My team were finishing up with the treasury and checking their own loot boxes, so I clicked on my other waiting achievements. I actually only got 1 other good one.

  “Congratulations, Lucas! For pushing the limits of a sanctioned duel and again defeating an enemy from the inside in a new and creative way, you receive an emerald Aliens loot box.”

  With a grin, I dropped onto Corvath’s throne. It really was super comfortable and a rush of strength and vitality coursed through me as soon as I sat down. So I finally Identified it.

  “Luxury Throne of the Bastion. Rare. Sit in comfort and security, no matter how long you might have to hold court. Doubles regeneration and triples all stats while seated for up to 30 minutes. Boosted stats fade over a period twice as long as you remain seated.”

  Wow. I’d definitely take the throne with me when we left. While seated, I’d be insanely tough and regenerate super fast. A perfect deterrence against attempted assassination. And the longer I sat, the longer the boosted stats would last. Very nice.

  Leaning back, I said in my best British accent, “Bring on the loot.”

  Two emerald and 1 glorious ruby loot box popped into the air in front of me, and my grin widened. I might not have gotten a lot of boxes, but quality definitely trumped quantity.

  “Ruby?” Steve exclaimed from nearby where he was opening his own long line of boxes. He had a couple emerald and even 1 diamond, so he’d made out great too.

  “What?” Ruby called. Then she saw my loot box and gasped. The others stared too. I doubted any of them had ever received a ruby loot box. Even for me with my titles that upgraded my boxes all the time, they were super rare.

  “It’s beautiful,” Ruby said.

  “Next time, you fight the level-99 stage-4 noble. Then you can get one.”

  “Increible,” Lana breathed, while her own row of emerald boxes waited behind her.

  “Go on. What did you get?” Tomas prodded.

  I probably should have waited to open my boxes till I was alone, but they’d all gotten good stuff too. They didn’t look like they minded, but I did need to be more careful. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was rubbing in the fact that I got one of the super rare ruby boxes.

  The emerald loot boxes opened first, each one flashing with brilliant light and loud fanfares. First came the emerald Ursula loot box I got for completing the first part of the stage quest. It dropped 2 scrolls.

  “Upgrade Scroll. Upgrade one castle Base Camp kitchen with an additional oven that produces gourmet meals from the home worlds of defeated off-world enemies.”

  “Spell Scroll. Temporary Spell Gravity Spike. Level 7. Target an enemy or an area 1 yard in diameter per level to change gravity. Shift it in any direction, drop it to zero, or double it for each level of spell. Uses remaining: 4.”

  “Note: due to your class perk, Uses Remaining increased to 7.”

  “Thank you, Cyrus,” I said as I read the scrolls. The new oven sounded fun, and Gravity Spike sounded amazing. I missed the random effects from my class spell Cascading Force. Gravity had been one of the forces it could trigger. This was going to be fun.

  The Aliens loot box for defeating Tydrion from the inside also dropped 2 scrolls.

  “Ability Scroll. New ability. Arena Breaker. Legendary. In each formal duel, you may use 1 item, spell, or ability outside the parameters of the duel, with 3 times its normal power.”

  “Now that’s a great ability,” I laughed. My first legendary one.

  “What?” Ruby asked. When I explained, she chuckled. “Only you would benefit from an ability like that. I don’t think anyone else has ever gotten challenged to a formal duel.”

  I planned to use it to the max, especially now that I had the Deep Tide Seal of Conquest.

  “Spell scroll. Temporary Spell: Convergence Wave. Rare. Level 6. Unleash an explosive sphere of pure energy in every direction to deliver massive damage and disrupt any active spells at the cost of half of your entire mana pool. Saturate the entire blast zone with convergence mana with a 50% chance to Mimic the strongest spell the Wave canceled out. Uses Remaining: 3”

  “Note: Due to your class perk, Uses Remaining increased to 6.”

  Another new temporary spell? Sweet! I had a few temporary spells, but they were an eclectic mix, but few were direct damage-dealing spells I could leverage with Force Weaver to synergize and stack. I hadn’t gotten enough chances to Harvest or Mimic spells so far on this stage, but the new temporary scrolls helped fill in the gap nicely.

  That reminded me, I’d cast Harvest on King Corvath, but hadn’t checked if it worked. Now I checked the notification.

  “Congratulations, Lucas! You have successfully harvested Minion Minion.”

  “Minion Minion. Epic. Level 4. 15% chance per level to steal a minion or follower of an enemy if your level or your tier is higher than the minion. Percentage adjusted by 1% up or down based on the difference between your tier-adjusted level and that of the minion’s boss. Uses Remaining: 3.”

  “Note: Due to your class perk, Uses Remaining increased to 6.”

  I re-read the description several times, my grin widening. This must have been some kind of failsafe spell Corvath held in reserve to protect himself against foul play by the Mech-Mantises, or even Queen Marisara and her court. I could definitely put it to good use.

