Overpowered Wizard

Zarian had to go fishing on the other side of the lake away from Gilbert.

The Knighted Healer was still steaming mad after the Zombie Jesus joke. He needed distance from the Madness Wizard before he could finally cool down.

The others milled about near the hotel.

Bianca helped carry Naomi out on the recliner chair and set her by the edge of the lake. Naomi was still heavily debuffed and wasn’t in the mood to move much or do any fishing.

Hannah sat on the edge of the lake beside Gilbert. She had a short wooden workbench she’d made in front of her.

Equipment in hand, she picked and prodded at the extra spatial bag to tease out its lace of intricate spatial enchantments and gnomish runes. One of her shrunken golem balls had some string wrapped around it with hook and bait while bobbing on the lake’s surface.

Then there was Bianca, who sat cross-legged on a platform made of sunlight. She held her fishing rod out with her eyes closed, going about her day basking in the sun and meditating while she fished.

Gilbert flipped open the lid to a cooler and pulled out a small cask of beer. It was still morning, but who was going to tell that to Gilbert?

He popped off the cork and chugged down some of the beer. That wasn’t enough to ease away his anger as he sent a withering glare across the lake at Zarian.

The Madness Wizard smiled and waved back until Gilbert looked away. Chuckling to himself, Zarian paid attention to the epic enchanted rod in his hand.

The rod looked like a simple brown stick that was thicker around the portion where the hands were supposed to hold. The tip was thinner. The line was made of pure solidified aura, attaching the pole to the bobber and hook.

The bait came from the leftover food they had or whatever little low-level insects that Para caught with a tendril and handed over.

That was about it. The fishing rod’s enchantments responded to aura and intentions. Casting and reeling were almost automatic.

Zarian could even point and shoot the bobber and hook out there without having to wind up and cast.

Zarian didn’t really know much about fishing. Gilbert had given him some pointers prior to reaching the lake. The big man would’ve taught him some more if it wasn’t for the Zombie Jesus joke, but Zarian could infer the rest on his own.

He could see the lake was teeming with a plethora of life with his aura perception.

In fact, he could study the aura of the water itself, which had more magical properties than most bodies of water Zarian had seen so far. This lake was a precious place, and the aquatic creatures living in it reflected that.

There was even one big eel-like fish that was in the Level 70s. It was all the way down at the bottom and reminded Zarian of the Loch Ness Monster.

Zarian kept casting his bait into the open water above the big one. But it didn’t seem interested in his bait and stayed lurking at the lake’s bottom.

Honestly, Zarian could go down there and try to get it himself. But that would break the spirit of what today was supposed to represent – rest and relaxation.

This is kind of hard, Zarian thought, feeling itchy and twitchy.

There was a lot to do.

Foodie was waiting for them.

They were leaving their kiddos to fend for themselves.

There were new spells to learn. He had to cultivate at night and face the deep depths of his Overwhelming Darkness.

There were other little things on the horizon. The issues with his wife, Luciana. The issues with his little sister, Ariana. The issues with the Star System in the wake of what Zarian had done during the Darkrun Apocalypse.

With all of this in mind, it felt wasteful to just sit here and fish.

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Zarian looked back and saw Para’s many arms, tentacles, and other monstrous limbs playing with Morph. The grimoire scrambled back and forth while trying to dodge Para’s grabs and pinches.

The spellbook creature, the most lively and materialized of them all, sounded like he was having fun. Para wasn’t in a rush to open his pages and gain mastery over his spells.

Zarian turned back to the lake, letting the two enjoy themselves.

He still felt guilty.

I took a week off after the arch cherub fight, Zarian thought. Looking back, I guess I needed the time to sort myself out after nearly losing myself to Para.

They hadn’t talked about it much.

But it was still a slightly sticky point in their relationship as host and parasite. He’d gone too far in unraveling. She didn’t betray him and made sure he came back alright.

He’d come away with some new understanding about hunger and about Para herself. But that didn’t mean he came out completely alright.

To be fair, he’d never given himself time to check if he was alright with anything in his life. He’d kept himself busy. He kept his eyes on the horizon. He’d never truly settled except for that week after the arch cherub.

Maybe there were more issues than just the big ones. He didn’t want to think about the small stuff. He didn’t even think about them when he took a week off.

He’d rarely given himself time to think and sort through his messy life. He was tempted to ignore it all. He wasn’t a mortal, right?

He was the son of ultra gods. All the crap he’d gone through living like a mortal was behind him. Surely, he could stay on task and keep chugging ahead.

Maybe he should crack open one of his grimoires and sneak in some studying. Or maybe he could just toss aside the rod and jump into the lake to go after the bigger prize at the bottom. Anything was better than just sitting here and doing nothing.

He didn’t feel like thinking too much about himself.

