Overpowered Wizard-Chapter B4 Ch53: Discipleship

Fourteen days (outside of time shenanigans) disappeared in a hazy, painful, adrenaline-fueled blink. Naomi was at Level 199, and she would’ve gotten to Level 200 sooner if it hadn’t been for the little classroom jam sessions Foodie would deploy in between hunts and murder quests. It was annoying, but Foodie wouldn’t turn down a hyperbolic time chamber opportunity when the conditions were right.

It was harder to pull off in the Greater Realm. More finicky. And they’d needed good security, clear space, and powerful wards that pushed Foodie’s sorcery to her limits. Maybe things would’ve been easier if it weren’t for the monster dinosaurs that could smell them from anywhere in the land, sea, and plane of existence.

Champion World Tyranthalos was quirky like that.

Naomi landed backside first in volcanic sand after her mistress erected a temporary time dilation bubble. A familiar sensation like vertigo and humidity slid over her, tickled her brain, and vibrated through her body as the dimensional magic settled into place. Everything became an off-brand color. The fiery skies became pinkish. The dark volcanic sand became bluish. The massive, man-eating palm trees changed from green leaves to gray leaves.

It was trippy. She wondered what it would be like to step into one of Zarian’s worlds. She tried not to think about it, or she’d get too distracted. She had to stay professional. Her head-over-heals madness for love could wait.

Though, she had to admit it wasn’t easy being patient after she had a brief taste of Ruvaria and Zarian.

“Forgive me, my disciple, that I’m not making an entire world for you right now. I have the aura, but the rules governing this realm are harder. And I didn’t want to waste too much time on that.”

Foodie towered over her, already Level 200. She’d reached it two days into their excursion on Tyranthalos, right after killing a roaming World Boss, one of several. Then she’d gone about killing some angry Champion Rankers like they were mere gnats. She’d made it look easy. She’d even eaten them while battling them.

Time and time again, Naomi found it funny that she could’ve fallen for Foodie if Zarian hadn’t fully committed for once. So far, they’d respected the boundaries within the discipleship. That didn’t stop them from palling around in between the ass-kickings and beatdowns and monster-slaying. Though, Foodie did have a habit of taking bites out of her, keeping Naomi on her toes.

That didn’t stop Naomi from throwing jabs in return, even if verbally.

“I had high hopes, Mistress Darkrun, but maybe I should lower those hopes. This disciple feels disappointment.”

Naomi cackled like a witch, and her discipleship goddess squawked in faux outrage before kicking her lightly in the ribs and sending her tumbling. Landing on her front, Naomi held in a groan and tried to push up, but Foodie slammed down for the mount on her back. A rear naked choke locked in around Naomi’s neck, the pressure on the lighter side for now.

Foodie hissed next to Naomi’s ear. “I thought it would be wise to let you rest. Do you wish for more punishment? I can always add a piece of you into the next meal.”

After a light squeeze, Foodie gave enough slack for Naomi to speak. “I’ll take the break. And besides, I know you’re trying to teach me something important if we have to stop.”

Foodie unentangled herself quickly and sat her big butt down in the volcanic sand. With a flex of magic, she removed her hard boots, flexed her toes before digging them into the sand. Naomi’s feet were already naked as per usual. The rest of her was naked as well, which was also a usual occurrence.

Her last set of clothes had been beaten off of her like all the others.

“Your lack of Wonder and Mysticism is making the sorcery part of your training too difficult,” Foodie explained. “It isn’t unusual for an adventurer to choose one or the other as part of their build. Rarely does anyone sacrifice both like you do.”

Sitting up, legs crossed, Naomi nodded along like a proper student. Her stat distribution focused on Willpower, Strength, and Agility. She was committed to pouring all of her free points there while relying on personal growth for her Wonder and Mysticism. Nobody was a fan of that choice. Foodie sure wasn’t.

“It doesn’t help that your class for the past one hundred levels was legendary instead of mythical. You’ve missed out on a serious amount of points.” There was no point arguing against that. Foodie was right. The big gobbo also had more to say. “I think you’ll skip past mythical and get celestial in your next class advancement. It’s also fortunate that your Tempering Cultivator class and powers enabled you to keep growing under duress.”

Foodie frowned. “But you won’t be able to achieve an adequate comprehension and application of sorcery in the time we have. It’s unfair, because I can lean well into using your psychic powers, but my stats are far more forgiving and higher.”

“I don’t care for fairness, mistress. I just want to kick ass and win.” There was more bite than there should have been in Naomi’s response. Foodie didn’t mind.

“Good. There are two paths for you. You can lean on my power more. Or you must become great at psionics, better than me, while becoming even greater at Aura Ignition, even if you can’t become better than me.” Foodie smiled impishly. “I won’t allow it. Try as much as you want. I’ll crush you each time, little disciple.”

