A Gamer Into Trails

I figured, since this is a Gamer System, it wouldn't be a Gamer System if I didn't display the entire game log, right? This is a game log warning!

As always, Giliath demands your power stones!

*****

Just what in the hell is the Epstein Foundation trying to develop with Tio's prototype orbal staff? This boss is even going to drop an upgrade token for it, and that's going to make it even stronger.

"The mole really did die in one hit...", Tio uttered, obviously mused by the fact the mole died from a single Art.

"Like, seriously. This ability to adjust someone's combat skill and techniques is insanely broken. Does this happen everywhere you go, Young Master?", Lechter asked, sucking in a cold breath of air.

"Not everywhere. My ability reacts to environments I wander in at times, or it provides me opportunities like this one. Considering Tio already outgrew the expected outcome, it's more like target practice at this point. That Grand Mole was a target dummy.", I explained, musing to what happened.

After the Grand Mole died, we saw a couple yellow glows appear around Tio again.

"I've noticed this yellow aura for a few instances now. This happens each time I level up?", Tio asked me. I nodded my head.

"Yeah. My title is still at play here, so you should have at least grown one level from this boss fight. You won't get the full gain from it, considering you're six levels over the Grand Mole. The experience should still be decent. Plus we still have the reward from clearing the Instance Dungeon. That should strengthen you further.", I explained.

As if reacting to my words, three blue panels appeared before our eyes, immediately attracting our attention.

[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Party has successfully cleared Mainz Tunnel - Level 10 Instance Dungeon.]

[Ding! Would you like to leave the Instance Dungeon? Yes/No]

This second notification stayed hovering near us, prompting us if we should leave this place. It wasn't done automatically, eh? Now that is interesting. I am not sure if there will ever be a situation where we would want to remain inside here, but choosing to remain hidden inside one could act as a good hiding spot. I am not sure if time flows differently inside these, so I'll have to see if that happens.

I didn't immediately press Yes. Instead I shifted my gaze back to the two.

"Before we head out, it's completely safe now, so why don't we review what we got?", I suggested to the two. If we left now, we would have to wander around until no one was looking. It would bring us back to the normal world, so there would be a risk of getting found out as we reviewed that information. Lechter and Tio nodded their heads.

"Fine by me. I sense no danger anymore. Good work out there, kiddo.", Lechter said, placing his hands back up behind his head like he usually does. A much more relaxed look appeared in his eyes.

"Mmm. This is very similar to doing a simulation. But the new power I've achieved in this place sticks around, right?", Tio asked me.

"Pretty much.", I responded in acknowledgement.

"I see. But considering I also detect no immediate threat, let us review the information we have received from that battle. I am particularly interested as to what these Shining Pom Bait are.", Tio responded with growing interest.

I had a feeling Tio would bring that up. It was surprising to see such Item Drops, Shining Pom Bait in particular. In the games, they were essentially free level ups, as long as you won the fight. I'm guessing the same will happen here. This Instance Dungeon gave me three, and the Grand Mole gave me one, so I have four. And considering you get stronger after leveling up, it's very similar to receiving an instant power-up. Something like that can be quite broken here in the Trailsverse, so I'm surprised to suddenly receive four of them.

Either way, with the two's suggestions and that there were no more monsters in this Instance Dungeon, we could take some time to review everything else we have received. So we started going through the notifications one by one, starting with the defeated boss.

[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Party has successfully killed Boss Monster - Grand Mole - Level 10.]

[Ding! Grand Mole has dropped 2,000 Experience.]

[Ding! Due to Party Leader Tio's Current Level being higher than the Boss, received Experience will be reduced.]

[Ding! Now calculating battle tactical bonus from the latest battle...]

[Ding! Scouter (+10%), Swift and Sure (+10%), Deadly Reprisal (+10%), Unscathed (+20%) Conditions have been replied.]

[Ding! Now determining experience received...]

[Ding! Reduced experience received, 754. Tactical bonus is now applied. 1,131 experience has been obtained.]

[Ding! Due to Gamer Naoto's Equipped Title, Harem Seeker, Party Member Tio's experience has doubled.]

[Ding! Total experience has finished calculating. Party Member Tio has received 2,262 experience.]

[Ding! Party Member Tio has leveled up! 1546/1600 -> 1600/1600 Lv17. Total EXP 2,262 -> 2,208.]

[Ding! Party Member Tio has leveled up! 1700/1700 Lv18. Total EXP 2,208 -> 508.]

[Ding! Due to Gamer Naoto's Equipped title, Harem Seeker, Gamer Naoto has received 2,262 Experience.]

[Ding! Party Member Lechter has received 2 Experience.]

[Ding! Party Member Tio's Current Level: 18 508/1800.]

[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Current Level: 111 (15,808/1,146,900)]

[Ding! Party Member Lechter's Current Level: 100 (7/496,900)]

[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Sepith Counts have been adjusted from the latest battle.]

