Chapter 248. A gladiator
[ NEGATIVE SIGIL AFFIXES
*Avenger
Killing a monster enrages monsters near it, making them deal more damage.
*Blood Blister
Killing a monster has a chance to spawn a Blood Blister. After a short time, it explodes, dealing heavy area damage.
*Death Pulse
Killing a monster releases a deadly lightning pulse after a short delay.
*Drifting Shade
Drifting Shade chases Wanderers. Upon reaching them, it explodes for heavy damage and creates a Nightmare Field that Dazes victims.
*Empowered Elites (Shock Lance)
Elites always have the "Electric Lance" affix.
*Empowered Elites (Cold Enchanted)
Elites always have the "Cold Enchanted" affix.
*Empowered Elites (Poison Enchanted)Elites always have the "Poison Enchanted" affix.
*Empowered Elites (Shadow Enchanted)
Elites always have the "Shadow Enchanted" affix.
*Empowered Elites (Suppressor)Elites always have the "Suppressor" affix.
*Empowered Elites (Teleporter)Elites always have the "Teleporter" affix.
*Lightning Storm
Lightning gathers above the Wanderer. Get into the protection dome to avoid severe outcomes.
*Nightmare Portal
While in combat, Nightmare Portals open randomly near Wanderers, pouring out dangerous monsters.
*Stormbane's Wrath
Stormbane's Wrath chases Wanderers around, releasing deadly pulses when reaching them.
*Volcanic
While in combat, gouts of flame periodically erupt near Wanderer.
*Monster Crowd Control Resist
Magic: Crowd Control duration vs monsters is reduced by 20%.
Rare: Crowd Control duration vs monsters is reduced by 30%.
Legendary: Crowd Control duration vs monsters is reduced by 40%.
*Monster Critical Resist
Magic: Monsters take 30% less damage from Critical Strike.
Rare: Monsters take 45% less damage from Critical Strike.
Legendary: Monsters take 60% less damage from Critical Strike.
*Monster Overpower Resist
Magic: Monsters take 30% less damage from Overpower.
Rare: Monsters take 45% less damage from Overpower attacks.
Legendary: Monsters take 60% less damage from Overpower attacks.
*Monster Vulnerable Resist
Magic: Duration of Vulnerable Effects vs monsters is reduced by 30%.
Rare: Duration of Vulnerable Effects vs monsters is reduced by 45%.
Legendary: Duration of Vulnerable Effects vs Monsters is reduced by 60%.
*Backstabbers
Magic: Monsters near the Wanderer deal 50% more damage when attacking from behind.
Rare: Monsters near the Wanderer deal 100% more damage when attacking from behind.
Legendary: Monsters near the Wanderer deal 150% more damage when attacking from behind.
*Monster Attack Speed
Magic: Monsters attack 15% faster.
Rare: Monsters attack 20% faster.
Legendary: Monsters attack 25% faster.
*Monster Barrier
Magic: Monsters gain 20% of their Maximum Life as a Barrier.
Rare: Monsters gain 25% of their Maximum Life as a Barrier.
Legendary: Monsters gain 30% of their Maximum Life as a Barrier.
*Barrier Breakers
Magic: Monsters deal 50% more damage to Barriers.
Rare: Monsters deal 75% more damage to Barriers.
Legendary: Monsters deal 100% more damage to Barriers.
*Slowing Projectiles
Magic: Monster attacks from a distance have a 30% chance to slow targets.
Rare: Monster attacks from a distance have a 40% chance to slow targets.
Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance have a 50% chance to slow targets.
*Resource Burn
Magic: Monster attacks from a distance burn 8% of your Primary Resource.
Rare: Monster attacks from a distance burn 12% of your Primary Resource.
Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance burn 16% of your Primary Resource.
*Monster Bleeding Damage
Magic: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Bleeding over 5 seconds.
Rare: Monsters deal an additional 22% of their Physical damage dealt as Bleeding over 5 seconds.
Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 30% of their Physical damage dealt as Bleeding over 5 seconds.
*Monster Burning Damage
Magic: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Burning over 5 seconds.
Rare: Monsters deal an additional 22% of their Physical damage dealt as Burning over 5 seconds.
Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 30% of their Physical damage dealt as Burning over 5 seconds.
*Monster Cold Damage
Magic: Monsters deal an additional 10% of their Physical damage dealt as Cold.