Naomi’s smile was all teeth. “Then what are we waiting for? I’ve meditated enough.”

She didn’t like waiting around. She was behind. She was always behind. The others would’ve gotten monstrously stronger under Zarian, and Naomi still couldn’t use free good adequately. It was almost pathetic. Maybe she should give up on that and switch to free evil. Wouldn’t that make her psionics stronger or open her up to using some sorcery, even if it was the most basic stuff?

No, sorcery was a waste of time. Buffing her psionics wouldn’t be. She looked at her mistress eagerly to pop this time bubble and get them going again.

“We must wait. I’m going to apply some system magic to support the traits that want to appear inside of your soul. And we’re going to combine your maxed skills. You’re on the verge of getting your second Infinite Skill.”

“Oh, okay, cool.” Naomi could wait a little longer. From what she knew, Infinite Skills were game changers, and the Darkruns had multiple. And the stronger Naomi could become, the more her discipleship goddess could use her for her own means.

She barely needs me. She’s dumb powerful. Naomi suppressed a shiver from the memory of seeing Foodie’s Second Ignition. It wasn’t fair. The goblin goddess made Naomi feel like a little pet. I’m still going to catch up and run past somehow, someway.

Naomi smiled through the discomfort of being pulled apart and having her soul made bare to Foodie. She should add this experience among many to the Book of Darkrun.

***

Fourteen months had gone by, and Hannah was finally Level 199. The last level was always a hurdle to get, but Zarian assured her that she was making good progress. Gilbert was Level 198, though he would’ve gotten there faster if he weren’t so insistent on his breaks.

A part of Hannah’s more villainous mind found Gilbert’s nature to be a weakness that needed hammering. Then her logic and rationality broke through – Gilbert’s sacrificial magic and healing prowess were second to none at his level. The man was also overcoming personal hurdles along the way. She knew that every time Zarian created a world for them to spend a month inside of, Gilbert’s beliefs had to clash with reality.

Hannah trekked up a snaky mud path amid the large undergrowth that towered over her. Her Grimoire of the Studious Mage Inventor+4 hummed metallically while flying next to her shoulder. Her other grimoires, though weaker than her first, followed in her wake while under a thin barrier made from sorcery. She didn’t like getting splashed on too much compared to the others, and Zarian’s emphasis on a rainy, misty, jungle-themed pocket world came with a lot of splashing.

Hannah adjusted her glasses manually as small beasts sped past. She scanned them automatically and found the same curious results. They were alive. They had profiles. They belonged to this world, as if they had always been here. But once break time was over, which was soon, they would be gone to the void like the worlds Zarian had conjured before.

It was uncanny.

Hannah loved it. She wanted that power. Though she would prefer making more permanent worlds that could function without her constant micromanaging. Then again, there was something fun about tinkering at the smaller tier.

My god-complex is going to be hard to tame when I become a big bad goddess.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Eventually, Hannah reached the top of a small mountain with a river roaring into the fall near the edge. The gap between the titanic trees opened like a natural observatory, and standing beyond were the aura relay towers, green, blue, and runic. The power surging between the towers and the artificial sun was thick in the air. She could taste it at the back of her mouth.

“Hey, Hannah,” Gilbert called from his fishing spot near the waterfall. He’d been there for a few days, going over the usual rest limit. Zarian hadn’t ordered anything, but his concern about Gilbert was obvious with how he’d frown when only Hannah and Bianca showed up for breakfast.

A part of Hannah was peeved by Gilbert’s belly-aching and slowpoking. He could be so much better. She’d seen him improve and push himself. But every time he would take three steps forward, he would self-sabotage and take a step or two back.

Bianca had been at Level 200 for ten months now, waiting for the two of them. If it weren’t for Zarian’s pocket worlds – stretching two weeks into a year and some change – they would’ve fallen far behind Naomi and Foodie.

“Hey, Gil.” Hannah plopped down next to Gilbert, her grimoires flapping, whirring, singing, and shifting about. The Rescue Ranger summoned his one grimoire, and the healing tome flapped around with angelic wings.

She didn’t say anything else for a while. Moments like these with Gilbert worked best by just waiting. It was grating. Like a big time waste. She had too much on her plate as Zarian’s First Disciple. Much was expected of her.

She still waited with her friend anyway.

“I’ve been thinking,” he grumbled.

“And?”

“What if I’m wrong?” He waved his hand toward the jungles, the misty rain clouds, the world teeming with life. “He created all of this. Just because he can.”

“He used our powers to make the creation process easier,” Hannah replied quickly, her free-evil mind working fast. “And there’s his second bibliotheca.”

