"Wow."
> WOW, INDEED.
...
[MK I Polymorphic Combat Suit – "Hans Integration" – Rank: Adept]
| A heavy combat exosuit created by Gerhard the Gamer using polymorphic alloy, salvaged Automaton components, and an Artificial Spirit core (Hans) as the central processing and energy system.
| Designed as a hybrid between powered armour and an intelligent combat platform, this suit integrates Mana, machine logic, and adaptive material science.
Stats:
| MP: 500/min (base)
| Durability: 2200/2200 (Self-repair slow)
| Energy Core: Hans (MP-based system)
| Armour Class: Heavy Exosuit
Defensive Effects:
| +100% Low-Class Physical Resistance
| +50% Mid-Class Physical Resistance
| +75% Low-Class Shockwave Resistance
| +50% Low-Class Energy Resistance
| +40 STR
| -30 DEX
Thermal Regulation Layer
| -50% heat generation
| Reduces plasma/energy damage
Polymorphic Alloy Structure
| Minor adaptation to repeated damage types
| +5% resistance after repeated hits
--
Power & Core System:
Artificial Spirit Core (Hans)
| Provides primary energy supply (MP-based)
| Enables real-time combat analysis
| Allows automated system optimisation
Mana-Conductive Reactor
| Converts Hans' MP and Gerhard's MP into usable energy
Dual Power Feed
| Primary: Hans
| Secondary: Gerhard
| Prevents total system shutdown
--
Limitations:
High Energy Demand
| Drains MP rapidly under full load
Core Dependency
| If Hans is damaged, system efficiency drops
Prototype Instability
| Risk of overload under extreme stress
-
[Adept Creation has levelled up]
[Adept Creation has levelled up]
[Adept Creation has levelled up]
[Adept Creation has levelled up]
[Engineering has levelled up]
[Engineering has levelled up]
[Engineering has levelled up]
[Engineering has levelled up]
[Deep Breathing Energy Control has levelled up]
[Psionic Mana Shield has levelled up]
[INT has gone up by 1]
[WIS has gone up by 1]
[STR has gone up by 1]
[DEX has gone up by 3]
[VIT has gone up by 2]
"Well, the DEX stat is a problem."
> AFFIRMATIVE, MASTER. I SUGGEST YOU EITHER IMPROVE THE HYDRAULICS AND MOVEMENT CAPACITY, OR IMPROVE [PSIONIC MANA SHIELD].
"I am improving the skill and have been the entire time. Thanks to the Grinder title, it's going rather well. That thing's a cheat in and of itself."
> SHALL WE COMMENCE PRACTICAL TESTING, MASTER?
"We shall."
Gerhard stepped into the armour's skeletal frame, which he had fixed using strange frames and cords to lift them. He would have to improve this a lot. Maybe create an assembly platform so that Hans could do this in the future.
Food for thought.
WHIRR. CH-CH-TK. SLAM.
The mechanical arms were clamped shut. The world went dark for Gerhard for a split second. Then the two small HUDs flared to life inside Gerhard's helmet, showing the outside like looking through two slits.
Yes, it wasn't very advanced. But Gerhard was working with scrap here. That he could even create a HUD like that was a miracle.
> NEURAL LINK: ESTABLISHED.
> INTEGRAL COMPOSITION DIAGNOSTIC: RUNNING...
> PLATE DENSITY: 98.4% OPTIMAL.
> FIBER-MUSCLE TENSION: BALANCED.
> MASTER GERHARD, I AM NOW INTEGRATED WITH THE MK I CHASSIS. I AM SCANNING YOUR CURRENT MANA LEVELS... 1195/1195. I HAVE ESTABLISHED AN EMERGENCY BYPASS. SHOULD WE REACH CRITICAL POWER, I WILL DRAW DIRECTLY FROM YOUR MANA POOL.
Gerhard felt the suit come to life. It was heavy, nearly half a ton, but as he moved his arm, the fibre-muscles responded instantly. It felt like he was a really tall man made of metal. The irony was not lost to him.
He had gained roughly 6 inches in height, which was already at 6'4'' before.
"Hans, run a full combat simulation on the weapons integration and calculate how fluid the Mana flows."
> THE WEAPONS CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY MOUNTED TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT FOREARMS, MASTER. POTENTIAL FOR PSYCHIC RESONANCE PRESUMED TO BE STABLE. WE ARE READY FOR UPGRADES.
"What's the energy expenditure look like?"
> 500 MANA PER MINUTE FOR BASE STATE USED. THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE THE POTENTIAL WEAPONS TO BE ADDED. I SUGGEST ADDING A WAY TO TURN MANA INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY, TO GAIN MORE OUT OF IT. THE SKILL [CHARGE] WOULD MAKE THIS POSSIBLE AND SUITABLE.
