Nightmare Fantasy Online

"WOW!! So cool! Pretty! Beautiful!! Let me take a snap!" - Aino

"NEVER." - Garami

Ignoring my protests, Aino started orbiting around me while releasing *click*-sounds. Does the System Menu come with a photo function, or is it some dedicated skill?

"Alas, I never expected that our Guild Master would do such a drastic image change during these few days. I must say I am blessed to have been allowed to join." - Palug

Since I created a Moses effect on the crowd of players and inhabitants alike when I walked to our meeting place, one that created the same clicking sounds as Aino gives off even now, I cannot refute him, dammit! However!

"I ain't the only culprit here. You're also attracting stares." - Garami

Palug had evolved from a simple rabbit with a blade sticking out from his head like some sorta horn to a proper human rabbit. Not the kind that's a human with rabbit ears on top of their head, but a proper rabbit who's walking on two legs like a human. Even the size is the same as before he evolved!

He's dressed like some musketeer-like character, with the outfit using colors like dark green and blue, and he even has a sword strapped on his waist. It looks suspiciously similar to the horn he had before evolving.

"And then there's...him." - Garami

"Yes...him." - Palug

Alas, there may be one guy who's one-upping both Palug and me when it comes to gathering attention. And not in a good way...

"MWA-HAHAHAHAHA!! LIVING BEINGS, FEAR MY POWER!!" - Bones

As a consequence of meeting outside the city, monsters may appear, which they did (just as planned). Since I was late, Bones had some random adventurer kite over several mobs to this location, and he's already started demonstrating his newfound Lich powers on those poor suckers! With extra edgelord added to them! It's hell...

That may not be far from the truth. Bones is summoning undead creatures left and right. Where did the LP restrictions go to!? It seems he's obtained a skill related to that, seeing how he and the undead he spawns are covered by some sorta aura, but 1 skill alone can't explain these numbers...

"He said that he had earned more AP due to a bonus to class levels thanks to his evolution, so he evolved his class." - Palug

Thank you for the much-needed extra info. 

Bones said he used the "Spectermancer" class, the starting class for all types of necromancy, was it? So if thinking about it logically, he should have something like "Necromancer" now. No wonder...

Ah! One of the fiery doggos dodged the undead, razor-sharp fishies and came at Bones! That guy is a dog's wet dream. He is made outta delicious bones after all. It's even his name. ...hmm? The doggo fell on the spot after Bones grabbed its face. Hmm???

"BWA-HAHAHAHA!! NO MORTAL CAN STAND A GHOST OF A CHANCE AGAINST MY WICKED [DEAD MAN'S TOUCH]!!" - Black Bone

"Dead man's touch"? What's that, a skill? I Identified the stiff doggo as it was shredded to pieces by the fishies, and saw that its MP was unnaturally low, plus it had both Poison and Paralyze status ailments. 

"He has no intention of keeping his cards a secret, does he?" - Palug

"That's going to bite back at him if he ever enters a PVP tournament." - Aino

"I'm not, so yay for me." - Garami

Bones seems to have the monster swarm under control, but I want to test out my new stuff too. First up is this "Briar" skill. 

An exceptionally bouncy slime that emitted flames from its red body jumped above the killer fish swarm and headed toward me. To repel it, I produced some webbing in the shape of a whip and lashed at the slime. 

The thread-whip turned black upon me activating the skill and produced some vicious-looking thorns all over it. After getting hit by these thorns, the slime stopped its approach to writhe around on the ground in pain. In addition, I could Identify that the slime had several stacks of status ailments on it.

This skill is more evil-ish than I first believed, and that's saying something.

Yeah, this is prolly something for plant-type monsters who uses vines as whips. To think this race of mine is using the same strategy with their webbing... 

Another pair of monsters, a tortoise with fire coming out from behind like some kinda trusters and a clam that rolls like a wheel over the surface, was charging at me. Are they trying to avenge the slime? Stupid mobs. 

With some cracks of my "whip", I activated the second skill I've yet to test out, [Evil Eye Carvings]. Strange symbols were created where the whip had struck, and once the tortoise and clam stepped on it...their speed visibly dropped. Yes! A success! 

I tossed away the improvised whip in exchange for my scythe and slashed at the side of the wheel-like clam when it passed me. Then I created a black spider arm from my back and stabbed the tortoise's head with it. The extra limb dealt Darkness damage...but of course, a tortoise monster is loaded with HP and defense. No way I can OHKO¹One-Hit Knock Out it.

Not to mention that this is the limit of what extra limbs I can create with the [Dark Spider's Metamorphosis] skill. Well, the extra limbs are just a bonus. The real boon is that I get to have a humanoid body when my real identity is a demonic spider. I wonder if I could go full Arachne if I develop the skill.

Anyway, since I lacked the raw power to defeat it, I climbed over the slow-mode tortoise and handed over the task of finishing him off to Palug. As I turned around, I saw that the clam from before was already taken care of. Yikes. 

I quickly finished off the slime from before with another Briar attack and turned my attention to Palug and the tortoise. Hey, isn't this the most epic rematch of the century? It's a fight and not a race though. 

Before the slow-down effect of my Carving expired, Palug proceeded to stab the poor tortoise's fleshy parts that were barely hidden by the shell with incredible speed and precision. The sword is so fast it feels like watching bullets hit the monster, not sword slashes! ...sword slashes? Sword-stabs? ...you get the deal! 

