised to find more or less all the information he could have hoped for. If it wasn’t for the mana in the Coral Forest being flushed by the settlement upgrade, the grind would have started immediately just from the details on the board. The new shrimp monsters were exactly in his range. Plus, the deeper variants established clear tiers based on their depth, and would have provided a smooth path all the way to level 500 if all the information was correct. The Adventurer Guild had done good work, establishing and maintaining a route into the depths.

“First of all, for shorthand, we just call ‘em by nicknames.” Derek slapped his finger against the drawing of a familiar shrimp monster as he took control of the presentation. “One That Hunts, regardless if it is of the Feast or of the Hunger are Hunters, the One That Waits we call Crabs, ‘cause Waiters didn’t sound right for such a big scary monster. Then we also have Gulpers, Chompers, Gliders, and Faders.” Derek introduced, tapping his hand against the board with each character, drawing further down the representation of the well as he went. Coop was sure the nicknames could have been better, but it was Derek they were talking about. He was just glad he had put any thought into his role.

“Our original plan was to push the guild members to establish a tamed path through as much of the mana well as possible, both for your sake and theirs to create a few proper zones for you to take over while your level rose.” Derek faced Coop. “We knew your greedy ass would monopolize the hunting areas for a while, so it was the last chance for many people to get some extra experience in before they were forced into an early vacation. But also we wanted to give you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with some of the other variants at their lowest potential level, which as you know, typically, but not always starts equal to the number of days in the assimilation. Some of them seem to get levels in secret before claiming their territory, but they aren’t found until the lower layers. From there you could explore further out to find higher level monsters of the same type.”

“I’m not that greedy.” Coop mumbled, taking issue with the assertion that he didn’t know how to share.

“No questions until the end of the presentation!” Derek cut him off, earning another eyeroll.

“Even you won’t be able to fully suppress the areas we have reached, and we estimate that only 10% of the mana well has been initially explored, let alone mapped. The whole place just keeps revealing more area, and we haven’t found a hint of it ending.” Derek explained.

“Lady Hai Yun brought a bunch of experience with mana wells, having started her leveling journey in one, and also being a major part of the group that conquered the first one, but even she has been surprised by the depth of the Coral Forest. Apparently, the one that she fully explored was only four levels, but we’ve already detected six, maybe seven, and that ain’t the bottom.”

“How can it be that big?” Coop wondered.

“Seems like the core is still shifting, moving away from Ghost Reef and deeper as it goes.” Madison added. “It’s not very fast, but it's steady.”

“I said no questions!” Derek reiterated like a disgruntled professor. “But yes, it seems like the seed of the well hasn’t completely lost its momentum after crashing into the planet.” He whipped his finger against the board once again as punctuation.

“Now, for the enemies. We planned to have one arena on each level for you to get a sense of each monster type. We’ll skip the first levels, as you are already familiar with the coral colony and the Hunters. The second level is made up of massive coral stages where a single Crab sits like a king. They lack the monster density to make them worthwhile for your style.” Derek explained confidently.

He tapped the picture of the pudgiest enemy, almost like a green-scabbed baby hippo, with a twisted face. “The first that you haven’t seen, found in the algal mats of the third floor are the Gulpers. Don’t underestimate their cute, almost pig-like features, with their squat legs and round bellies: these are ranged attackers that spew sticky globs of a ropey, partially digested material. It doesn’t just weigh you down either, but applies a damage over time as it eats through surfaces with acid. Gulpers will bathe in the disintegrated juices of their victims, so if you hunt them, expect to find them lounging in small pools among the algae mats.”

“We think they’re mutated sea cucumbers.” Emmanuel added, enjoying the presentation despite him and his wife regularly hunting in the Coral Forest already. “Bizarre right?”

“Ahem!” Derek slapped his board to stifle any further conversation.