“A giant book of creation,” Gilbert muttered. “Damn me. Maybe he really is Zombie Jesus.”

The profound statement only worsened the mood weighing down on Gilbert. Hannah slowed her breathing and maintained her patience.

The waterfall roared onward. The rain kept coming down. The grimoires played with each other. She extended her umbrella barrier for Gilbert and occupied part of her mind with making, rearranging, and activating different runic devices with sensitive, easy to break gears.

She’d challenged herself by making the internals finer, more mechanical, or more magical, sometimes reducing the parts to a few while relying more on sorcery and enchantments, and sometimes stripping away magic until it was stuffed with mechanical parts like an overly complex clock. She was quick to accomplish all of this without spells. With spells – like Gather Resources Here – she could further automate processes and achieve even more efficiency. Like pressing a button.

Out of all the caster disciplines, wizards were the most plug-and-play. She was glad she didn’t start off as one. It wouldn’t have suited her to have it that easy.

“Do you think everything I’ve believed in were lies?” Gilbert asked, breaking his long silence.

“You said it yourself a while back. Maybe your god is an Ultra God. A friend of the Darkruns or whoever it is above.”

“Yeah, I know that’s what I said. And I stand by that. But that was when Zarian’s powers were all devilish and used for destruction mainly.” Gilbert waved his hand again. “It took a long time. And it wouldn’t have taken so long if I hadn’t been in denial. But I just can’t deny it anymore. This is biblical.”

“This is Eden,” Hannah added.

Gilbert did a double-take.

“Zarian has effectively been making Eden for us every time we needed a break.” Hannah sighed. “And we have it good as his disciples. I asked about how Naomi’s doing. Zarian’s response was telling. If it were anyone else, what Foodie’s putting Naomi through would be a hell unlike any other. She sometimes takes a bite out of her and eats her.”

“What?”

“Foodie takes bites out of Naomi. She eats her flesh. For some reason. And Naomi just laughs it off and keeps going.”

Gilbert paled. “She doesn’t … get breaks?”

“If you’re asking if Foodie can provide an Eden for Naomi, the answer is no. Only small bubbles of time delineation to slow things down between outings. It isn’t much, Zarian says. Naomi’s in hell compared to what we have going on.”

Hannah looked up at hundreds of small and large devices spiraling in a miniature gravity whirlpool, each as different and complex as the next. It was six months ago that Hannah figured out gravity magic through sorcery. The smile on Zarian’s face and the way he doted on her were one of the happiest moments in Hannah’s life.

While Gilbert was stunned into silence, the sun dimmed, and Bianca came down from her meditation in the artificial star.

Hannah tried not to let the envy surface while around Bianca. It was pointless. The Radiant Queen was the strongest of them by leaps and bounds. There was room for doubt when Naomi had pulled an upset win over Bianca once, but Hannah wasn’t sure if that would happen again.

Bianca’s presence casually played with the light. The sun dimmed. Darkness deepened. She shone brighter, like she was the world’s greatest shiny. And she’d grown taller again, which made no sense to Hannah.

Neither she nor Gilbert had grown or changed much physically, but Bianca was now brushing close to seven feet on bare feet.

Hannah was starting to wonder if Bianca had a hidden bloodline or something mysterious in her ancestry. The only other explanation was her unfathomably high free good sub-alignment. It was +77 now. Gilbert’s was +12. Zarian had +102 free evil. Hannah’s was +23 free evil.

If Bianca could reach peak free good, she could obliterate both her and maybe even Gilbert in an instant. Without Zarian’s power. With Zarian’s power, Hannah didn’t see herself having a chance in a fair fight against Bianca.

Maybe she should be the First Disciple, Hannah thought bitterly.

Suddenly, Bianca was in front of her, her knuckles tapping on Hannah’s forehead. “Don’t be down! You’re the first for a reason. And we’re here because of you being the big-brain genius.”

She flickered off to the side, appearing between them, her statuesque frame towering over Gilbert and Hannah while they sat. Gilbert held his thoughts to himself, but Hannah imagined he was bewildered by Bianca’s continuous changes and growing power.

“Dale, you two need to lean more into acceptance. It helps,” Bianca explained. “You were talking about Naomi, hm? Well, she fully accepted herself, her choices, and what’s happening to her. She faces it all the way. And so do I.”

“Isn’t that what I’m doing?” Hannah asked with more bite than she intended.

“You still fear being not enough,” Bianca said with no contempt or heat. That didn’t stop the words from hurting.

“What do you have for me, guru?” Gilbert challenged with half-hearted humor.

“Nothing that you don’t already know. Your pain is your own, and you know it.”