Besides, the fishing day was mainly for Gilbert. He needed the time to unwind and enjoy his favorite hobby. That was great for him, but it really wasn’t great for Zarian.

Someone approached him before he summoned a grimoire to study.

Out of everyone, Zarian expected this one the least. He looked up as Loner of all people came to a stop next to him and pointed at a piece of rock that could serve as a seat.

Zarian nodded for the goblin skeleton to sit down. Loner did so with his hands on his knees and with a serene and eyeless expression turned toward the lake.

Since Loner and the other skeletons were all bone, they didn’t really have expressions in the traditional sense. But Zarian could kind of tell as a part-time necromancer.

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“Out of all the older skeletons, Loner, you’ve survived the longest,” Zarian said. Para and Morph’s play session quieted in the background as Zarian continued. “I know I’ve been a messy wizard and necromancer. A bunch of skeletons have fallen along the way, and some of that is my fault. But here you are, at my side. I wonder if relaxing days like these are enjoyable for you after all you’ve been through.”

Loner slowly turned his head to Zarian before giving him a single nod. The answer was yes. Loner enjoyed days like these.

Zarian looked back at the lake. All the way on the other side, Gilbert caught something and was reeling it in.

He was less mad now, and more excited about fishing. Bianca cheered for him. Naomi pumped her fist up and down lazily. Hannah was still working on the satchel’s spatial enchantments, but she got a free pass since she was the one who’d made their luxurious living quarters.

Gilbert reeled up a Level 15 fish with a mirror-like appearance that held the tint of a rainbow on its scales. The fish thrashed about and even used some magic to throw a crescent of rainbow-colored water.

The attack splashed harmlessly off Gilbert’s chest. He hoisted the fish up proudly and jumped around in joy with his Sleipnir. The man truly loved his fishing. He was a simple man like that, even when in another world far from home.

Zarian felt happy for Gilbert, even when he felt somber or down for himself.

“Things might get heavy and complicated in the future,” Zarian said. “Maybe fishing isn’t really for me. But if my friends like it, why not take a day off and let them enjoy it.”

Zarian offered his fishing rod to Loner. The goblin skeleton looked at it for a while before gingerly accepting the epic instrument.

He seemed genuinely happy. He even went as far as crossing his legs like Bianca as he sat and cast his fishing line out there into the water.

Zarian lingered to watch Loner for a little while before standing up. The wizard went over to a small crop of stone-barked trees with large boughs and branches made of hardy leaves. There were a few hedges and blocks of natural stone benches under the arch of a bridge that was missing its other half.

Zarian sat in the shade under the trees and broken bridge.

Morph scrambled close to his foot and didn’t seem so scared anymore. Para’s many arms and hands looped around from behind Zarian and turned to his face, her palms splitting into a dozen mouths.

“I was wondering what you would do,” she said.

“I tried it for a bit. Not my thing. I have stuff I want to work on even on my days off,” Zarian said. “Look at me. A workaholic. I didn’t think I’d get to this point before Infinita.”

“I wonder if that’s unhealthy or if that’s just how you are,” Para said. “In comparison, Gilbert seems to enjoy these simple pleasures. Bianca does, too. And Naomi is actually resting for the first time in a long time. You and Hannah, however, wish to work on your projects that you have a vested interest in.”

Zarian nodded, glancing past Para’s many speaking-limbs. He looked at Loner as the goblin skeleton jerked up and started reeling something he’d hooked.

Loner ended up hoisting a Level 5 fish that looked like someone’s waterlogged rug. It was an ugly thing, but Loner seemed proud to have caught it anyway.

A bunch of spectral spiders appeared around Loner and performed a celebratory dance in spiraling circles. Loner stood proudly in the center.

“What about you, Para?” Zarian asked. “Do you like to rest and relax or do you want to keep grinding away at the projects that interest you?”

“I think I like both,” Para said. “I want to like both. I am, essentially, a constant project who must grow greater and stronger. We are all projects of progression, in fact.”

“Yeah, this is true.” Zarian nodded.

Para continued. “But I do not have the traditional personhood that you have. So I must seek humane pleasures that go beyond my usual hunger for flesh and the pain I can inflict on those I consume alive. In other words, I wouldn’t mind having more hobbies.”

Zarian took his time to respond as he thought about Para’s words and her existence. Then he asked, “What would you like to do? Let me know, and we’ll do it.”

Para fell silent for a while. When she spoke, it was a whisper. “You’ve never asked me this before. Not in this way.”

“Yeah, I never have asked, have I?” Zarian nodded slowly. “Today’s the perfect day for it. So, what is it you want to do?”

“I want … to fish,” Para said. “Just for the novelty of it. And to attempt new things.”

They went to the other side to grab another fishing rod. Gilbert wasn’t glaring at Zarian anymore, but he was still a little upset.

