Leveling up the world 2.., p.1
Leveling Up The World 2: A LitRPG Adventure, page 1
LEVELING UP THE WORLD 2
©2023 L. ECLAIRE
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ALSO IN SERIES
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
CONTENTS
1. Journey Through the Wilderness
2. Inn with an Elf
3. The Icepicker Guild
4. Entry Test
5. Guild Rookie
6. Dinnertime Mending Orders
7. Harpsisword
8. Library Training
9. Blue Quartz and Armor
10. The Thread Forger
11. Guild Selection Trial
12. Starting Party
13. Dungeon Crawling
14. Combat Preparation
15. First Level Guardian
16. Level 1 Cleared
17. Shadow Guardian
18. Aim for the Eyes
19. Copyettes
20. The Imprisoned Species
21. Music Duel
22. Into Darkness
23. Second Chances
24. Back to Basics
25. Twelve Suns
26. Guards and Gorgons
27. Holster Boots
28. Lesson and Favor
29. Guild Jobs
30. Item Exploration
31. Devoted Perfectionist
32. The Firebird
33. Mother-of-pearl
34. Horror from the Past
35. Mirror Widow
36. Nox in Action
37. Celebratory Feast
38. Shield Search
39. Scuffle at Drunkard’s End
40. The General
41. The Shield Dryad
42. Future Apprentice
43. Weapon Neglect
44. Guild Emergency
45. Crackling Fear
46. Seventh Level
47. Creatures of the Star
48. Water Equine
49. Hidden Threat
50. Bloodlust
51. Chainling Faceoff
52. Ray of Loyalty
53. Doubt and Gear
54. The Harpsisword
55. Miscalculation
56. The Mirror Pool
57. Gray Harbor
58. Barroom Blitz
59. Conditional Help
60. Guardian’s Fear
61. Lucky Break
62. Second Crossroads
63. Realm Linking
64. Echo, Guardian, and Crackling
65. Halls of Destiny
66. Paradox Cube
67. Return of the Self
68. Hidden Reward
69. Future Options
70. A Night to Remember
71. The Captain’s Parcel
72. The Quiet Noble
73. Forging Skills
74. Flameforge Celebration
75. Challenge and Offer
76. Four Percent
77. A Fury’s Visit
78. The General’s Bargain
79. Time of Testing
80. Slashing Through
81. Gift of Battle
82. Dallions Galore
83. Copyette’s Nature
84. The Atypical Guardian
85. The Root of Evil
86. Combat Limitations
87. Combat Splitting
88. Out of Darkness
89. The Thank You Gift
Dallion Seene
Thank you for reading Leveling Up The World 2
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JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS
Sun, wind, and earth…those had proved to be the greatest enemies Dallion had had to face as he made his way through Countess Priscord’s lands. So far, he had improved his shoes three times, and they still could barely withstand the harsh soil. But all that couldn’t compare to the humid heat that wrapped him like a blanket.
When he had left Dherma village, Dallion had thought it would be a cakewalk to reach the nearest city. Having gone hiking back on Earth as a child, he was confident that his experience and awakened powers would be able to make the journey, if not exciting at the very least, comfortable. Now, over a week later, he wished he could take back his words and throw them at the bottom of a well.
The food that his mother had thoughtfully packed for him was nearly gone, and two of the water skins he carried were completely empty. It was a good thing that his enhanced senses gave him an advantage when it came to hunting. The local creatures had proven to be harmless and nutritious, if small. The greatest issue remained Dallion’s reluctance to skin and cook them. The knowledge was there, thanks to his memories in this world, but the desire to do so was iffy at best.
“What do you think, Nox?” Dallion asked as he paused to take a few moments’ rest. “Is the journey exciting enough for you?”
There was no response. The crackling cub had chosen to spend most of the days in Dallion’s awakening room. Only at night would it manifest by cracking a branch or stone Dallion held. All attempts to train the creature to split larger objects in two by applying multiple cracks in the same spot had ended in failure. Regardless of what was said, Nox still refused, in typical feline fashion. So much about loyalty during boredom.