“Next are the Chompers, who seem to have an intense rivalry with the Gulpers, often attempting to claim the algal domain and move up the Coral Forest layers. They are mostly found within the dark tubes of the fourth level, waiting in the shadows before leaping forward and chomping on their targets. They have oversized jaws that don’t seem to completely shut, and way too many, extremely sharp teeth.” Derek shot a look at Emmanuel. “They are kinda like eels with tiny pointed legs that allow them to climb around and pin things while they chew on them. Their jaws almost shoot out of their heads when they bite, so don’t underestimate their reach.” He added before Emmanuel could contribute anything.

“They have an extendable pharyngeal jaw.” Madison explained a bit more.

“That means they bite you twice.” Emmanuel clarified, shuddering if he had a bit too much experience on the wrong end of their teeth.

Derek continued before any further conversation could take place. “Gliders are huge flying creatures that live among the hanging seaweed jungle. Despite being in the open, their camouflage makes them particularly difficult to spot, even when you know what to look for. When they attack, they have a combination of abilities. The first is a ranged gas-like attack that is meant to disorient and slowly weaken its victims. The second is a slashing blade-like attack where they use their wings to cleave at blind spots. And before Emmanuel says anything, they have an obvious resemblance to manta rays.”

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Emmanuel smiled and nodded.

“Lastly, the Faders. These guys are where we’ve been stuck. They occupy an area that’s really hostile, we’ve come to call the Coral Abyss. They have what seems like an active stealth that no one has been able to pierce. Only the biggest, highest level of these monsters are ever visible. They’re probably mutated octopuses, which is scary enough, but giving them even more advanced camouflage was just cruel.” Derek concluded. “Even if they were reset, I don’t think you should head down there until you can’t get levels anywhere else.”

Emmanuel and Madison both seemed to agree. “No one has defeated one yet, and the only ones that actively fight are the ones that are so high level, no one has been able to get a read on them.” Madison continued.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Coop acknowledged. “But I’m definitely gonna check them out.”

“Of course you will.” Derek commented before being interrupted.

“Hai Yun’s back!” An adventurer who had rushed ahead let everyone at the bar know. “She’s bringing a bunch more people though.”

Derek clicked his teeth. “We haven’t gotten into the strengths and weaknesses of each monster yet!” He complained. “Let’s go see. I’m sure it’s just her crew. Most people settled on five-man parties but she insisted that there was no need to split up her coalition.” Derek continued as he led the way toward the open gathering space on top of the coral platform.

As Hai Yun crested the opposite edge, more and more people were revealed. She was boldly leading the way for a large number of familiar looking guards, all dressed in Ghost Reef Standard Issue Armor with crafted weapons instead of ancient blades and whatever meager defenses they could scrabble together. Hai Yun’s group had their equipment significantly upgraded, but she maintained her own custom elegant battle-gown, clearly distinguishing herself from a common soldier.

But that wasn’t all. Hundreds of phantoms also followed along, and as her guards ceased their progress, she led a handful of the phantoms through the observing adventurers and toward the makeshift underground headquarters for the Guild.

When she noticed Coop, she quickly adjusted her focus, giving him her undivided attention. She bowed her head in front of him before speaking.

“Greetings, my Champion. I have escorted these phantoms from the lower depths. They claim to be the leaders of new allies, but if I have made an error in judgment, say the word. I will repel them to my dying breath.” Hai Yun declared, keeping her eyes down and voice firm.

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“You can just call me Coop, Lady Hai Yun. And I’d prefer it if you didn’t do anything unnecessary to hasten your dying breath.” Coop responded, doing his best to match her demeanor. He thought he was getting pretty good at it, actually.

“Then call me Yun.” She suggested, head still politely bowed.

“Sure. Yun it is.” Coop responded, ignoring the small group of phantoms that had joined her for the moment. “Are you comfortable in Ghost Reef? You don’t need to push yourself too much.”

“It has already become home.” She answered, a small smile sneaking onto her face. “We are honored to be able to contribute.”

“Alright. As long as you're happy.” Coop replied, glancing at Madison to see if she had any thoughts, but the good doctor was shaking her head at Coop with a cryptic look on her face.