Despite that, Gilbert offered a small cask of beer. Zarian took one and thanked him before flying back to his spot near Loner.

For most of the day, Para and Loner fished. Para proved to be an exceptional fishing parasite, able to pull up a Level 35 fish. Loner only got as far as Level 20.

Zarian ended up with Morph in his lap. He learned to scratch the timid grimoire on the belly between all his creepy finger-like and insectoid limbs.

That was enough to win over the Grimoire of Weird Morphs officially and have him crack open its first pages for the wizard. Before Zarian delved in completely, Bianca called everyone over to change into swim trunks and go swimming.

That turned out to be more fun for Zarian honestly, although he had to dismiss Morph when he refused to get into the water. Once Zarian had on his swim trunks, he dove in.

Bianca ended up holding onto Naomi who was still as limp as a noodle. They dove under the surface in their enchanted bikinis.

Everyone looked great. Bianca remained a flawless beauty. Naomi had a fit and dynamic appearance that was worthy of envy.

Though, Zarian admitted to himself he missed how she looked when she was covered in scars. Those were all gone after Gilbert healed her up last night.

Hannah stayed mostly on the surface while on a raft she’d constructed. She was jotting down notes and looking through entries into her many journals.

Gilbert floated around on the surface using a board of web and twigs the spectral spiders had made for him. Slip the Sleipnir swam around in circles while spectral spiders danced on his back.

Various skeletons came and went in groups depending on shift rotations. The off-duty skeletons would join Loner once they raided the hotel for spare fishing rods.

The skeletons seemed to enjoy fishing a lot.

Zarian swam down to face the big eel beast at the bottom of the lake. He came to a stop in front of its snout as its large, beach ball-sized eyes opened to look at him. Then … nothing happened.

The eel beast closed its eyes and just remained laying at the bottom.

Feeling a little disappointed, Zarian shrugged and went about swimming and exploring the lake. He enjoyed the cool, aura-rich water flowing over his body. Then things became even more interesting when Para shifted into a tail-like form with fins extending from the base of Zarian’s back.

With a flick of the muscular tail, Para sent Zarian shooting through the water easily. They swam with various schools of fish and saw some that had elemental abilities. Some fish could twist and spin currents of water around them to fend away predators or catch prey.

Zarian used the fish as examples for him to twist water and form currents using his Aura Mastery. After some trials and errors, Zarian learned some rudimentary but solid tricks for water bending.

Eventually, Bianca and Naomi caught up to him and the three swam around without having to surface. Zarian and Naomi combined Aura Mastery and Psychokinesis to create funnels that drew air from the surface and down to them whenever they needed a breath.

Zarian also pushed around rapid water currents from under the surface and to the top to send himself and the ladies shooting into the air. Then they let gravity take control as Zarian whooped, Bianca cheered, and Naomi groaned. They splashed back down under the surface and went current-riding and swimming some more.

When sunset came around, everyone gathered in front of the hotel, including most of the skeletons and spiders. Zarian stood in front of everyone with Loner beside him.

Looking at them all, it just occurred to Zarian that he actually had fun today. He didn’t do too many productive things other than review his new gains, think, and plan for the future.

The rest of his time was spent having a day out in the lake. Tomorrow, they would get going again to reach the center of the Blood Prairie Savages’ territory. They would finally get to see Ezda’s home and check on the changes with Reiki.

But that was tomorrow, and tonight was tonight.

“Did everyone have fun?” Zarian asked.

He received all affirmations. The skeletons rattled the most except for Loner who stood coolly.

Zarian nodded. “Good, because I honestly had some fun today – outside of being Zombie Jesus.”

“I’m going to murder him when he’s cultivating, I swear,” Gilbert grumbled before taking an elbow to the rib from Bianca to shut him up.

Zarian chuckled. “Jokes aside, I’m glad you guys had some fun. I’m sure we’ll have some more fun going forward. But things will get serious, too. I can feel it. We might not be in a rush, because I think we’ll be on time for whatever’s coming, but whatever it is will test how powerful we truly are. And part of that test comes with being sure that we’re prepared and we have all our ducks in a row.”

Everybody nodded and agreed. He was speaking the right stuff. He didn’t even have to lean on his free evil +4 or other intellect-boosting abilities. This was all coming from the gut.

Zarian continued. “We haven’t been living the Star System life for long, but I think we’re becoming experts, ain’t that right, Loner?”

Everyone looked at one of the first goblin skeletons. Loner shrugged at them. Zarian kept smiling as he reached out and patted Loner’s bony shoulder.

“Thanks for all your help, Loner. Now, let’s see you evolve and become even stronger.”

<You can advance Goblin Skeleton Loner, a Level 74 Runic Enforcer, into an Expert. Would you like to do that now?>

<Your summons, Goblin Skeleton Loner, is advancing into an Expert! Please wait for the advancement to complete!>