"That's not a bad idea. But right now, having the weapons be mechanical to use is for the better and doesn't waste our Mana. I already use 500 per minute just to stand here and move. What's my current MP regen?"
> CALCULATING...
> INT STANDS AT 99 AT BASE AND RISES TO 109 AS SOON AS YOU ACTIVATE [DEEP BREATHING ENERGY CONTROL].
> ADDING BONUS FROM YOUR BREATHING TECHNIQUE...
> PASSIVELY, WITHOUT THE USE OF THE BREATHING SKILL: 207.11 MP/MIN.
> ACTIVE BREATHING SKILL: 226.83 MP/MIN
> PASSIVE + [IRON WILL]: 310.66 MP/MIN
> ACTIVE + [IRON WILL]: 340.25 MP/MIN
Gerhard thought about that. That was actually not as good as he liked. It meant he could not even power the suit continuously, since he regenerated only 340 MP/min after his MP dropped below 50%. So if he wanted to use other skills, he would have to calculate it as if he were below 50% all the time. That was easier.
Gerhard looked at his most powerful and essential defensive skill: [Psionic Mana Shield].
Psionic Mana Shield (Active) Lv. 33
| EXP: 9.40%
| MP: 36
| A sophisticated evolution of defensive arts that fuses psychic energy with Mana. The Psionic Mana Shield creates a translucent, circular dome around the user. While standard mana shields merely block parts of the impacts, this "smart" barrier uses INT to strengthen areas of incoming strikes, making it far more durable than the sum of its parts.
Effects:
| Blocks a massive portion of incoming damage (Scales significantly with INT and WIS).
| +41% Physical Attack Resistance
| +41% Energy Attack Resistance
| +31% Psychic / Warp / Mental Resistance
| +9% absorbed damage converted into MP
| +1% chance to reflect part of the damage
| If the shield is shattered, the user gains a temporary "Mental Clarity" buff, reducing the casting time of the next psychic or mana-based skill by 21%.
|Mana: 328 MP per minute
|Duration: Lasts until cancelled or until MP is depleted.
-
"Hmm... the skill is starting to look very good. I mean a bit more, and I might be able to transform this into the Mana-Psionic version of a Void Shield. No, this might be better. The newly added Damage to MP conversion almost makes me salivate."
> ...
"Hold on, Hans! What about your MP regeneration?"
> AS MY INT IS 100 AND MY WIS IS 50, MY MP REGENERATION IS 15 PER MINUTE. IF WE ADD THAT TO YOUR TOTAL, WE WOULD ARRIVE AT 355 MP/MIN.
> LEAVING US AT NEGATIVE 145 MP/MIN. AND THAT'S WITHOUT USING [PSIONIC MANA SHIELD] AT ALL.
"Yeah, but it's far better. Besides, you can level up as well. This is perfect, actually. All we need is EXP."
> I PRESUME YOU ARE INSINUATING THAT WE SHALL ENTER A DUNGEON TO TEST OUT THE SUIT?
"Bingo!"
> WHAT ABOUT WEAPONRY?
"Yes, yes, let's get to it."
.
[Assault Cannon - Rank: Adept]
- Durability: 200,000/200,000 (shots to be fired)
- Damage: 320 (per round)
- Critical chance: 15%
- Firerate: 3,000 RPM
- Capacity: 2,000
Special effects:
| -25% heat generation
| +10% damage stacking
-
[Lightning Claw – Rank: Adept]
- Durability: 320/320
- Damage: 680
- Critical Chance: 22%
- Attack Speed: Fast
Special Effects:
| Ignores 80% armour
| +120% crit damage
| +50% damage vs organic targets
| +10% chance that attacks affect multiple enemies
| +30% attack speed
-
Gerhard had finished welding the weapons to the MK. I used [Observe] on them to check out what he had created.
"Magnificent."
> INDEED. THE FIREPOWER IS IMPRESSIVE FOR ADEPT GRADE WEAPONS. BUT THE AMMUNITION MIGHT BE RELATIVELY LOW, SITUATIONALLY SPEAKING.
"True, but I am very close to levelling up my [Adept Creation] to [Special Creation] and then we'll get to have limitless Novice Grade ammo. And I'll add an ammunition storage in the suit if things work out."
> AFFIRMATIVE.
Gerhard lifted his hand.
[ID Escape]
[ID Create - Mysterious Labyrinth]
Gerhard arrived inside the stone corridor of a Mysterious Labyrinth, which is like a literal dungeon. It was pitch black inside the stone corridor.
"Activate lights."