  And just like that, my stable of temporary spells was in great shape again. By teleporting me down here, Tydrion had stacked the deck against me, but now that we’d flipped the situation, it was turning into a huge windfall.

  “Here it comes,” Lana exclaimed as everyone gathered a bit closer to watch my giant ruby Overlord loot box open.

  It flashed with blinding light, and a chorus of angelic voices rose in a crescendo of celebration before the ruby exploded into glittering shards of light that burst through the room. They stuck to every surface for a moment before fading away. It left 4 scrolls behind. Just seeing so many made me grin even before Identify triggered.

  “Title Scroll. New title: Atreides.”

  “You’ve proven adept at toppling nobility from their high seats of power, and you’ve even acquired a legendary talisman to help you take that power for yourself. Time to take the next logical step. You now have the ability to transform any fight with a being from another world into a formal duel.”

  “Additionally, every noble, officer, or executive of an alien world you defeat while on Arasha, whether or not in formal duels, cedes their titles, holdings, and property to you in the form of their House Artifact and Signature Weapon. You are the legally acknowledged owner of it all. The clans, factions, or organizations to which your defeated enemies belonged may buy you out at fair market value. More likely, they will simply attempt to assassinate you if you ever travel to their world. Welcome to the great game of true power.”

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  I read it over a couple of times, mind spinning. First I got vaults from Velexis and Sixel. That alone had catapulted me into some inter-world politics I still didn’t really understand. Then I defeated Tyrdrion and won that crazy Seal and took all his titles.

  Now, all sorts of new possibilities swam through my head. Could I win more titles and property from other members of Marisara’s court? What havoc would that cause? And what about bosses from other worlds?

  I doubted I’d ever travel to any other worlds, and even if I did, why go to worlds where I defeated their bosses? It sounded like I’d meet angry assassins, even though I might be the legal owner of potentially huge estates. Still, what if the factions or clans of those bosses bought out my Artifacts? That had to be worth a ton, if the amazing prizes the Elaris clan had offered me was any indication.

  “Well?” Ruby asked, pulling me from my thoughts. The others stood close, watching me expectantly, so I explained my new title.

  Ruby just stared, Steve chortled, and Jane whooped. Andy laughed, and Lana watched me with a look I couldn’t quite read.

  Tomas clapped me on the shoulder. “Nice, bro! So you can not only defeat bosses but take over their homeworld property?”

  “I guess.”

  “Stick it to ‘em,” Andy exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

  “Their organizations are supposed to get preferred access to lucrative parts of Arasha after the game, so I bet they’ll be able to buy you out,” Jane said.

  “Wait, what?” Lana asked.

  Ruby started explaining some of what we’d learned about bosses and their sponsoring organizations while I turned back to the other scrolls I’d gotten from the loot box. As soon as I looked at the next one, I gasped.

  “Another title?”

  “Of course, gotta keep those golden eyes extra shiny,” Steve said with a laugh.

  “Title Scroll. New Title: Court Assassin.”

  “Damage doubled when fighting off-world officers, leaders, or nobility. Plus additional 50% damage for every other enemy from the same home planet already defeated.”

  The title settled onto my eyes with a steely weight a bit different from most of the others. I didn’t like to think of myself as an assassin, but I needed more power, and this title might help bridge the gap between me and Queen Marisara, or her terrifying marshal, Thalorian.

  I’d already defeated 2 lords of her court, so I could deal 400% more damage than usual. That was huge. If I could take out a few more members of her court before I got to her, it would be like my Alexander title, but with every hit. That title alone qualified the loot box as Ruby tier.

  Ruby placed a hand on my shoulder after I explained my new title, her big, brown eyes serious. “Lucas, that title worries me a little.”

  “Are you kidding?” Steve exclaimed. “Our job is to kill Queen Marisara, and that title gives Lucas the tools to do the job.”

  “I know,” she said, not breaking eye contact with me. “It’s just . . .”

  She trailed off, and I knew what she meant. She’d worried before that I might lose myself or my humanity while fighting monsters. This was like that. Embracing the roll of assassin could lead to some pretty dark places.

  I placed my hand over hers and gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I can handle it.”

  “You bet you can!” Andy shouted, again pumping his fist into the air. “Our boss is the boss killer. Let’s do this!”

  “Thanks, Andy.”

  I scanned the other 2 scrolls and noted they were not more title scrolls. When I mentioned that, the others turned to their own loot boxes. My other 2 scrolls turned out to be just as good as new titles, though.

  “Ability Evolution Scroll. You have pushed your runesmith skills to constantly evolve, using runes in multiple boss battles for a critical edge. Tier-0 Runesmith evolves to tier-1 Runesmith.”

  “Runesmith. Tier-1. Level 2, Uncommon. Gain an intuitive understanding of all basic and intermediate runes.

  20% per level faster learning of more advanced runes.

  20% per level improved mastery over creating complex rune scripts.

  Perfect recall of all tier-0 and tier-1 runes you’ve learned, and any new runes you study for at least 5 seconds.”