“I tell you, once we reach the top of that hill, we’ll see a village.” Dallion brushed the sweat off his forehead. He had said the exact same thing three hills in a row. “It’s inevitable. The universal probability of statistics demands that there’s a city. Or maybe a town.” He looked at the sky. The sun was scorching down without a cloud in sight. “A hamlet at the very least. If nothing else—”
Dallion stopped. His improved perception let him catch the sound of wheels and hooves approaching from the distance. Turning around, he could make out what seemed like a wagon making its way between the hills.
No guards? Dallion wondered.
From this distance, there was no telling how many people were on the wagon, but there was no one escorting it, that was for sure.
“Get ready, Nox,” he whispered. “Things might get interesting.”
Rendering himself as presentable as his clothes would let him, Dallion waited. When the wagon got close enough for him to be sure that the driver could see him, he waved. Thankfully, the driver responded in kind.
Finally, a bit of good luck. Dallion smiled. Maybe he was going to get some proper food and rest after all.
“Hey, there!” the driver shouted as he stopped the wagon a few steps from Dallion. “Lost? It’s not safe walking along in the open.” There was a note of fear in his voice, masked by curiosity.
“Just traveling,” Dallion replied. “Trying to get somewhere. Don’t worry, I have a traveling emblem.” He showed the locket round his neck.
That seemed to get the driver to relax somewhat. Looking at him, he was a carbon copy of an Earth trucker according to Dallion’s interpretation. Large, muscular with long hair, short beard, and a sleeveless vest, the man winced for a few seconds, then waved at Dallion to join him in the front of the wagon.
“Isn’t it dangerous to pick up anyone?” Dallion wondered.
“You’ve got an emblem, I’ve got an emblem. If you try anything funny, the Seven’ll remove their blessings and leave you to wander about until you die. Also, I have a sword.”
“Won’t argue with that.” Dallion laughed and rushed in.
A few moments later, the wagon was on its way again, and Dallion could finally feel his feet relax. Unfortunately, now, it was his ass that was feeling the brunt of the movement.
“Name’s Fatun,” the man said.
“Dallion.”
“Well, Dallion, where you headed?”
“You’re not curious where I’m coming from?”
“Nope.” The man shook his head. “There’s only one reason for someone like you to be walking through the wilderness. Born in a small village somewhere and off to try your luck in one of th
“It’s that obvious?”
“Yep. I’ve seen a lot like you throughout the years—young, reckless, and awakened.”
Hearing the last, Dallion tensed up.
“Hey, nothing to get worried about. With those clothes and those shoes, what else can you be?”
Dallion paused, then looked at his shoes. All in all, there wasn’t anything special about them—a mix between high shoes and low boots, they were made entirely of hard leather. Most people in Dherma village wore similar. The only difference was that Dallion had used his awakening powers to mend them to perfection.
“Oh.” I’ll have to keep that in mind.
“If you’re trying to hide, next time, leave a scratch or two, all right? Less conspicuous that way.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“So?”
Dallion arched a brow before it hit him.
“Oh, right. I’m trying to get to Nerosal. I heard it’s the place to be.”
“Nerosal.” The driver scratched his chin. “Definitely the place to be. A bit farther away than I can take you, though.”
“Oh? If money’s a problem, I have some saved—”
“Money isn’t a problem. It’s the damned wagon. It won’t last that far. Besides, I’m heading in another direction. I can drop you off three quarters of the way in Engelle. It’s not as big as Nerosal, but it’s definitely something.”
“It has to be Nerosal.”
“Sorry.”
Dallion felt excitement rush through his veins. Finally, after all this walking, he had found proof that he was on the right track. The city that his grandfather had gone to still existed, and by the sound of it, it had grown to become a major center. Now that he had finally come so close, he wasn’t going to give up.
“What if I mend your wagon?” Dallion asked.
“What?” Fatun narrowed his eyes.
“If I mend your wagon, will you take me to the city?”
The driver didn’t say anything, but Dallion could already see the mercantile nature of a trader glittering in his glance.
“The entire wagon?”
“The entire thing. I can even upgrade it, too, if you want.”