> AFFIRMATIVE. ACTIVATING LIGHTING NOW.
[Deep Breathing Energy Control]
Several lights shone from the shoulders, showing the path forward. Gerhard stomped his way forward, feeling each part of the suit as he did so. He was currently beta testing, and there were definitely some things he could improve. And yet, he had a big grin on his face.
"This is soooo siiiiick!"
Labyrinth. Originating in Greek Mythology, the labyrinth was home to the ancient monster, the Minotaur. Since the insides were always described as very convoluted, the term labyrinth came to be used to describe a maze-like structure. Many dungeons in games are called labyrinths. Prison-like structures built beneath castles were called dungeons.
*Scree*
Gerhard stopped walking and looked around.
[Detect Presence]
"There seems to be something up ahead."
> SINCE I CURRENTLY LACK AN AUSPEX, I CAN NEITHER CONFIRM NOR DENY THIS.
"Target the lights forward. I want to see what we're dealing with."
The light shone farther down the corridor, illuminating the monsters that had made that sound.
[Observe]
[Kobold - Lv. 8]
| EXP: 21.41%
| Type: Evil
| HP: 690/690
| STR: 18
| VIT: 26
| DEX: 36
| INT: 23
| WIS: 28
| LUK: 14
Special:
| Poison Blade
-
"These levels are strange. Even in the real world, the levels don't reflect a being's power. It's more to put things into perspective. I am certain that this monster is far stronger than the Zombie, but it is the same level."
> THIS MIGHT BE DUE TO THE DANGER IT POSES TO YOU. HAD YOU MET THIS MONSTER EARLIER, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN HIGHER LEVELLED.
"No, I don't think that's the case. The Zombies haven't changed their levels when I enter the Zombie dungeon. So maybe it's compared to other monsters in this dungeon?"
> TIME WILL TELL. I SUGGEST KILLING THOSE RIGHT IN FRONT OF US.
"Right, so how do we do this? Assault Cannon seems like a ridiculous waste."
> AGREED. MAYBE USING THE LIGHTNING CLAW IS THE BEST CHOICE.
"Huh, interesting. We need to change that. I need to be able to use my firearms. It's the law."
> WE REALLY SHOULD CHECK WHETHER YOU HAVE NOT BEEN INFECTED BY SOME GREENSKIN DISEASE.
The Kobolds rushed forward and slashed their swords at Gerhard. He didn't do anything and allowed them to strike him.
clang clang clang
HP: 1185
Durability: 2200/2200
"Well, that did absolutely nothing."
The Lightning Claw activated, distorting the air. Gerhard swiped the claw through the air and through the three Kobolds in one swing. They turned to dust right away.
[Kobold defeated]
[Kobold defeated]
[Kobold defeated]
[+11,290 EXP]
[+11,290 EXP]
[+11,290 EXP]
"11,290 experience each. Right. Well, that was an almost insultingly weak troop to use the Lightning Claw against."
> YOU WOULD HAVE TO KILL QUITE A FEW OF THEM TO LEVEL UP.
"Too many, that's for sure. How about your level up? Was it any good?"
> AFFIRMATIVE. I HAVE LEVELLED UP FIVE TIMES AND REACHED LEVEL 6.
"Nice! Let's have a look at your status then."
[Hans - Lv. 6]
| EXP: 10.40%
|An artificial spirit and former Man of Iron, AKA Iron Automaton, who had degraded over millennia, broken down and recreated by Gerhard, the Gamer. He has been granted artificial life, which is protected from most dangers the natural souls face.
| HP: -
| MP: 1750
-------------------
| STR: -
| VIT: -
| DEX: -
| INT: 125
| WIS: 65
| LUK: 5
-------------------
Status Points: 25
-------------------
"Ooh, that's nice. +5 INT, +3 WIS, and even +5 SP per level. But for some reason, your MP doesn't strictly follow your INT stat. I wonder what that's about. Well, I suppose it doesn't matter."
> I MUST ALSO GAIN MP FOR EACH LEVEL UP. 100 MP FOR EACH LEVEL UP AND TOGETHER WITH THE 125 FROM THE INT STAT, THAT MAKES 1750.
"Huh, that's probably it. We have to recalculate the MP regeneration again. And every time you level up, your total MP replenishes. Quite a cheat if you ask me."
> ...
"Anyway, I wonder how slow the time runs in here compared to outside. It's a higher-levelled instant dungeon than the time-dilation one, so it would make sense, no?"
> I HAVE NOTHING TO GO ON TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION.
"Right. Then, let's get you some more experience, and see how the Mk. I performs before going back, so that I can make the adjustments."
> AS YOU SAY, MASTER.