The former cop had nothing to reply with, and Hannah felt a kinship with the man. She glowered up at Bianca from her much shorter position. “Not all of us can be like you.”

“I know. You must be yourself. But how can you be yourself if you fear the consequences of one’s self?”

“God Almighty, I’m here to fish, not to get the guru treatment,” Gilbert grumbled.

“I should just head back to the hotel and lock in with my experiments,” Hannah grumbled as well.

Before they could complain further or move on, the air chilled. Hannah felt small, like being observed by an unfathomably large creature, which poked at an animalistic part of Hannah’s mind.

Then she, Gilbert, and Bianca felt the air become heavier, like weights on their shoulders, before he casually strolled into view when there was only open air a moment ago.

Zarian was frowning, and Hannah was the quickest to shoot to her feet and await his words. She hadn’t been able to reconcile with him being a friend for over a year now. He was their god, their master, their source of discipleship and unfathomable power that was connected to them, enabling them all to achieve far more.

Gilbert sighed and stood up slower. Bianca floated into the air before gently setting her feet down and towering over everyone. The air stirred behind her with the flapping of invisible wings.

“Hannah, Gilbert, I need you at Level 200 pronto. Bianca and I are going to meet with some people soon.”

“Do you even need Bianca?” Gilbert asked doubtfully.

“Yes. This fight’s more dangerous for me than usual.” Zarian sighed as Gilbert’s mouth fell open and Hannah flinched. “Bianca can cover some of my weaknesses and keep off the smaller threats while I deal with the big ones.”

“How?” Hannah asked in a small voice.

Zarian and Bianca shared a look. Then the Radiant Queen’s presence grew heavier, not as a match to Zarian’s, but as a compliment. “Angels.”

Their Eden ended just like the past ones. They returned to Khepradon, where the desert sand rolled like ocean waves.

Old and titanic mosques arranged themselves like a mountain range on the horizon. The suns beat down brighter and hotter, and as Hannah reconstructed a mile-long sand ship underneath her, she watched with envy as Bianca followed Zarian through the air. The Radiant Queen was already shining as bright as the suns while creating a cloud of darkness for Zarian.

“Why can’t I get over this feeling of being lesser?” Hannah asked.

“Some people can sprint from the start, and others have to crawl for a while,” Gilbert said, switching into his more adventure-appropriate gear. “Bianca’s one of those random girls nobody expected much of who ended up being an Olympic Sprinter with gold medals.”

“Am I a bad person?” Hannah asked as the vessel cut across the sand surf in search of strong enough prey.

“Nah, Hannah. I think you’re just human. More human than the crazies. But I have to agree with Bianca a little, though. You’re great. An all-star. You’re the first for a reason. Have some more belief.”

Hannah found it a little funny that she was getting a pep talk from Gilbert now. It must be frustrating to be around her and her debbie-downer moods. She should say something in return, and she would’ve if a wave of power unlike any she’d felt before hadn’t rolled over her and Gilbert.

She shivered, her mind wincing, her sub-alignment under attack. Gilbert grunted and shook it off better, turning back in the direction Zarian and Bianca had gone.

“False angels,” he muttered.

“Let’s level up fast and join them,” Hannah said. “I’ll even take a new risk to get there quicker.”

“And how you reckon doing…” Gilbert trailed off as Hannah clad herself in her prototype Iron Lady Battle Armor. It was time to fight at the front for once. By the time she was fully armored in metal and magic, she stood nine feet tall while sealed up tight.

“It’s like that, huh? Alright. Let me pull out this new one then.” A leathery, ragged cloak appeared over Gilbert. The air became dark and rotten around him, his aura buzzing like millions of locus. Hannah was glad to be in the suit, because the air was growing viral with horrid diseases that would turn a person fall into a fleshy soup pile.

“Horsemen of Revelations,” Gilbert said hoarsely, as Slip formed from underneath him, the last fitting addition to the man’s first Infinite Skill. Saying a skill aloud was unnecessary, but it did add some gravitas and an extra perk to the moment.

For Hannah, using Perfect Overclock was as simple as breathing. While the suit was born from a combination of powers, the overclock skill was too good to turn into a spell or merge it with anything. It was an Infinite Skill.

Certain skills could continuously level up nonstop. And advanced further. And if they couldn’t advance anymore, they could still level up and grow a bit stronger. Hence the name infinite. It took considerable skill combinations or luck of the draw. Powers like these rarely showed up until the high Level 300s or low Level 400s.

These were pre-God Rank powers.

Tuned up for maximum killing, Hannah steered the ship into a massive wurm dragon, and she and Gilbert went about slaying it. Thoroughly. It took until they toppled some more titans before they both reached Level 200 at long last.