“As long as you’re offering.” A grin appeared on Fatun’s face. “Tell you what. Do that, and I’ll drive you directly to the gates of Nerosal.”
“It’s a deal, then.”
AREA AWAKENING
A green rectangle popped up in front of Dallion’s face before vanishing again. All surroundings suddenly disappeared. Instead, he found himself in the middle of a leafless forest. Massive trees rose into the air like pillars of wood, and a short distance away, in the middle of it all, a gigantic ring-like tree pierced the heavens. It was all very impressive, and definitely not what Dallion would have expected.
You are in the land of WAGON.
Defeat the guardian to change the land’s destiny, a blue rectangle read.
“I guess I need to climb to the top of that,” Dallion said. “What do you think, Nox?”
The panther cub silhouette emerged on his shoulder. Without a moment’s warning, it rushed through the forest and up a nearby tree. No sooner had it done so than a large black snake darted its direction. Before it could get remotely close, a metal bolt pierced the serpent, pinning it to the tree.
Realm section mended!
Overall completion 67%.
Sixty-seven percent? Compared to what Dallion had dealt with recently, the wagon was virtually brand new. A second shot later, the percentage increased to seventy. Mending this was definitely going to be much easier.
“Nox, let’s catch some snakes,” Dallion said and rushed after his familiar.
Finding the cracks in the wagon proved to be quite fast. From what had seen, depending on their size, areas tended to create their own populations of cracks and deformations. In this case, those were silhouette snakes—dark, long, difficult to see, and deadly if they were allowed to grow for too long.
Nox had no trouble sniffing them out, and thanks to his dartbow and high perception trait, Dallion found dispatching the creatures just as easy. Ten dead snakes later, the coveted blue rectangle emerged before him.
Realm fully mended!
The WAGON is now flawless!
“You okay, Nox?” Dallion asked, putting his weapon back in its holster. The cub looked at him with its large eyes, then yawned. “That’s fine. Get some rest. I’ll take care of the guardian.”
Making his way to the central tree, Dallion couldn’t help but note how small the realm was. Granted, a wagon was nowhere near as large as a well or building, but as an area realm it had to be larger than this. In many ways, it seemed as if Dallion was in a large object. Even so, the place was kind of calming. Now that the snakes were dealt with, the only persistent sound was the rhythmic rustling of leaves.
So, a wagon realm is wood and wind, Dallion thought, amused.
It took Dallion several hours to reach the ring tree, and several more to climb to the top. The tree had four large sets of branches, each forming a circle around either side of the massive wooden ring. The bark was smooth, but thankfully there were a multitude of smaller branches linking the various branches like spokes of a bike wheel.
Finally, after a lot of grunting and a few swear words, Dallion made it to the top.
“Where are you, guardian?” he asked, looking around. If memory served, the guardian had to appear the moment he reached the heart of the realm. “I’ve mended your realm, now all that’s left is you.”
That had sounded much better in Dallion’s mind. Thankfully, it proved enough to make the guardian take form. Initially, Dallion thought he’d be facing some sort of wood golem, or a variety of Tolkien Ent. Instead, the figure of a dryad appeared before him.
WAGON GUARDIAN
Species: DRYAD
Class: PINE
Health: 100%
Traits: UNKNOWN
Skills
- ATTACK
- GUARD
- SPLINTER ARROWS (Species Unique)
- ENTANGLE (Species Unique)
Weakness: JOINTS
A white rectangle appeared above the being.
“You’re the guardian?” Dallion arched a brow. He had heard that sailors considered their boats to be female, but he hadn’t expected the same logic to be used for wagons. “Want to surrender?”
COMBAT INITIATED
Dozens of green circles appeared on Dallion’s body, along with two sets of footsteps.
Apparently not, Dallion jumped to the side, protecting his face and upper torso with his buckler. Half a dozen wooden vines emerged from the dryad’s hands, hitting the shield like arrows. Several more vines wrapped themselves round Dallion’s legs, rendering him unable to move.
ENTANGLED
You are unable to walk or run for the next five minutes, or until the vines are removed.
“Cute,” Dallion said, then drew his dartbow and shot two bolts right at the guardian’s knees.
