Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

< EFFECT: Create a temporary [Moonlit Barrier] around the wearer’s body. The [Moonlit Barrier] will ignore diseases, Conditions and Stacks until it disappears. Regenerate the [Moonlit Barrier] every five minutes >

< ADDITIONAL EFFECT: Any particle effects that can produce light deals 16,000 ATT damage and 5,000 MAG ATT damage to targets that come into contact with it. Particles become conductive to electricity >

< ATELIER EFFECTS >

< The Amalgam: Reverberating Toll | Significantly increases its potency. ATT and MAG ATT stats are dramatically increased >

< Chained Theocracy: Oblivion Shackles | Lock a target in place >

< Caldera Industries: 9.8 Quants of Gravity | Weighs nothing to the owner >

< Inflow Direct: One for All | Upon taking damage from an opponent’s Skill/Magic, transform it into a liquid state. It becomes usable. Inflict [Mana Drain] onto the target >

< CORRUPTED EFFECTS >

< Lull-A-Goodbye: Hello! Goodbye! Again, and Again! | Inflict [Lulled Into Goodbye] stacks against targets that breathe in your particles. Target loses concentration and displays signs of drowsiness >

< S.C.E.N.T.E.D Thoughts: Scented Propagation | Impose your presence into the mind of those who breathe your scent. It will alter their sense of reality >

< Once Upon a Queen Bee: The Stripes of the Colony | Your attacks deal 90% less damage against unintended targets >

< Duck-Duck-Snake: It’s You! You’re the Unwanted One! | Deal 25% more damage against targets of a given species, Impuritas Group, or similar. Deal 50% reduced damage against targets outside this group >

Despite the name of this Atelier Item, it resembled a skirt of beautiful blades. A dreamlike pattern flowed along its surface like a kaleidoscope of colors. One could swim in those colors. Upon closer inspection, one would be led to believe that there was another world inside these blades.

Joy reached into the blades, fooled by its illusion of depth. She gasped breathlessly at its cool exterior, and she found herself running her fingers along its surface.

“Gam…”

She was mesmerized by it. Joy despised cold objects. They reminded her of the Site where she had been kept for most of her life. But this item instilled nothing but tranquility. She forgot where she was for a moment and stood in the middle of the chamber staring into the colors.

Then, she eventually handed it back to Frost with a small, satisfied: “Malgam…”

“Not going to test it out?”

“Gam. Gam.” She shook her head politely.

“Wondering why it’s called a scabbard instead of a bundle of swords?”

“Malgam?”

“Corrupted are funny like that, aren’t they? Lots of contradictions to find. But there’s meaning in those contradictions.”

The item was closer to an accessory than a weapon. It was supposed to remain hidden beneath Ber’s skirt, where it could be deployed during combat. Once deployed, the blades would be tethered to her apparel by a series of strings.

At first glance, it was another close-range weapon. Ber already excelled at close range, so this seemed redundant. However, its additional effect was where it shined. Ber had a unique fighting style when it came to combating distant targets.

Frost gathered the particles in the air and shaped them into a steel rod.

“I don’t have electric-based magic to show you how it works. Ber can show you later. She used to grab metal poles and shoot them way out. We call it a railgun. Cer has Galvanized Arts in her back pocket. Would be nice if she could turn that into an Art and teach it to Ber…”

She stroked her chin and pondered hard.

“But I wonder how Ber will feel being taught her own trick… Right. Jury should be finishing soon. Think she’ll make it before day a hundred?”

“Gam!”

* * *

Through trial and error, and countless input from Enoch and Joy, they eventually reached day ninety-five.

There were five days left till Ignis’ coronation ceremony. Frost by now had completed creating an Atelier Items for each of her closest companions. Surrounding the Whitelight Apparatus was an armory of exquisitely crafted equipment.

If one were to gather the treasures of the largest Kingdoms of Emvita and put them side by side with these, then they would not even equal one one-millionth of its value. No amount of gold, luxuries, heirlooms, or treasures could compare to the arsenal Frost had created for her most trusted companions.

Enoch carefully twisted a pale revolver. She had been moving the items incrementally for the last thirty minutes. The slightest correction of one object meant that she had to go back to readjust another.

“Hurry it up Enoch. We ain’t waitin’ for your perfectionist behind to get this arranged. Looks good. Nuff said.”

