Sleeping Player (Project Chrysalis Book 3) by John Gold (novel24 TXT) 📕

flood the arena, the swordsman teleports to the head of the second golem. The storm dragon shrieks as it slams into the spot where the swordsman used to be. Gaea’s mistake was using the tsunami too early—one of the waves hits her before the storm dragon strike. Ultimately, the swordsman survives, while Gaea is killed by her own spell. The whole stadium sputters from the nasty smell in the air. The scene was well-done, educational, and interesting, money well spent. I learned about the abilities and strength of a potential opponent, not to mention what air mages can do.

***

Four years prior, Margul came back from the Gray Lands, took a different name, and started developing himself with Bernard. He was still a dragon at heart, strong, wise, proud, and smart. Dragons are their own weapon, and they don’t need clothes. His scales saved him from physical attacks, his teeth and claws tore at opponents, and his breath could burn whole forests. It all reminded him of his youth, back when he lived like a dragon and enjoyed widespread recognition and esteem.

Margul took the name Drako, which is what the wanderer Crius had been called in the last era. He was the first person to reach Tanatos, and he lived there alone for almost a year and a half. And while Margul made fun of him and his attempts to survive at first, he eventually came around to admiring his strength. And it wasn’t even the wanderer’s physical strength. His willpower and urge to consistently push himself were impressive, as was his attitude toward life, power, the world around him, and his convictions. The wanderer spent days hunting and practicing both his magic and his hand-to-hand combat. He despised armor, preferring just a sword and a shield. He wore the simplest clothing he could sew in makeshift conditions.

After observing him for half a year, Margul decided to show up personally and have a chat with Crius. The wanderer turned out to be interesting to talk to, and he was completely open about himself. He’d picked the super-mage class, one that drinks the blood of intelligent creatures to boost its own strength. After taking the blood, he used alchemy to turn it into something like potions that he could drink during battle. They boosted his magic and physical strength, pushing his body to its limit, though the resulting hangover left him much weaker than usual. Prolonged battles earned him long-term debuffs, so Crius started wandering the earth alone. Other players were afraid of his strength, not to mention the way he got it. There was no vampire romance to be found. It was a battle when the potions ran out, and he had to bite into his opponents to drink some of their life-saving blood. For enemies that were too strong, Crius used close-combat techniques. If they were too many, and his potions ran out, he switched from magic to the sword.

Crius spent more than ten years wandering the world, though he finally reached Tanatos, where he was able to train in peace and quiet. Finally, Akashi’s group arrived, and he left with them. But it was the year spent talking with Crius that made up Margul's favorite memories of the previous era. Crius never learned that he was talking with one of the world’s strongest gods.

Having been reborn, Margul picked the life mage class, learned how to fight hand to hand, and developed a personal style. Drinking blood ran counter to his principles. Margul didn’t want borrowed or temporary strength, so the wanderer named Drako, who joined the Black Rose clan after just a year of playing by himself, based his strategy on swords, daggers, hand-to-hand fighting, and sky-high resistance.

Another couple of years went by, and two more gods from the large pantheon were able to be reborn. That was how Rimida and Fox appeared. They joined the clan as well, as Bernard had already laid the groundwork for a path to join the high-level players. That was the second reason he was still in the clan. Gods, even after rebirth, were just as proud as ever, with the same strong personalities, and they weren’t about to bow the knee to anyone. Because of that, they never played in the same group, though they were always in the same battle faction. Right then, for example, Drako’s group and Bernard’s group were participating in the Third War of Faith, which was raging between the trinity and Veresal, the patron of mages.

Bernard was talking with Drako.

“Does anything bother you about the way things are?”

“Are you talking about the war? Or the demon attack?”

“I’m not sure. I have this feeling, like someone’s watching us, and that this is all going according to someone’s plan. It’s like there’s a third party who knows what both sides are going to do.”

“We’ll find out soon, my friend. If they do anything, it’ll be during the pitched battle for Pragada. Veresal’s main temple and forces are there. If a third party were to get involved, it would change the balance of power, enabling them to finish off the depleted victor.”

“You’re right—we’ll find out soon. I just hope it isn’t the end for all of us.”

A total of six former gods were on the trinity’s side in the war against Veresal. Nobody had any idea where the war was going to lead or who that third party was.

***

I just arrived at the hall where Anri and I first met. He’s sitting at the administration desk again, bringing in new students. I’m always surprised by his optimism, the way he looks at life. Even here, doing work he doesn’t like in this dusty room, he’s cheerful and lively. He’s overweight, like a ball—bald, old, and loving life.

He notices me immediately from behind the desk. Yet again, I’m interrupting a meal.

“Hey, Anri. I won and earned my tenth-level magic mastery.”

“I know—I’ve been