Rare: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Cold.
Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 20% of their Physical damage dealt as Cold.
*Monster Shadow Damage Over Time
Magic: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow over 5 seconds.
Rare: Monsters deal an additional 22% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow over 5 seconds.
Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 30% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow over 5 seconds.
*Monster Fire Damage
Magic: Monsters deal an additional 10% of their Physical damage dealt as Fire.
Rare: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Fire.
Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 20% of their Physical damage dealt as Fire.
*Monster Lightning Damage
Magic: Monsters deal an additional 10% of their Physical damage dealt as Lightning.
Rare: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Lightning.
Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 20% of their Physical damage dealt as Lightning.
*Monster Poison Damage
Magic: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Poison over 5 seconds.
Rare: Monsters deal an additional 22% of their Physical damage dealt as Poison over 5 seconds.
Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 30% of their Physical damage dealt as Poison over 5 seconds.
*Monster Shadow Damage
Magic: Monsters deal an additional 10% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow.
Rare: Monsters deal an additional 15% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow.
Legendary: Monsters deal an additional 20% of their Physical damage dealt as Shadow.
*Monster Life
Magic: Monsters gain 20% extra life.
Rare: Monsters gain 25% extra life.
Legendary: Monsters gain 30% extra life.
*Monster Regen
Magic: Non-boss monsters regen 1.5% Maximum Life per second.
Rare: Non-boss monsters regen 1.5% Maximum Life per second.
Legendary: Non-boss monsters regen 1.5% Maximum Life per second.
*Monster Bleed Resist
Magic: Monsters take 30% less Bleeding damage.
Rare: Monsters take 45% less Bleeding damage.
Legendary: Monsters take 60% less Bleeding damage.
*Monster Burning Resist
Magic: Monsters take 30% less Burning damage.
Rare: Monsters take 45% less Burning damage.
Legendary: Monsters take 60% less Burning damage.
*Monster Cold Resist
Magic: Monsters take 20% less Cold damage.
Rare: Monsters take 30% less Cold damage.
Legendary: Monsters take 40% less Cold damage.
*Monster Shadow Damage Over Time Resist
Magic: Monsters take 40% reduced damage from your Shadow damage over time effects.
Rare: Monsters take 50% reduced damage from your Shadow damage over time effects.
Legendary: Monsters take 60% reduced damage from your Shadow damage over time effects.
*Monster Fire Resist
Magic: Monsters take 20% less Lightning damage.
Rare: Monsters take 30% less Lightning damage.
Legendary: Monsters take 40% less Lightning damage.
*Melee Defenders
Magic: Monsters take 20% less damage from close targets.
Rare: Monsters take 30% less damage from close targets.
Legendary: Monsters take 40% less damage from close targets.
*Monster Physical Resist
Magic: Monsters take 15% less Physical damage.
Rare: Monsters take 22% less Physical damage.
Legendary: Monsters take 30% less Physical damage.
*Monster Poison Resist
Magic: Monsters take 30% less Poison damage.
Rare: Monsters take 45% less Poison damage.
Legendary: Monsters take 60% less Poison damage.
*Ranged Defenders
Magic: Monsters take 30% less damage from distant targets.
Rare: Monsters take 45% less damage from distant targets.
Legendary: Monsters take 60% less damage from distant targets.
*Monster Shadow Resist
Magic: Monsters take 20% less Shadow damage.
Rare: Monsters take 30% less Shadow damage.
Legendary: Monsters take 40% less Shadow damage.
*Monster Life Steal
Magic: Non-boss monsters gain 10% Life Steal.
Rare: Non-boss monsters gain 12% Life Steal.
Legendary: Non-boss monsters gain 15% Life Steal.
*Dodge Breakers
Magic: Monster attacks from a distance reduce dodge chance by 8% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 40%.
Rare: Monster attacks from a distance reduce dodge chance by 10% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 50%.
Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance reduce dodge chance by 12% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 60%.
*Potion Breakers
Magic: Monster attacks from a distance have a 20% chance to disable the Healing Potion for 2 seconds.
Rare: Monster attacks from a distance have a 25% chance to disable the Healing Potion for 2 seconds.
Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance have a 30% chance to disable the Healing Potion for 2 seconds.
*Resistance Breakers
Magic: Monster attacks from a distance reduce Resistance by 6% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 30%.