“You’re about as dense as Derek is irritating.” Madison muttered.

“Hey, why am I catching strays all of a sudden?” Derek wondered.

“Because you’re irritating.” Madison repeated before getting into even more detail.

“Not my fault he’s obsessed with fighting.” Derek continued, bravely trying to get a word in when Madison had something to say.

Emmanuel patted Coop on the shoulder while the other two argued again. “We worry about you sometimes, kiddo.”

“I’m happy to get stronger and help protect my home.” Hai Yun declared adamantly, ignoring the side conversation, and obviously tired of lacking an anchor point within the assimilation.

Coop was glad he had run into her group in the Underlayer because he believed they were exactly the type of people that deserved the security that Ghost Reef could provide. He inspected her aura, wondering if one of his main rivals was already back, based on her conviction toward progression on their behalf.

[Human (Level 253)]

[Eternal Empress (Intelligence)]

[Initiate of the Lighthouse]

[Chaos, Order (Celestial Duality)]

Coop was impressed by her level, she had worked hard to catch up, considering that all the time she spent between conquering her first mana well and arriving in Ghost Reef had been completely unproductive. Even compared to those participating in the subjugation mission of the former Fallen Zone, she was leveling faster.

Then there was her combination of affinities. As far as he knew, they were complete opposites. Coop couldn’t help but feel curious about her class and what kind of skills and paths she was offered, but as he let Presence of Mind identify her aura, he also checked the phantom’s presence at her side.

[Spectral Human (Level 1)]

[(Mind)]

[Abyssal Phantom of Ghost Reef]

The much more modest aura was completely out of place in the mana well. In fact, it would have been out of place anywhere in the assimilation, though Coop was one to talk, having only recently been level 0. The completely unimposing ghost was clearly brand new to the assimilation. Coop couldn’t help but put his attention on the unassuming sailor.

“Who are you?” Coop ultimately asked.

“My name is Diego Sousa.” The phantom responded obediently.

“And where did you come from?” Coop wondered curiously, checking out his getup and trying his best to place it. He was wearing clothing that was definitely from a different era, including a doublet and hose.

“Funchal, on Madeira, though my last trip was one of discovery.”

Coop shook his head, lacking the geographical knowledge to know where Funchal was. “I mean how did you end up here, in the Coral Forest Mana Well?”

The ghost didn’t seem sure how to respond. “I was summoned after assenting to become reinforcements for Ghost Reef. Before that, I was shipwrecked near a small island in the summer of 1248 when a storm caught our convoy by surprise.”

“Huh.” Coop grunted, equally unsure. “Well, that’s good. I mean, not the shipwreck, but that you’re here.” He corrected himself.

The original phantoms had been a reward for completing the first bonus objective while upgrading the settlement. There hadn’t been any bonus objectives this time around, but it was beginning to seem like all the previous bonuses had all been improved when promoting Ghost Reef from a City to a Metropolis. He supposed a new batch of phantoms had come from beyond Ghost Reef’s original territory now that they had expanded hundreds of miles beyond their previous limits.

“How many of you are there?” He asked, remembering how Gideon had been returned with plenty of specific knowledge about the other phantoms and the assimilation itself, while lacking the history between his death and resurrection.

“250,000” Diego answered.

“250… holy crap.” Derek muttered. “No wonder all the mana got sucked up.”

Coop laughed in disbelief. “Jones and I spotted other changes, like the increase to the number of Guard Captain slots, but the population has been changing so much we didn’t even notice. We definitely would have been looking for 250,000 ghosts if we had known.”

“That’s great news.” Madison added modestly. “We should escort them to the fort. I bet Ledwidge is gonna have a fit.”

“The monsters are also returning.” Hai Yun interjected. “I would prefer to continue hunting if possible.”

“Okay. How about we have the Adventurer Guild get the phantoms situated while I get started down here?” Coop suggested.

“Have at it.” Derek agreed. “I deserve a break anyway, don’t you think?”

“Totally.” Madison sarcastically agreed.