“We can’t rush perfection.” Enoch tutted, which only served to irritate Kissaria further.

Joy’s presence kept her hands tied. She didn’t want to utter anything foul or stir conflict whilst in the same room as the Amalgam’s daughter.

“With this arranged at 34 degrees here… Aaaad… Perfect.”

Eventually, Enoch was satisfied with their arrangement. She stood several strides back and proudly presented the arsenal to Frost and Jury who had been standing aside for the last thirty minutes, making their own arrangements.

Piled behind them were coffins molded to the shape of each Atelier Item. Because of their immense value, they needed to be transported in highly secure containers.

Frost took Enoch’s place and waved a hand over the items, beginning with the white revolver. It had golden streaks running through it, which formed a floral pattern along the barrel and its handle. The revolver was tiny, and it only held eight bullets in the cylinder.

“Anna’s blueprint was the most surprising to me. I thought her heart would desire a bookmark. It’s good that she seeks to take matters into her own hands. Without him or us, only she can protect her library.”

< EFFECT: Its bullets may never miss their target. Every 8th bullet fired releases a heatwave into the proximity of the user. Its heat may only damage hostile targets >

< ATELIER EFFECTS >

< The Amalgam: Reverberating Toll | Significantly increases its potency. ATT and MAG ATT stats are dramatically increased >

< Justica Arms: Main Branch Relay Link | Access to Justica Arm’s supply of bullets. Reloading is not required >

< CORRUPTED EFFECTS >

< Iron Candle: I Am Fire! | Wearer is immune to fire damage and fire-based Conditions >

< Crowned: Flagellate | Bullets inflict [Cinder] Stacks >

< Castigation Bird: Punishment! | Targets born from Wrath, be it a Sin, Attribute or Affinity, take 2x more damage >

< Vengeful Red Hooded Assassin: Hunt the Big Bad Wolf | Declaire a target as a Nemesis. For every bullet that does not deal damage, the target gains a Nemesis Stack. At 10 Nemesis Stacks, the target takes unavoidable damage >

“It likely won’t see much use. But we can never be too careful.”

“It has quite the fire rate. You can shoot as fast as you pull the trigger.” Enoch commented, praising Frost’s craftsmanship. “Largely in thanks to your tendons and… what does Ignis call them? The fast-twitching musculature we used?”

“The reflect arc pathway. Give it a stimulus, and it’ll function instantly. Muscles are limited by the CNS, since we need the brain and the nerves to communicate, interpret, and transmit messages. The weapons here bypass it. It will make repairs a hassle. But, since they’re 90% constructed by my flesh and bones, it shouldn’t be hard to make field repairs.”

“… More like surgery.” Jury wittily said, annoyed by Frost’s casualness of the topic of using her body as material.

That said, Frost moved to the next Atelier Item. A beautiful golden cloak that was far too large to be worn by a person fluttered to an invisible wind. Merely glancing at the cloth caused a sense of euphoria to creep into Frost’s mind.

Her RESIST was absurdly high. For this item to be capable of bypassing her mental barriers was a sign of its power. However, this was not a weapon. Nor was it to be used by a human.

“Snap’s adorable, aren’t they? A cloak to conceal itself, so that it can travel to wherever it wants to capture people’s happiest moments… They’re living their best life. Gotta wonder how Snap has the time to travel the Nex Megalopolis and also make it feel like they’re always in the Floor of Amalgamation.”

Indeed. Snap had established their presence beyond the Nexus and had been recording people’s happiest moments for months now. She had no reason to ask Snap to stop, nor to interrogate them. Snap was one of the first people – yes people – who she had befriended in her long, arduous journey to becoming the Head.

She had no reason to suspect Snap of wrongdoings.

< EFFECT: Your presence cannot be detected by those who do not possess Light. Create a pocket dimension that can house cognizant beings >

< ATELIER EFFECTS >

< The Amalgam: Reverberating Toll | Significantly increases its potency. ATT and MAG ATT stats are dramatically increased >

< Time Reverberation: Angelic Kiss | Once every 24 hours, prevent the user’s HP from reaching 0 >

“There wasn’t much to improve on its design, aside from throwing in some of our Aspects of Technology so Snap can handle themselves better out there. I’m worried that Snap might end up accidentally finding himself in trouble.”

“I will be the first to let everyone know if that happens. Rest assured. I am in constant communication with Snap.”