  Yes! I was already planning on leveraging runes, and now my ability jumped up to tier-1. As I scanned my mental inventory of runes I’d studied or absorbed from those tomes of runesmithing, they sparkled in my mind in perfect detail. I sensed my mastery over runes had taken a gigantic leap, and couldn’t wait to try making some more complex rune scripts. Another announcement interrupted my thoughts.

  “Congratulations, Lucas! For evolving another tier-1 ability, you have pushed the mastery of your tier-1 race another major milestone and unlocked another 20% Efficiency in all Primary and Secondary Stats.”

  Oh, yeah! As I read the words, a flood of power roared through me as my Efficiencies bumped up another huge step. I felt fundamentally stronger and somehow more free, as if I’d been functioning under a hidden handicap I hadn’t even realized was there until it lifted.

  With a laugh that drew several questioning looks from my team, I shot straight up, flying all the way up to the peak of the roof. I barely resisted the urge to punch through a few pillars, or maybe head outside and see if I could bench press the island. Only with an effort did I rein in the rush before I did something foolish.

  When I checked my stats to celebrate, I got even better news. All of my Primary and Secondary stats had jumped by 20% Efficiency, including Magical Resistance and Luck, which had already been at 100%. The only one unaffected was CHA.

  That one ability evolution unlocked more power than tons of new levels. At 80% Efficiency, I’d just jumped by about a third of my entire previous stats. Now I bet I could take on common monsters at level 150, or even up to 200, depending on what kinds of power boosts they got at those major milestone levels.

  I might even be able to match Thalorian, despite the fact he no doubt had hugely elevated stats from being one of the ultimate bosses. With the added damage I could deal with my new Court Assassin title, I bet I stood a good chance. I could at least make it a real fight.

  With a feeling of optimism I’d lacked since crash-landing on Arasha, I checked my last scroll from the amazing ruby loot box. This was a new one I’d never seen before, gleaming silver parchment with bright green script.

  “Pre-Evolution Scroll. With an evolution unlocking 80% Efficiency, your other spells and abilities will begin upgrading more rapidly to fit your nearly-complete tier-1 build. In preparation for future evolution, you receive the following benefits:”

  “Spell upgrades:

  Plus 7 to Tether Slide. Unlock a third tether point and extend the range to 1000 yards.

  Plus 2 to Linguasight. Identify of tier-1 beings significantly enhanced.

  Plus 6 to Navigation. When you cast Perception Pulse, greater detail will populate on your map in real-time.

  Plus 5 to Soul Feed. Can now supercharge stats up to 500% for up to 10 minutes.”

  “Ability upgrades:

  All tier-0 abilities upgraded to level 15.”

  For a moment, I couldn’t seem to breathe as a second wave of power rolled through me as my spells and abilities mass-upgraded. I’d gotten some pretty big level-ups in the past, but nothing so huge. Combined with my unlocked Efficiencies, I started to really understand what the power of an evolved race truly meant. I was fundamentally so much stronger than even moments ago.

  All those levels in Crisis Management pushed the Efficiency of my Intelligence up to 155%. Did that allow me to be smarter, or just boost my mana pool and other secondary stats calculated off of it? I wasn’t sure, but that ability was starting to pay off in spades.

  “Are you okay, Lucas?” Ruby asked softly, flying up to meet me. The others were still enjoying their own loot boxes, but she approached, again watching me closely.

  “Better than okay,” I laughed, shooting off and zooming around the room like we had while watching those movies. Ruby gave chase, celebrating with me, although she didn’t know the specifics. Together we zipped back and forth, weaving around the room.

  When we finally stopped, hovering over the center of the room, I added, “I got some huge upgrades.”

  I was about to tell her specifics, but Cyrus startled me, his voice sounding close, as if he was hovering nearby.

  “It’s fun to upgrade and celebrate with our teams, isn’t it?”

  “It sure is,” I said slowly, not quite able to hide my frown. His not-so-subtle message was clear. He still didn’t want anyone else knowing about tier evolutions yet.

  Why? I had no idea. At their rate of leveling, my team were going to hit level 80 where they could potentially begin evolving on their own very soon. No way I’d let them tread those waters without sharing all I’d learned about maximizing their chances of hitting perfect evolutions.

  Ruby was watching me closely, and she’d definitely noticed my frown. She nodded once. “I look forward to hearing more about it later.”

  Then she dropped down toward the floor, calling for a turn with the Eternal Tideshell.

  “So when can I tell them?”

  “Soon,” Cyrus said.

  Before I could push for more details, Eva interrupted.

  “Congratulations, Lucas! For becoming the first human from Earth to receive over 100 million VIP points, you receive a sapphire VIP loot box!”

  The brightly glowing blue sapphire popped into the air in front of me and I chose to let it distract me. Cyrus could have come up with a much less enticing way to get me to focus on something else.

  I scanned my menus and whistled softly. All of my counts had indeed shot up a ton.

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