[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Party has triumphed against Mainz Tunnel - Level 10 Instance Dungeon!]

[Ding! Now rewarding Gamer Naoto with Quest Completion rewards...]

[Ding! The following items have been added into Gamer Naoto's Inventory.]

 x3 Shining Pom Bait

 x3 Generation IV Tier 1 Quartz

 x3 Generation IV Quartz Tier Upgrade Tokens

 x1 Orbal Staff Upgrade token

[Ding! Now rewarding experience to Gamer Naoto's Party...]

[Ding! Party Member Tio has received 12,000 Experience.]

[Ding! Party Member Naoto has received 12,000 Experience.]

[Ding! Party Member Lechter has received 12,000 Experience.]

[Ding! Due to Gamer Naoto's Equipped Title, Harem Seeker, Party Member Tio's received Experience has doubled.]

[Ding! Now adjusting the awarded Experience amount...]

[Ding! Calculation finished. Party Member Tio has received 24,000 Experience.]

[Ding! Due to Gamer Naoto's Equipped Title, Harem Seeker, Gamer Naoto has received 24,000 Experience, instead of 12,000.]

[Ding! Party Member Tio has leveled up! 508/1800 -> 1800/1800 Level 19. Total EXP: 24,000 -> 22,708.]

[Ding! Party Member Tio has leveled up! 1900/1900 Level 20. Total EXP: 22,708 -> 20,808.]

[Ding! Party Member Tio has leveled up! 2000/2000 Level 21. Total EXP: 22,708 -> 18,808.]

[Ding! Party Member Tio has leveled up! 3000/3000 Level 22. Total EXP: 18,808 -> 15,808.]

[Ding! Party Member Tio has leveled up! 4000/4000 Level 23. Total EXP: 15,808 -> 11,808.]

[Ding! Party member Tio has leveled up! 5000/5000 Level 24. Total EXP: 11,808 -> 6,808.]

[Ding! Party Member Tio has leveled up! 6000/6000 Level 25. Total EXP: 6,808 -> 808.]

[Ding! Party Member Tio's Current Level: 25 808/7000.]

[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Current Level: 111 (39,808/1,146,900)]

[Ding! Party Member Lechter's Current Level: 100 (12,007/496,900)]

'Holy level ups...', I inwardly thought to myself, surprised to see all of the level up notifications all of a sudden. Tio herself was distracted by several of the yellow level up glows appearing on her body. It lasted for a good moment. It was pretty funny to see Tio in such a dazed manner. Even Lechter had a surprised look in his eyes.

"Your title also affects the amount of experience you receive from completing Quests? That is so unfair.", Lechter retorted, quickly realizing what happened during all of that.

"Hey man, life is unfair.", I immediately retorted with a laugh. "But back onto a more serious note, that does seem to be the case here. I did partake in an Instance Dungeon before this, but I didn't play an active role in the Party. This is my first instance of being inside one, so I wasn't sure how my ability would react. My title is much stronger than I was anticipating it to be. It might throw my other titles into the trash bin at this point...", I mused, thinking of the possibilities I can do with this.

"...You have more than one "Title", Naoto?", Tio questioned me with a surprised look.

"Yeah. A few, currently. I can only equip one right now. They provide me with various effects, depending on the situation.", I answered.

I am curious to see if I can equip more than one Title down the line. Maybe I need to reach a certain level to do that? I know some Gamer Systems allow you to equip all the titles you earn, while some only allow you to equip one, so I'll see how that goes.

Still, even though this was the basics of the basics Instant Dungeon for a new person who had just begun their training, I managed to get 3% experience out of it, just by doing nothing! This Harem Seeker Title really is quite over-powered, isn't it? Imagine when it's fully built up with a party of five other girls. I'll be getting Experience left and right!

Thankfully the Trailsverse does have a system in place that hinders Experience gain, which took place as you just saw. It isn't a single calculation. Each level up beyond being the same level as someone or a monster, also gets calculated. It becomes 85% less which each level up, so that was why Tio earned so much less than that 2000 Experience. It makes grinding not instant, but there are ways to abuse this, even aside from my Title. In Reverie, you could easily get 300-500% or over. There were certain tactical bonuses you could abuse to achieve that.

One of them, which we haven't seen, is Overkill. You need to do five times the damage to whatever health a monster has remaining. Every single monster we fought here had full health when they were one-shot by Tio. Because of that, Overkill didn't trigger a single time. The damage she did was less than five times the amount, as each monster still had full health when they died. If I develop certain spells or crafts after this which can prevent instant KOs like that, it'll make it easy to have people, like Tio, farm a bunch of experience. I could just wipe a group of Monsters down to one HP, then have Tio go in for the kill. That should skyrocket Tio's experience.

It might be worth testing out...