Rare: Monster attacks from a distance reduce Resistance by 8% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 40%.
Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance reduce Resistance by 10% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 50%.
*Monster Thorns
Magic: Monsters reflect 4% of Non-Physical damage.
Rare: Monsters reflect 6% of Non-Physical damage.
Legendary: Monsters reflect 8% of Non-Physical damage.
*Armor Breakers
Magic: Monster attacks from a distance reduce your Armor by 5% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 25%.
Rare: Monster attacks from a distance reduce your Armor by 6% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 30%.
Legendary: Monster attacks from a distance reduce your Armor by 7% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 35%.
*Unstoppable Monsters
Magic: Monsters become Unstoppable when life drops below 15%.
Rare: Monsters become Unstoppable when life drops below 22%.
Legendary: Monsters become Unstoppable when life drops below 30%. ]
To say he was disgusted after reading all that was an understatement.
The Negative Affixes could fuck someone over big time if their RNG was bad. Just imagining a situation where you couldn't face even five monsters within five levels of you, simply because their 'empowerments' were your weak points, was nightmare fuel.
But now, these retarded creatures were willing to pay a steep price just to fuck him over. Not only would the number of Negative Affixes increase, but they would choose which ones.
Same with the Positive Affixes. Given that the devils already saw the details about the Nightmare Dungeon he would explore, they could very well choose Positive Affixes that were utterly useless.
Gritting his teeth, he tried to calm down and consider the situation. Even if in this field he couldn't summon his Skeletons, after feeling the nature of the force-field covering him and being used as a screen by the demons, he understood that it was the Sanctuary blocking his attempt at summoning them.
As for why it would do that, it was incredibly simple: it allowed him to hide his cards!
The devils had no idea what his Class was but would immediately know after seeing the Skeletons and the Golem.
Unfortunately, his items all had the death motif on them, with plenty of skulls decorating everything from his boots to his shield. It wouldn't be that hard to guess.
'But they don't know what type I am. After seeing the sword and shield, they might think I am the melee type rather than using magic skills and minions. This also means that their aggressive entrance was cunningly used to pressure me and show some of my cards. Fuck! This is a bit too fucking much for a single person to handle!'
Trying to calm down, he counted his hidden cards and tried to figure out if it would be sufficient.
First, he had his minions, which would be of immense help in both tanking and dealing damage.
Second, they might consider him in the melee class, meaning that the Affixes they choose would target that sort of close-range fighter instead of someone who dealt most of his damage as Shadow damage, thanks to his Corpse Explosion.
Third, by seeing the Nightmare Sigil Michael got, they could easily speculate on his overall level and underestimate him. The Sanctuary didn't hide the details of the Sigil but instead showed them alongside its details on the 'screen.'
And compared to Level 51 Wanderers, he was definitely much stronger.
Now, for the problems, they were a bit more abundant.
First, due to his issue with the Main Quest chain, he hasn't advanced to World Tier 3 Difficulty yet, meaning he didn't have the upgrade in item rarity but would face Tier 3 Difficulty enemies in the Nightmare Dungeon, as the Sanctuary already pointed out.
Second, the enemies he would face would have increased Resistance, meaning that his overall damage would significantly decrease.
Third, the devils had inside information on the Dungeon type and could easily create a deadly combo in which his Positive Affixes were trash and couldn't do much to help him, while the Negative ones would target his weaknesses.
Fourth, Michael would fight in a completely foreign territory, which would only intensify the psychological pressure. Furthermore, the Sanctuary advised him to get sufficient supplies to last him a long time, meaning that this wasn't the type of Dungeon he could clear within a single day.
Fifth, if these fuckers didn't play by the rules once, they would certainly do it again. And they would probably use one of the Negative Affixes to do that.
Looking at the list, a particular one stood out, making the Necromancer close his eyes in contemplation.
After five minutes of silence, he agreed to the changes proposed by the other side, curious to see if he was right about his theory.
Waiting patiently, the ten devils finally reached an agreement, and the list of Affixes was changed.
[ Attention!
After the price was paid, the changes to the Affixes are as follows:
Positive
*Gold Find
You find 10% more gold.
*Magic Find
You find more items from enemies. ]
Hearing the crowd's roaring laughter, Michael's mouth twitched in annoyance at how shameless these bastards were.
He could finally imagine how gladiators felt while fighting in the Colosseum under the jeers of the people.