To finish the combo, Palug jumped HIGH into the air before making a heavy stamp onto the tortoise's back. What a rabbit jump! The impact was strong enough to make cracks in the ground! Sorry that you had to face that, tortoise...

"Phew. That was some exercise." - Palug

"That's just exercise for you? You killer rabbit." - Garami

"It was not that bad. It's simply my new skills and evolved class at work. I will refrain from saying what they are called though. I still wish to participate in potential future PVP events." - Palug

"You can be our representative then. I don't see any joy in those kinda battles." - Garami

"Oho. In that case, mind if I ask why that clam and that tortoise suddenly decelerated?" - Palug

I got up close to Palug and whispered into his rabbit ears so that the peanut gallery wouldn't overhear us.

"That's due to a double dose of [Slowing Evil Eye]." - Garami

"Double?" - Palug

"Yeah. I glared at them with the original skill, plus giving them another dose through that mark on the ground." - Garami

It's a two-pronged attack of both the Evil Eye itself and the brand-new [Evil Eye Carvings] skill.

Man, my traps are gonna be BRUTAL from now on. 

"It's not all rainbows and sunshine though..." - Garami

"You don't say. I will help Bones clean up, so ask the girls to get ready." - Palug

He's got some good leadership instincts, that rabbit. Then it's time to make a proper Party...

"Crap. My LP..." - Garami

Since the three of us evolved, Bones, Palug, and I have 20 LP as our original value. And that means I need to spend 40 LP to recruit those two to my Party. And when you include Aino and Bloom, our key to the inside of the volcano, that goes up to 70 LP when discounts aren't included.

"Garami~. I have a gift for you~." - Aino

...for some reason, that friendly smile on Aino's is giving me shivers.

---

"A blindfold!? Damn, why is only Garami getting so cool equipment!?" - Black Bone

"It is due to her status as an apostle. However, to make an Evil Eye-user give up her sight is...quite the unique request." - Palug

"Fine! I'll agree that's a downside when you think about its practical use. But it's not only that fancy cult-leader outfit that's awesome!" - Black Bone

"You can change with me if you want to..." - Garami

"NEVER!! Boss can take care of the fanservice in the Guild!" - Black Bone

That bastard...

Aino had prepared a full female officer outfit that boosts LP (and only LP). Thanks to that, I got enough of those points to recruit everyone to my Party. However, I have a nasty suspicion that Aino shares Bones' opinion of "fanservice over usage". Thank god it's not the revealing kind, but it still feels like it just needs one more step to enter the dominatrix realm. 

"Aww, but you look so...general-ish." - Aino

"Is that even a word?" - Garami

"No clue~. But the ability to see even with your eyes sealed... I think I have heard about something like that before." - Aino

"Really!?" - Garami

"Hmm... What was it... Sorry! I can't remember!" - Aino

"Think harder!" - Garami

Seriously! I'm even saving my AP for any potential solution! I'm even putting the evolution of my classes on hold because of that! 

"Master! Miss Aino! I cannot concentrate when you are making such a ruckus!" - Bloom

"Sorry..." - Garami/Aino

We got scolded by Bloom who was busy writing some stuff using various materials such as wax, liquid metal, and...is that blood? Holy crap! Or, the opposite! She's making a freaking magic circle! Legit stuff! The "black magic"-kind!

Everyone else is just looking at Bloom working at the entrance of the volcano. A wall made outta a strange, glowing material is blocking the passage, so we're having Bloom unlock the whole shebang.

...why am I, the demon in the Party, so freaked out about my cute Bloom using stuff like entrails, hearts, and blood to create a demonic magic circle, all with a smile on her face? Even Palug... I trusted you to be the normal one!! Did Bloom take up something weird after I gave her the assignment to upgrade her skill repertoire? 

Skill list:

Title list:

Nope. Nothing bad here. I did make her take the "Harvester" class so she could help dismantle the monster corpses when I was on a quest fever to earn more AP...! Is that the reason? She's so used to dealing with corpses now that her common sense's gone out the window?! ...meh, can't be.

Anyway, it's just a matter of time before the door cracks. There are supposedly more methods to enter this molten magma mountain, such as a boss rush of uber-strong volcanic beasts... Impossible. Not for our group, at least. A single one of those beasts is supposed to be at a raid-tier difficulty, and there are multiple of them...

There are also rumors about hidden tunnels underneath magma rivers, being able to hitchhike on giant wyverns for a ride into the caverns if you manage to accomplish that without being detected, getting some sort of recommendation from a yet-to-be-discovered group, or finding a hidden/forgotten key somewhere in the Blastfields. 

My point is, that there are lots of different paths into this mountain. The difference is how they work, as they are all highly difficult to enter, or simply require strange methods to do so.

*Click*

While I was busy thinking about the other paths into the volcano, Bloom managed to unlock our way of entry...? "Unlocked"? I thought this was some kinda barrier or wall, not a door. ...actually, why is there a barrier here? NFO isn't the kinda game that places obstacles without a proper backstory to them. 

"Garami? You coming?" - Black Bone

...well, time to enter the belly of the beast and find out the story. Or, the belly of the volcano.