Chapter 18:
Brought into my Unfinished Game World
The aeronef soared through the sky at incredible speed, its wings cutting through the clouds with graceful precision. The rush of wind and the sensation of flying high above the world below filled everyone with an intoxicating sense of freedom.
Kuria stood at the bow of the vessel, her arms spread wide as she laughed with pure joy.
— This is amazing! I have never felt anything like this before! she shouted over the wind.
Even Suzaku had pushed back her hood, allowing her blonde and dark blue hair to stream behind her in the rushing air. For the first time since they had met her, there was something almost like a smile on her face as she watched the landscape rushing past below them.
Alpha gripped the railing and looked out over the vast expanse of forests and mountains that stretched to the horizon. The world looked so peaceful from up here, so different from the dangerous reality they knew waited for them at their destination.
Dave floated beside them all, experiencing the thrill of flight in his own unique way. Without the physical sensations of wind and acceleration, he could only watch his companions' excitement, but their joy was infectious enough that he found himself grinning anyway.
For nearly an hour, they all stood transfixed by the experience of soaring through the sky at such incredible speed. The aeronef's magical propulsion system pushed them forward faster than any horse could gallop, eating up the miles toward their destination.
But eventually, as with all new experiences, the initial excitement began to fade. Kuria settled down onto one of the benches built into the deck, while Suzaku pulled her hood back up and retreated to a corner of the vessel. Alpha remained at the railing, but his grip had relaxed and his expression had grown more thoughtful.
Dave took this opportunity to float closer to Alpha.
— Now would be a good time to start working on their equipment, he said. Remember, you need to act like you're the one doing the enhancing. I'll do the actual work, but as far as they know, you're using your life bender abilities to improve their gear.
Alpha nodded slightly, understanding the importance of maintaining their cover story.
— How should I approach this? he asked quietly.
— Just tell them you want to examine their equipment and see if you can enhance it. Make it sound like you're experimenting with your abilities. I'll handle the rest.
Alpha took a deep breath and walked over to where Kuria was sitting.
— Kuria, would you mind if I took a look at your equipment? I would like to try enhancing it with my life bending abilities.
Kuria's eyes lit up with curiosity.
— Of course! I am very interested to see what you can do. My staff has been with me for years, but if you can make it even better, that would be wonderful!
She pulled out an elegant white staff topped with a crystal that seemed to glow with inner light. Alpha took it carefully, pretending to examine it while Dave floated behind him and opened the item's data panel.
— Actually, before I work on enhancing your equipment, let me bring out some additional gear that Queen Mia provided, said Alpha, following Dave's whispered instructions.
Alpha walked over to a large storage chest that had been loaded onto the aeronef by Gruf's arrangements. He opened it to reveal several pieces of high-quality equipment - spare weapons, armor pieces, accessories, and various magical items that Mia had selected from the palace treasury.
— I want to see if I can redistribute some of the magical properties between different items to create better combinations, Alpha explained, doing his best to sound like he understood what he was talking about.
Dave quickly scanned through the data panels of the various items in the chest. Perfect - these had been outside the city walls long enough that Mia's protective code had worn off, making them accessible to his [re_coding] abilities.
{name: blessed_staff_of_divine_light item_type: staff rarity: 4 stats: +85 magical_damage +120 intelligence +95 mana_regen/sec +680 mana +45 agility attributes: [bonus_healing_power +35%] [bonus_buff_duration +25%] [mana_cost_reduction 20%] [divine_blessing_aura] }
Dave examined Kuria's staff first, noting its impressive stats and specialized healing attributes. Kuria disappeared inside the aeronef's cabin to change, then returned a few minutes later carrying her ceremonial robe and sacred pendant.
{name: high_priestess_ceremonial_robe item_type: clerical_robe rarity: 4 stats: +95 armor +110 intelligence +75 agility +750 mana +520 health_points attributes: [resist_magic 30%] [resist_dark_magic 45%] [bonus_spell_casting_speed +20%] [holy_protection_ward] }
{name: sacred_heart_pendant item_type: necklace rarity: 3 stats: +65 intelligence +55 mana_regen/sec +35 agility +480 mana +280 health_points attributes: [emergency_auto_heal_trigger] [party_member_status_link] [resist_status_effects 25%] }
— This is fascinating, said Alpha, staring at the various data panels that only he could see through Dave's ability. I can see so many possibilities for improvement.
Dave began examining the spare equipment in the chest, looking for items with complementary properties that he could redistribute. However, as he studied Kuria's gear more carefully, he realized something important.
— Actually, her equipment is already incredibly well balanced, Dave said to Alpha. The stat distribution is nearly perfect for a support cleric. I think the best approach would be to simply enhance what's already there rather than trying to redistribute properties.
Dave worked quickly, using his [re_coding] ability to nearly double the numerical values on each piece of Kuria's equipment. Her staff's magical damage jumped from 85 to 160, her intelligence bonuses increased dramatically, and her mana regeneration became significantly more powerful.
After several minutes of careful work, Alpha handed the equipment back to Kuria.
— Here you go. I managed to enhance the fundamental properties of each piece.
Kuria took her staff first and immediately gasped.
— Oh my! This feels completely different! The magical energy flowing through it is incredible!
She put on her ceremonial robe and pendant, her eyes widening with each piece.
— Alpha, this is amazing! I can feel my mana reserves have nearly doubled, and my connection to divine magic is so much stronger. How did you do this?
— Life bending allows me to amplify existing magical properties, Alpha explained, doing his best to sound knowledgeable. Your equipment was already excellent, so I just enhanced what was already there.
Kuria beamed with excitement.
— This is going to make such a difference in keeping everyone healthy during our mission. Thank you so much!
As Kuria turned to head back into the cabin to change into her newly enhanced gear, a spear suddenly burst through the air and struck her in the chest. The force of the impact sent her crashing to the deck, the weapon pinning her to the wooden planks.
An armored demon suddenly appeared where the spear had struck, seeming to come out of nowhere. The creature was massive, covered in black metal plates that seemed to absorb the light around them. Its face was hidden behind a helm with glowing red eye slits.
Before anyone could react, the demon grabbed the shaft of its spear and twisted it cruelly. Kuria let out a strangled cry of pain, her enhanced staff rolling away from her outstretched hand.
— Kuria! Alpha shouted, rushing toward her.
Suzaku's hood flew back as she spun around, her sunset eyes blazing with fury. Blue flames immediately began forming around her hands.
Dave stared in shock, his mind racing. How had a demon gotten onto their aeronef? And more troubling - he had never designed this type of enemy at all.
The demon pulled its spear free and raised it again, preparing to deliver a finishing blow to the wounded cleric.
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